About St. Joseph · Derry, Pennsylvania
St. Joseph Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the borough of Derry, Pennsylvania, located at 125 South Ligonier Street in eastern Westmoreland County. Since 2020 it has been formally paired with its historic sister parish, St. Martin in New Derry, as the "Partner Parishes of St. Martin and St. Joseph" within the Diocese of Greensburg, sharing one pastor, staff, faith formation programs, and a common mission rooted in the immigrant Catholic heritage of the Derry area. The parish began life in 1883 as a mission of St. Martin, was consecrated as an independent parish in 1907, and today serves a multigenerational community shaped originally by Irish and Italian immigrants who came to work the railroads, mines, and factories of southwestern Pennsylvania.
- Established
- 1883 (as a mission of St. Martin, New Derry); consecrated as an independent parish in 1907
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Salvatore R. Lamendola (commonly known as Father Sam)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Greensburg
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers a complete Catholic life in a small, walkable community: weekday and Sunday Mass, the sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday afternoons, monthly Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday mornings, and a robust faith-formation program for children and adults including RCIA. The parish is part of a tightly knit Partner-Parish family with St. Martin in New Derry, and it runs a long list of lay-led ministries — Knights of Columbus Council #2648, the Altar Rosary Society, St. Vincent de Paul, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Lectors, Ushers, Altar Servers, a Garden Ministry, Our Lady's Rosary Makers, and Communion Ministers to the Homebound — that make it easy to get involved. Father Sam is known in the wider Derry community for visiting the sick and homebound and for ministering regularly to residents at Torrance State Hospital.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM (per published schedule listings)
Adoration times
- Thursday at St. Joseph, immediately after 8:00 AM Mass until 10:00 AM
- Eucharistic Adoration is held the First Week of every month
Identity and Partner-Parish Relationship
St. Joseph no longer operates on its own. Since the parish-school closure in 1995 and a fuller consolidation a few years later, St. Joseph (Derry) and St. Martin (New Derry) have been formally joined as the 'Partner Parishes of St. Martin and St. Joseph' of the Diocese of Greensburg. They share one pastor, one pastoral associate, one financial secretary, one secretary, one director of faith formation, and a single web and bulletin presence — while keeping two distinct worship sites, two distinct patron saints, and two distinct building complexes.
- Partner-Parish Office hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (closed Wed & Fri)
- Common mailing address: 125 South Ligonier Street, Derry, PA 15627
- St. Martin Rectory: (724) 739-0769; Partner Parish Office: (724) 694-5359; Fax: (724) 694-6215
History of St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph grew out of the St. Martin congregation, which had served the entire Derry region since 1853. Because that mission was too large for one church, St. Joseph was begun in 1883 in Derry borough and was consecrated as an independent parish in 1907 under the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The original red-brick church stood where today's upper parking lot is. By the late 1950s it had been replaced by the present church, opened in 1959 as a temporary structure that was never replaced. The parish school operated until 1995 and now serves as the Parish Center.
- 1883 — Parish founded as a mission of St. Martin, New Derry
- 1907 — Consecrated as an independent parish in the Diocese of Pittsburgh
- 1951 — Comes under the newly erected Diocese of Greensburg
- 1959 — Present church building opened
- 1995 — Parish school closes; building becomes St. Joseph Parish Center
Immigration and Community Heritage
The Diocese of Greensburg's published mission statement, echoed on the parish site, describes the parish as 'a historic, rural community of hardworking descendants of miners, steel and factory workers and farmers.' The first Catholic settlers were largely Irish; later Italian immigrants, drawn by the railroad and the coal and steel trades, made up a substantial share of the parish. Today the parish reflects this multi-ethnic working-class heritage in its family names, ministries, and social events.
Clergy, Staff and Parish Office
The day-to-day pastoral team is small but stable. The pastor is supported by a Felician Sister of Christian Charity serving as Pastoral Associate, a Faith Formation Director, a Sacristan, a Financial Secretary, and a Secretary / Website Coordinator.
- Rev. Salvatore R. Lamendola — Pastor ([email protected])
- Sr. Charlene Ozanick, CSSF — Pastoral Associate ([email protected])
- Kristin Kozar — Director of Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation
- Angela Bundy — Financial Secretary
- Samantha Schall — Secretary / Website Coordinator
- Tish Rossi — Sacristan (St. Joseph) and Facebook Coordinator
Faith Formation, RCIA and Sacramental Preparation
All catechetical work for the Partner Parishes is run out of the St. Joseph Parish Center under a single Faith Formation Director. Programs include ongoing religious education for parish children, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults for those seeking to enter the Church or complete their sacraments, and Marriage Preparation for engaged couples.
- Faith Formation for children — Kristin Kozar, Director ([email protected])
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Marriage Preparation — couples must contact the Pastor at least six months before the wedding
- Parish library housed in the Parish Center
Music Ministry
Each parish maintains its own Music Director. The St. Joseph Music Director coordinates cantors and choir for the weekend and weekday Masses at the Derry church.
- Madlyn DeRito — Music Director, St. Joseph ([email protected])
- Dolly Stiffler — Music Director, St. Martin
Parish Ministries and Organizations
St. Joseph operates one of the more extensive lists of lay ministries found in a small-town western Pennsylvania parish. Knights of Columbus Council #2648, the Altar Rosary Society, and St. Vincent de Paul anchor the parish's social and charitable life; liturgical ministries (Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Altar Servers, Ushers) keep the Mass going; and care-and-craft groups (Garden Ministry, Communion Ministers to the Homebound, Our Lady's Rosary Makers) extend the parish into the wider Derry community.
- Knights of Columbus Council #2648 (chartered 1917) — Grand Knight Mark Voyten, (724) 694-8532
- Altar Rosary Society
- St. Vincent de Paul Society — helpline (724) 694-5359 for emergency economic assistance
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Lectors
- Altar Servers
- Ushers
- Communion Ministers to the Homebound
- Money Counters
- Garden Ministry
- Our Lady's Rosary Makers
- Annual Partner-Parish Picnic (Knights of Columbus)
- Lenten Fish Dinners (Knights of Columbus)
- Seasonal Lumberjack Breakfasts and Coffee & Donut Socials
- March for Life bus trip to Washington, D.C.
Parish Facilities and Campus
Today's St. Joseph campus grew up in three phases: the 1959 church, the Parish Hall tucked beneath it, and the former parish-school building (now the Parish Center). The whole complex is used for weekend liturgies, weekday faith formation, fellowship, and outreach, and is handicapped-accessible.
- St. Joseph Church — opened 1959; handicapped-accessible; features stained-glass windows
- Parish Hall — beneath the church; fully equipped kitchen, large gathering space, recently renovated restrooms, ample storage
- St. Joseph Parish Center — former school (closed 1995); offices, meeting room, Faith Formation classrooms, parish library
- Parish Rectory — adjacent to the church
- Open for private prayer on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Joining the Parish
New parishioners are welcomed through a printable Membership Form that can be dropped in the collection basket, mailed in, or handed to the parish office. The parish invites visitors and prospective members to introduce themselves and to consider joining any of the lay ministries or the Knights of Columbus Council.
- Membership Form available on the Join Our Parish Family page
- Newcomers can submit forms by mail, in the collection basket, or in person during office hours
Outreach and Emergency Assistance
Beyond its own ministries, St. Joseph serves as a referral point in the Derry area for people in personal or material crisis, connecting callers to diocesan and parish-staffed hotlines.
- Catholic Charities Helpline — 1-866-409-6455 (24/7 emergency material and personal crisis assistance)
- St. Vincent de Paul Helpline — (724) 694-5359 (emergency economic assistance)
- Faithful visitation to the sick, homebound, and residents of Torrance State Hospital by Father Sam
Bulletin and Communications
The parish publishes a combined weekly bulletin covering both Partner Parishes, with the Mass schedule, ministry schedule, sanctuary-candle intentions, financial updates, and a message from the pastor. Bulletins are archived on the parish website.
- Weekly bulletins posted under 'Read our Weekly Bulletins'
- Pastor publishes a short message ('God Bless Us All, Fr. Sam') in each issue
- Office-managed Facebook page administered by Sacristan/Facebook Coordinator