About St. Joseph Church/Bread of Life Community · Erie, Pennsylvania
St. Joseph Church/Bread of Life Community is a Roman Catholic parish in Erie, Pennsylvania, formed on July 1, 2002 by the merger of two communities: St. Joseph Church, founded June 2, 1867 by German immigrants, and the Bread of Life Community, a Catholic charismatic prayer community founded January 10, 1991. Today the parish is pastored by Fr. Steve Schreiber as part of a partnership with neighboring Sacred Heart and St. Paul parishes, and is the only parish in the Diocese of Erie that offers Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The community is known for its vibrant liturgies, biblical preaching, full Life Teen youth ministry, active outreach to the poor, and for being home to internationally known Catholic speaker and author Fr. Larry Richards for many years.
- Established
- 1867
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Steve Schreiber
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
St. Joseph/Bread of Life offers something rare in the Diocese of Erie: a 24/7 Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed around the clock, every day of the year. Add to that a full-time youth minister running Life Teen and Edge programs, an active food pantry and clothing store serving the Erie community, a winter emergency shelter, weekly charismatic-style novena prayer, a Purgatorial Society Mass, and an 11:00 AM Sunday Mass signed for the deaf, and you have a parish that is both spiritually deep and concretely generous. It is a place where charismatic renewal, traditional Catholic devotion, biblical preaching, and outreach to the poor live under one roof — and where visitors are repeatedly told, 'There is a place for YOU here.'
Mass times at St. Joseph Church/Bread of Life Community
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM (at Sacred Heart)
- Saturday 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (at Sacred Heart)
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (at St. Joseph)
- Saturday 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM (at St. Joseph, per Join us for Mass page)
- Sunday before 11:00 AM Mass and after 8:00 PM Mass
- Sunday after the 7:00 PM Mass
- After the 8:00 PM Life Teen/Mercy Mass
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (the only parish in the Diocese of Erie with Perpetual Adoration). The Adoration Chapel is in the St. Joseph Community Center and is open to the public weekdays 6:00 AM – 4:30 PM; other times with a special code.
Our Story: Two Communities Become One
St. Joseph Church/Bread of Life Community is a product of two very different Catholic communities that were joined together on July 1, 2002. St. Joseph Church was founded on June 2, 1867 by German immigrants who had organized the 'Roman Catholic Line School Society' on Erie's south side. The Bread of Life Community was founded on January 10, 1991 by a group of Catholic Charismatics seeking to worship and exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit within the Catholic Church. After more than a decade of parallel growth, the two became one parish — and have continued to grow as a welcoming community with vibrant liturgies and biblical preaching.
- St. Joseph Church founded June 2, 1867 by German immigrants
- Bread of Life Community founded January 10, 1991 by Catholic Charismatics
- Merged into a single parish on July 1, 2002
- The Rosary Society, founded in 1867, is the parish's oldest organization
Historic Roots on Erie's South Side
The parish's origins go back to a group of German Catholic families on Erie's south 'hills' who built a schoolhouse on 18th Street through the 'Roman Catholic Line School Society.' Their goal was a Catholic education for their children without the long walk to St. Mary's School. In 1866 Fr. Stump celebrated the first Mass in that schoolhouse; in June 1867 the first Mass was celebrated in the newly built church (the site of the present rectory), by Fr. Stump together with Bishop Mullen. A difficult dispute led Bishop Mullen to remove Fr. Stump and close the church, but the interdict was lifted and the Jesuit Fathers of Buffalo reopened the parish in January 1869. The Jesuits restored the parish's spiritual and financial life, and although they envisioned a permanent religious community and a college, those plans did not materialize. The Jesuits left in 1873.
- First Mass in the original schoolhouse, 1866 (Fr. Stump)
- First Mass in the new church, June 1867 (Fr. Stump and Bishop Mullen)
- Parish closed amid 1868–1869 dispute, then reopened by the Jesuits of Buffalo (Jan 1869)
- Jesuits departed in 1873
Pastoral Leadership
The parish is currently pastored by Fr. Steve Schreiber, who became pastor in July 2024 as part of a three-parish partnership linking St. Joseph/Bread of Life with Sacred Heart and St. Paul parishes in Erie. Fr. Steve previously served as pastor of Holy Redeemer in Warren, PA, and has a background in the U.S. Coast Guard and as a rescue specialist at Washington Reagan National Airport before entering seminary. He studied in Rome, where he earned a sacred theology degree from the Angelicum. He is known for his heart for youth ministry and for being a charismatic retreat leader across the Diocese of Erie.
- Fr. Steve Schreiber — Pastor (since July 2024)
- Deacon Doug Konzel
- Parish Secretary: Trish McDaid
- Pastoral Minister / RCIA Coordinator: Jean Malthaner
- Director of Music: Brianna Erdman
- Religious Education Leader: Clint Badowski
- Discipleship Advisor: Statia Brown
- Evangelization Advisor: T.A. Walkiewicz
- Worship (Adorers): Bill & Maureen Trabold
Former Pastor: Fr. Larry Richards
Fr. Larry Richards served as pastor of St. Joseph/Bread of Life for many years and remains closely associated with the parish's identity. He is an internationally known Catholic speaker and best-selling author, the founder of The Reason for Our Hope Foundation, the DME Retreat program, the 22:32 Men's Conference, and the 1:38 Women's Conference, and can be heard weekly on Catholic radio programs around the country.
- Founder, The Reason for Our Hope Foundation
- Founder, DME Retreat program
- Founder, 22:32 Men's Conference
- Founder, 1:38 Women's Conference
Worship Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities
The parish is deliberate about welcoming persons with disabilities. In imitation of Christ, the parish seeks to be a faith family that is warm, welcoming, and accommodating. Practical accommodations are built into the building and the liturgy.
- Ramped entrance on the right side of the church
- Powered door at the right entrance
- Accessible washrooms on the left side of the vestibule
- Assisted hearing devices available from any usher or at the welcome desk (right of vestibule)
- Pew accessibility: front middle center aisle on the left and right
- Every Sunday the 11:00 AM Mass is signed for the deaf
Youth Ministry: Life Teen and Edge
St. Joseph/Bread of Life has a full-time youth minister and runs the Life Teen program for high school youth (9th–12th grade) along with the Edge program for middle schoolers (6th–8th grade). The parish hosts a weekly Sunday night Life Teen/Mercy Mass at 8:00 PM, followed by confessions, and the Life Teen Mass music is led by Tim and Sami. The youth program follows the Life Teen model of catechetics and evangelization.
- Life Teen — 9th–12th grade
- Edge — 6th–8th grade
- Weekly 8:00 PM Life Teen / Mercy Mass followed by confessions
- C-NOW youth event nights
- Music led by Tim and Sami
Faith Formation and RCIA
The parish offers a Religious Education program for all youth, and an RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process for adults entering the Catholic Church, coordinated by Pastoral Minister Jean Malthaner. The parish also runs Vacation Bible School and is active in the Word of Life Catholic Charismatic Renewal Center, with parishioners leading Life in the Spirit seminars, ALPHA courses, and prison ministry at Cambridge Springs.
- RCIA — Jean Malthaner, coordinator
- Religious Education Leader: Clint Badowski
- Vacation Bible School
- ALPHA Course
- Life in the Spirit Seminars
- Prison ministry at Cambridge Springs
Outreach to the Poor
Reaching out to the poor is central to the parish's identity. The community operates a food pantry, a clothing store, and a winter emergency shelter. The St. Joseph Church Bread of Life Food Pantry is open on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM, providing nutritious canned goods, dry cereal, fruits, and vegetables to those in need in the Erie community.
- Food Pantry — 2nd & 4th Mondays, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
- Clothing Store
- Winter Emergency Shelter
- Network of Care Erie County partner
Devotions and Special Masses
The parish maintains a rich devotional life in keeping with its charismatic and traditional roots.
- Wednesday Novena Mass at 7:00 PM with evening prayer and anointing with St. Joseph Oil
- Purgatorial Society Mass every Monday at 7:00 PM
- Purgatorial Society Mass on the last Friday of the month at 7:00 PM
- Weekday 11:30 AM Mass in the Chapel
Parish Address, Contact, and Visit Us
The parish invites everyone — 'There is a place for YOU here' — to attend the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass. Visitors are welcomed warmly, and accessibility, hearing assistance, and a signed Mass for the deaf are all part of the parish's outreach.
- 147 W. 24th Street, Erie, PA 16502
- Phone: 814-452-2982
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.stjoesbol.org/
- Livestream: 7:00 AM Mon–Fri and 11:00 AM Sunday on YouTube
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Stump1866–c. 1868
First pastor; celebrated the first Mass in the original schoolhouse in 1866 and the first Mass in the new church in June 1867. Removed by Bishop Mullen amid a parish dispute.
- Jesuit Fathers of Buffalo1869–1873
Engaged to reopen the parish after the interdict; restored the parish spiritually and financially.
- Fr. Larry Richards
Longtime pastor; internationally known Catholic speaker and best-selling author; founder of The Reason for Our Hope Foundation, the DME Retreat program, the 22:32 Men's Conference, and the 1:38 Women's Conference. Led the parish for many years before the current partnership arrangement.
- Fr. Steve SchreiberJuly 2024–present
Current pastor of St. Joseph/Bread of Life, Sacred Heart, and St. Paul parishes. Previously pastor of Holy Redeemer in Warren, PA; former U.S. Coast Guard officer and rescue specialist; studied in Rome where Pope St. John Paul II was his neighbor.