About St. Joseph · Bertha, Minnesota
St. Joseph is a small Roman Catholic parish in the town of Bertha, Minnesota, located in north-central Minnesota and part of the Diocese of Saint Cloud. It is one of eight parishes that together form the Mary, Mother of the Church Area Catholic Community (ACC), sharing pastors, staff, a school (Sacred Heart Area School in Staples), and a regional Mass schedule. The parish has been a worshipping presence in Bertha since 1913, when it began as a mission, and was formally incorporated on July 15, 1914.
- Established
- 1914
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saint Cloud
Why belong here
St. Joseph is a small, family-friendly parish with one of the youngest congregations in the Diocese of Saint Cloud, and a long tradition of laypeople pitching in — from the men who built the original frame church in 1914 to the crews who built and rebuilt the handicap-accessible ramp. As part of the Mary, Mother of the Church ACC, parishioners share faith-formation resources, a regional school (Sacred Heart Area School in Staples), liturgical ministries across eight parishes, and a prayer chain; weekly Sunday Mass and periodic weekday Mass are offered right in Bertha, and visitors of all backgrounds are explicitly welcomed.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:00 PM (at St. Joseph, Bertha — by 2017 parish schedule)
- Tuesday 6:00 PM (Eucharistic Adoration and Confession, followed by 7:00 PM Mass — by 2017 parish schedule)
- By appointment through the parish office
Adoration times
- Tuesday 6:00 PM (Eucharistic Adoration, followed by 7:00 PM Holy Mass — St. Joseph, Bertha)
St. Joseph Parish, Bertha — Overview
St. Joseph is the Catholic parish serving the small community of Bertha, Minnesota. It belongs to the Mary, Mother of the Church Area Catholic Community (ACC), which links eight parishes across the Wadena area and to the Diocese of Saint Cloud. The parish celebrates Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM in Bertha, with periodic Saturday evening and Tuesday evening Mass/Adoration/Confession scheduled in rotation with neighboring parishes. Mailing and operational phone lines are routed through the ACC office in Wadena.
- Sunday Mass: 8:00 AM at St. Joseph, Bertha
- Part of Mary, Mother of the Church ACC (eight parishes)
- Diocese of Saint Cloud
History
Begun as a mission in 1913 by Rev. Henry Yzermans, who celebrated Mass in private homes for about a dozen families, the parish was formally incorporated on July 15, 1914 and named St. Joseph at Yzermans' suggestion. The original frame church — pews improvised from two-by-fours — was later moved across the street and used briefly while the present brick church was constructed. That $46,000 brick church was dedicated by Bishop Peter Bartholome on June 3, 1952. Parishioners, especially the men of the parish, continued a hands-on tradition of building and maintaining the church: a handicap-accessible ramp was added in 1984 and replaced with a permanent one in 2010. The parish marked its centennial on June 8, 2014, with 108 registered families.
- 1913 – Mission begins in homes of about a dozen families (Rev. Henry Yzermans)
- July 15, 1914 – Parish incorporated as St. Joseph
- 1952 – Brick church dedicated by Bishop Peter Bartholome (June 3, 1952)
- 1984 – Handicap-accessible ramp built
- 2010 – Permanent replacement ramp installed
- 2014 – Centennial celebrated (June 8, 2014)
Mary, Mother of the Church Area Catholic Community (ACC)
St. Joseph is part of the Mary, Mother of the Church ACC, a regional grouping of eight Catholic parishes in central Minnesota that share pastors, staff, faith formation, and a school. The ACC is connected through the Diocese of Saint Cloud to the wider Catholic Church.
- St. Joseph, Bertha
- St. Hubert, Bluegrass
- St. John the Baptist, Bluffton
- Assumption of Our Lady, Menahga
- St. Michael, Motley
- Sacred Heart, Staples
- St. Frederick, Verndale
- St. Ann, Wadena
Liturgical Ministers
Like every parish in the ACC, St. Joseph maintains a roster of volunteer liturgical ministers (lectors, Eucharistic ministers, servers, ushers, etc.) and publishes a monthly ministry schedule. Schedules are posted parish-by-parish on the marysacc.org website.
- Volunteer Liturgical Ministers at St. Joseph, Bertha
- Monthly Liturgical Ministry Schedule posted on the ACC website
Religious Education & Faith Formation
Faith formation for St. Joseph parishioners is coordinated through the ACC. The 2017 parish contact listed Elizabeth Schwartz as volunteer coordinator for Religious Education at St. Joseph, Bertha, supporting a religious-education program that draws on the youthful demographics of the parish highlighted in the 2009 parish-council review.
- Religious Education Volunteer Coordinator: Elizabeth Schwartz (2017)
- Phone: 218-385-2148
- Email: [email protected]
Sacred Heart Area School
The Area Catholic Community's parish school is Sacred Heart Area School, located in Staples, Minnesota. It is the Catholic-school resource shared by all ACC parishes, including St. Joseph, Bertha.
- Sacred Heart Area School — Staples, MN (ACC parish school)
Parish Life & Fellowship
Parish life at St. Joseph emphasizes lay involvement and intergenerational connection — a tradition stretching back to the first frame church built by parishioners in 1914. Fellowship events such as the fall Food & Fellowship Potluck and birthday celebrations for the pastor are part of the parish calendar.
- Food & Fellowship Potluck (fall)
- Birthday celebrations for the pastor
- Prayer Chain ministry (Jeannette Scott 218-924-4385; Ginger Gilbert 218-924-2434)
Contact & Visiting
Parish mail and inquiries are routed through the ACC office at St. Ann's in Wadena. The parish mailing address and phone connect to the Bertha location; calls are forwarded to the ACC business office manager. Visitors are warmly welcomed at any of the Holy Masses above.
- Street Address: 201 Cherry Street, Bertha, MN 56437
- Mailing Address: PO Box 158, Bertha, MN 56437
- Phone: (218) 924-2144 (forwarded to the ACC office in Wadena)
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.marysacc.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Henry Yzermans1913–1914 (founding)
Founded the Bertha mission in 1913 by celebrating Mass in homes; suggested naming the parish St. Joseph; oversaw its incorporation on July 15, 1914.
- Rev. Mitchell Bechtold2017 (referenced)
Mentioned in October 2017 parish notices for a potluck/birthday celebration held at St. Joseph, Bertha.