St. Joseph

Parish History

Catholic presence in Bowling Green began with the 1856 arrival of German and Irish laborers building the L&N Railroad bridge over the Barren River. Bishop Martin John Spalding of Louisville sent the 22-year-old Dutch seminarian Fr. Joseph DeVries in 1858; he organized the parish in 1859 and broke ground on the brick church designed by German master builder Frank Kister later that year. Mass was first said Easter Sunday 1860 in the unfinished walls, and the 57'x35' church was dedicated in 1862. After Fr. DeVries died in 1889, Fr. Thomas J. Haynes served 54 years and imported Stations, statues, the font, and a Nativity from Europe; the 1898 Lyon and Healy organ and surviving frescoes by the Milanese Leber brothers date to his pastorate. The parish was divided in 1969 (creating Holy Spirit Parish) and the historic church was sensitively restored in 2004–2007.

• Founded 1859 on land donated by the non-Catholic Euclid Covington
• National Register of Historic Places, 1975
• 142-foot spire and 600-pound Troy, NY bell (1863) still in use
• Mother church of Bowling Green since the 1969 split

Architecture & Sacred Art

St. Joseph's church blends High Victorian Gothic, Italianate, and Byzantine elements, drawn largely from German rather than Irish models by architect-builder Francis Leopold Kister (trained at the University of Heidelberg) and continued by his son Frank Jr. between 1871 and 1889. The 2004–2007 restoration replaced the pipe organ with a Johannus American Classic VII — preserving the original façade — and returned the original communion rail, restored the statues (by a talented parishioner), and renewed the slate roof, floor, plaster, and all mechanical systems. Surviving frescoes are by the Milanese artists Charles and Guy Leber.

Worship & Sacraments

St. Joseph celebrates Mass in both English and Spanish every Sunday, with an additional Tuesday evening English Mass and a Thursday evening Spanish Mass during the week. Confessions are heard Tuesday afternoon, Thursday evening (English and Spanish), and Saturday afternoon, or by appointment. The parish prepares children for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation through its Faith Formation program and walks unbaptized and baptized adults into the Church through OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, formerly RCIA).

• Daily English Mass Monday–Friday at 7:00 AM
• Tuesday 5:30 PM English Mass; Thursday 6:30 PM Spanish Mass
• Sunday: 6:30, 8:00, 10:00 AM (English) and 12:00, 2:00 PM (Spanish)
• Confessions Tuesday 4:15–5:15 PM, Thursday 5:00–6:00 PM, Saturday 2:00–3:30 PM

St. Joseph Interparochial School

St. Joseph Interparochial School (stjosephschoolbg.org) is a Preschool through 8th-grade campus on the parish grounds, serving students from Holy Spirit Parish, St. Joseph Parish, and the wider Warren County community. The school traces its origins to 1863, when Fr. DeVries invited the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth to open a Catholic school in Bowling Green; St. Columba Academy was established, and a dedicated school and convent building was added next to the church in 1910–1911. Today the campus includes preschool (3- and 4-year-olds), elementary (K–5), and middle school (6–8) divisions, with 8th-graders eligible for high-school credit in Algebra I and Biology I. The school is accredited by the Kentucky Non-Public School Commission and the National Council for Private School Accreditation, and remains faith-centered: 'we pray together each day.'

• Preschool–8th grade interparochial Catholic school
• Original 1911 school building still in use (1st and 3rd grade + S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab)
• Accredited by Kentucky Non-Public School Commission and NCPSA
• Campus also includes a gymnasium (1960–61), a 1998 classroom addition, and the former convent (now preschool)

Clergy & Staff

Saint Joseph is staffed by a pastor, a parochial vicar, and a deacon, with a Director of Religious Education (Paetra Kollias) coordinating Faith Formation.

• Father Ryan Harpole — Pastor ([email protected])
• Father Chris Kight — Parochial Vicar ([email protected])
• Deacon Larry Conrad ([email protected])
• Paetra Kollias — Director of Religious Education

Planning Your Visit

Visitors and newcomers are welcomed at St. Joseph, located between the river and the railroad in Bowling Green's oldest neighborhood. Parking is available in the lot in front of the church and in the Parish Hall / School lots behind the church; on weekends, please observe posted signage and park only on the Church side of Church Ave. The parish office can be reached at (270) 842-2525.