About St. Joseph · Bellevue, Iowa
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bellevue, Iowa is one of the pioneer parishes of both the city of Bellevue and the State of Iowa, founded in 1841 when Bishop Mathias Loras of Dubuque purchased a lot on Water Street for a church and an adjoining lot for cemetery purposes. Today it is the mother parish of a four-church cluster — along with Sts. Peter & Paul (Springbrook), St. Catherine (Dubuque County), and St. Donatus — serving about 800 parish families in the rolling Mississippi-river hill country of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The current Gothic-style stone church was completed in 1910, and the parish campus includes Kieffer Hall, a rectory, and the associated Marquette Schools that continue to serve students of the area parishes.
- Established
- 1841
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Andrew J. (Andy) Upah
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Dubuque
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers the rhythms of small-town Iowa Catholic life: a richly historic stone Gothic church at the heart of Bellevue, weekly and daily Masses in English, Saturday confession from 4:00 to 4:45 p.m., and First Friday summer adoration. It is the mother parish of a four-church cluster that also reaches Springbrook, St. Catherine, and St. Donatus, so the community draws on a wide circle of about 800 families, supported by a faith-formation and youth ministry, a pastoral associate, a parish deacon, and the long-standing Marquette Schools that continue to educate local Catholic students.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (St. Joseph)
Adoration times
- First Friday 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM during the summer at St. Joseph
History of St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph's story is one of the oldest continuous Catholic communities in Iowa. As early as 1841 a small body of Catholics — principally Irish immigrants with some German and French families — was gathering in Bellevue. Bishop Mathias Loras purchased a Water Street lot for a church and an adjoining lot for cemetery purposes, and in 1842 a 20-by-28-foot frame church named St. Andrew's was built at Dubuque and shipped down the Mississippi on a raft. After years of sporadic priestly visits from Dubuque, the parish received its first resident pastor, Rev. Frederick Jean, in 1850 — only to see the church burn in October 1853. A second brick St. Andrew's was built in 1855, and over the next decade a string of short-term pastors served the parish.
- 1841 — Bishop Loras buys lot on Water Street for a church and an adjoining cemetery lot.
- 1842 — A 20×28 ft. frame St. Andrew's is built at Dubuque and floated downstream on a raft at a cost of about $800.
- 1850–1853 — First resident pastor Rev. Frederick Jean arrives; the little church burns in October 1853.
- 1855 — A new brick St. Andrew's (34×65 ft., $2,500) is built on lots at Fifth and Jefferson Streets.
- 1865–1868 — Rev. James Harding's pastorate; German-speaking parishioners form a St. Joseph society and begin their own 50×90 ft. church.
- 1868 — Rev. Theodore Schiffmacher unites both nationalities under the new stone St. Joseph's Church and establishes the parish school (1868).
- 1879–1881 — Rev. Peter Portz dies of smallpox on Nov. 29, 1881; neighboring parishes fill in for six months.
- 1882–1923 — Rev. Nicholas J. Bies serves a long pastorate; present Gothic stone church built in 1910 (60×140 ft., $40,000) during which Mass was held in Columbia Hall.
- 1929 — Rev. Joseph E. Linkenmeyer appointed pastor by Archbishop James J. Keane.
- Later — Fr. Cletus Hawes refurbishes the church, adds an elevator, and builds a new rectory.
Parish Staff and Pastoral Leadership
St. Joseph is pastored as part of a four-parish cluster in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The pastor leads the cluster with the help of a pastoral associate, a deacon, a coordinator of faith formation and youth ministry, an office secretary and bookkeeper, and pastoral council chairpersons representing each of the four parishes.
- Rev. Andy Upah — Pastor
- Yvette Andersen — Pastoral Associate
- Deacon Loras Weber
- Angela Burken — Coordinator of Faith Formation & Youth Minister
- Mary Beth Wagner — St. Catherine Coordinator of Faith Formation
- Denise Michel — Secretary and Bookkeeper
- Mary Sieverding
- Chairperson @ St. Joseph
- Kaitlin Till — Chairperson @ Sts. Peter & Paul
- Kyle Pfeiffer — Chairperson @ St. Catherine
- Larry Herrig — Chairperson @ St. Donatus
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith formation is coordinated across the four-parish cluster. K–12 religious education classes run September through April and are hosted in cooperation with Holy Cross, St. James, and Sts. Peter & Paul parishes. Angela Burken coordinates faith formation and youth ministry for St. Joseph, and Mary Beth Wagner serves as the St. Catherine coordinator of faith formation.
- Religious Education 2026-2027 registration is open.
- Classes run September – April (e.g., Sept. 2, 2026 – Apr. 21, 2027).
- Cluster partnership with Holy Cross, St. James, and Sts. Peter & Paul.
- Hosted at Sts. Peter & Paul.
Sacraments and Devotions
The parish celebrates the sacraments of Baptism and Anointing of the Sick, with the latter offered both on request through the parish office and within a regularly scheduled Sunday Mass each year. First Friday summer adoration is held at St. Joseph from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., and the parish offers access to FORMED, the popular Catholic on-demand media platform.
- Baptism — coordinated through the parish office.
- Anointing of the Sick — by request, and annually within a Sunday Mass.
- First Friday Adoration — 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM, summer, at St. Joseph.
- FORMED — parish subscription for Catholic video, audio, and study content.
- Online Giving — available through the parish website.
Parish Campus and Facilities
The St. Joseph campus in downtown Bellevue centers on the 1910 Gothic stone church at 405 Franklin Street and includes Kieffer Hall (which received new handicapped-accessible bathrooms in recent renovations), a new rectory built under Fr. Cletus Hawes, new sidewalks around the church for accessibility, and an elevator inside the church. A new sound system, air conditioning, and carpeting have been added in recent decades.
- 405 Franklin Street, Bellevue, IA 52031 — Main Parish Office
- Gothic stone church, 60×140 ft., built 1910
- Kieffer Hall — parish hall with new handicapped bathrooms
- New rectory built under Fr. Cletus Hawes
- Elevator installed in church
- Air conditioning, new carpeting, new sound system, interior repainting
- New sidewalks for accessibility
Cluster Parishes
St. Joseph is the mother parish of a four-church cluster that includes Sts. Peter & Paul (Springbrook), St. Catherine (Dubuque County), and St. Donatus (Jackson County). Together they share weekday and Sunday Mass coverage, faith-formation programming, and pastoral staff; each parish has its own pastoral council chairperson.
- Sts. Peter & Paul — 105 E Main St., Springbrook, IA 52075
- St. Catherine — 5181 St. Catherine Rd, Dubuque, IA 52003
- St. Donatus — 97 E. 1st St., St. Donatus, IA 52071
Contact, Office Hours, and How to Get Involved
The Main Parish Office is at St. Joseph Church, 405 Franklin Street, Bellevue, IA 52031, phone (563) 872-3234. Office hours are Tuesday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (closed Mondays). The parish shares bulletins, ministry schedules, online giving, and FORMED content through its website; worship aids and homilies are also posted to its YouTube channel.
- Main Parish Office: 405 Franklin Street, Bellevue, IA 52031
- Phone: (563) 872-3234
- Hours: Tuesday–Friday 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM (Monday closed)
- Bulletin, Ministry Schedules, Online Giving — sjandspp.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/stjosephbellevue
- YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCstxBm6w98N-91ZEpgO62Mg
- Church Center: sjandsppcommunity.churchcenter.com
Catholic Education — Marquette Schools
The parish has long been associated with Catholic education. A parish school was permanently established by Father Theodore M. Schiffmacher in 1868, founded by laymen — an unusual origin for a Catholic school of that era — with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration later donating a lot in 1886. St. Joseph's High School was placed on the Iowa State Board of Secondary School Relations' list of approved high schools on June 2, 1924. Today, Marquette Schools continue to serve students from across the area parishes.
- Parish school established 1868 by Father Theodore M. Schiffmacher
- Originally founded by laymen, unusual among 19th-century Catholic schools
- Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration donated a lot in 1886
- St. Joseph's High School recognized by Iowa State Board of Secondary School Relations, June 2, 1924
- Marquette Schools continue to serve the area parishes today
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Frederick Jean1850 – October 1853
First resident pastor; served until the little frame church was destroyed by fire.
- Rev. Patrick McCabe1855–1856
Completed the second brick St. Andrew's Church.
- Rev. John Vahey1857
- Rev. Edward Kenney1858
- Rev. John B. Brazill1859–1860
- Rev. R. F. Maloneylate 1860
- Rev. Dennis Wheeler1860–1861
Died about a year after taking the parish.
- Rev. George Brennan1862–1863
- Rev. Dennis Brennan1864
- Rev. James Harding1865–1868
German-speaking parishioners built their own St. Joseph church during his tenure.
- Rev. Theodore Schiffmacher1868 – October 1879
United the two nationalities under one stone St. Joseph's Church; established the parish school in 1868.
- Rev. Peter Portz1879 – Nov. 29, 1881
Died during a smallpox epidemic in his second year.
- Rev. Nicholas J. Bies1882 – 1923
Long-tenured pastor under whom the present Gothic church was built in 1910; asked for an administrator due to failing health in 1923.
- Rev. William J. Cremer1923–1929
Served as administrator.
- Rev. Joseph E. LinkenmeyerOctober 1929 –
Appointed by Archbishop James J. Keane.
- Rev. Cletus Hawes
Refurbished the church, installed an elevator, and built a new rectory.
- Rev. Andrew J. (Andy) Upahpresent
Current pastor of the four-parish cluster of St. Joseph, Sts. Peter & Paul, St. Catherine, and St. Donatus.