About St. Joseph · Crandon, Wisconsin
St. Joseph Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the City of Crandon and surrounding Forest County in northeastern Wisconsin. It belongs to the Diocese of Green Bay and is presently administered (rather than resident-pastored) by a priest who simultaneously shepherds the linked parishes of Holy Family in Elcho and St. Mary in Pickerel. The parish gathers for a Saturday Vigil Mass and a Sunday morning Mass, exposes the Blessed Sacrament for a weekly Holy Hour on Friday evenings, and offers regular opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
- Patron
- St. Joseph (Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, foster-father of Jesus)
- Rector
- Rev. Arul John Kennedy Gaspar (Parish Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Green Bay
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers a faithful, intimate Catholic community in the small county-seat city of Crandon, with a traditional weekend Mass schedule and a weekly Friday Holy Hour followed by Mass. The parish is part of a 'linked' cluster of three Forest County parishes served by one priest — Holy Family in Elcho and St. Mary in Pickerel — which means Catholics across this rural stretch of northeastern Wisconsin share their sacramental life together. The parish is also noted by the diocese as 'Special Needs Accessible,' making it welcoming to worshippers with mobility challenges.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30 – 8:15 AM (before Mass)
- First Saturday 9:00 – 9:45 AM
- Second and Fourth Saturday 6:30 – 7:00 PM
Adoration times
- Every Friday at 6:00 PM (Holy Hour), followed by Mass at 7:00 PM
Parish Identity and Diocese
St. Joseph Parish (also called Church of St. Joseph) is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Green Bay. It is officially listed by the diocese in the 2023–24 Diocesan Directory under the 'Northwest' vicariate with its mailing address at 208 N. Park Ave., Crandon, WI 54520-1351. Like many small rural parishes in northeastern Wisconsin, St. Joseph is served today by a Parish Administrator rather than a resident pastor.
- Diocese of Green Bay — Northwest Vicariate
- Parish mailing address: 208 N. Park Ave., Crandon, WI 54520-1351
- Listed by the diocese as 'Special Needs Accessible'
Clergy and Parish Staff
The current Parish Administrator is Rev. Arul John Kennedy Gaspar, who simultaneously serves as administrator of Holy Family Parish in Elcho and St. Mary Parish in Pickerel. The parish office is staffed by Office Manager Jacquelyn Wilson, and faith-formation is coordinated by Mikala Crum.
- Parish Administrator: Rev. Arul John Kennedy Gaspar
- Office Manager: Jacquelyn Wilson
- Religious Education Contact: Mikala Crum (715-478-3396)
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Parish-based religious education for the youth of St. Joseph is run out of the parish office at the same address as the church, with Mikala Crum as the parish contact. Families seeking information about classes, sacramental preparation, or registration are invited to call the parish office.
- Religious Education Office: 208 N. Park Ave., Crandon, WI 54520
- RE Phone: 715-478-3396
- RE Contact: Mikala Crum
Linked Parishes and Sacramental Records
St. Joseph is the lead parish of a three-parish 'linked' cluster covering Forest County, sharing one priest with Holy Family in Elcho and St. Mary in Pickerel. The parish office also retains sacramental records for the former St. Mary, Argonne and St. Michael Station, Hiles — both of which were merged into St. Joseph.
- Linked parishes: Holy Family (Elcho) and St. Mary (Pickerel)
- Records held for former St. Mary, Argonne
- Records held for former St. Michael Station, Hiles
Visit, Contact and Office Hours
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Joseph by phone, email, or its Facebook page. Published office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The parish's primary online presence is its Facebook page, which serves as its de facto website.
- Phone: (715) 478-3396
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Monday – Thursday, 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Facebook: facebook.com/St-Joseph-Catholic-Church-104518189621257/
Crandon and Forest County — Local Context
St. Joseph sits in the small city of Crandon, the county seat and only incorporated community in Forest County, in the northeastern corner of Wisconsin roughly 100 miles north of Green Bay. Crandon was founded in the 1880s and grew rapidly in the early 20th century around the Page & Landeck sawmill, which drew loggers and their families — many of them from Kentucky — to work the hardwood forests. Today the parish's region relies on logging in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, tourism on the surrounding lakes, and light industry.
- Crandon is the county seat of Forest County, pop. ~1,713 (2020 census).
- City founded in the 1880s; incorporated 1909.
- Named for Major Frank P. Crandon of the Chicago and North Western Railway.