About St. Joseph · Elk Point, South Dakota
St. Joseph Parish is a small Roman Catholic community serving the town of Elk Point in Union County, South Dakota, on the Missouri River. Founded in 1879 and worshiping in a church built the following year, it is one of the oldest parishes in the southeast corner of the Diocese of Sioux Falls. Today St. Joseph worships at 605 East Main Street and is a member parish of the Holy Angels Pastorate, which unites several southeast-South-Dakota parishes (including St. Peter in Jefferson and St. Teresa of Calcutta in Dakota Dunes) under one priestly team. Sunday Mass is offered at 8:30 AM, with weekday Mass on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the parish also provides weekly confession and Eucharistic Adoration.
- Established
- 1879
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Joe Vogel (Pastor, Holy Angels Pastorate)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers a faithful, intimate Catholic community in the small river town of Elk Point, with Sunday Mass every week at 8:30 AM and weekday Mass on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The parish keeps a steady rhythm of the sacraments — weekly confession times on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, plus Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesdays and Thursdays — that is rare for a parish of its size. Because St. Joseph is part of the Holy Angels Pastorate, parishioners also benefit from shared faith formation for children (K–6 religious education on Wednesday evenings), youth discipleship small groups, and adult Discipleship Immersion Groups across the wider southeast-South-Dakota Catholic community.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 7:30 AM – 8:15 AM (St. Joseph, Elk Point)
- Tuesday: 7:30 AM – 7:55 AM (St. Joseph, Elk Point)
- Thursday: 7:30 AM – 7:55 AM (St. Joseph, Elk Point)
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM (St. Joseph, Elk Point)
- Thursday: 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM (St. Joseph, Elk Point); Rosary at 7:30 AM
About St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic parish in Elk Point, South Dakota, a small Missouri River community in Union County. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Sioux Falls and forms part of the Holy Angels Pastorate, a grouping of eight southeast-South-Dakota parishes and a university Newman Center. St. Joseph's mission is to bring the sacraments — especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation — to the Catholics of Elk Point and the surrounding rural area.
- Parish name: St. Joseph
- Location: Elk Point, Union County, South Dakota
- Diocese: Sioux Falls
- Pastorate: Holy Angels Pastorate
- Address: 605 East Main Street, Elk Point, SD 57025
- Mailing: PO Box 340, Elk Point, SD 57025-0340
History of St. Joseph
The parish was organized in 1879 by the Catholic families of Elk Point, then a young river town. By 1880–81 the community had grown strong enough to erect a wood-frame church 72 by 35 feet, at a cost of about $3,000, with most of the money contributed by the Catholic families themselves. Rev. Father John Brogan was the first regular resident pastor, and early accounts describe a membership of about forty to fifty families. More than 140 years later, St. Joseph continues to worship on East Main Street.
- Parish organized: 1879
- Church building erected: 1880–81
- Original building dimensions: 72 ft × 35 ft
- Original construction cost: about $3,000
- First resident pastor: Rev. John Brogan
Holy Angels Pastorate
In the 2020s, Bishop Donald DeGrood reorganized the Diocese of Sioux Falls into twenty-five pastorates. St. Joseph was grouped, along with seven other parishes and the University of South Dakota's Newman Center, into what was initially called Pastorate #15. The pastorate has since been renamed the Holy Angels Pastorate. Under Bishop DeGrood's mission — 'Lifelong Catholic Missionary Discipleship through God's Love' — the pastorate coordinates Worship, Discipleship & Evangelization, Service, Communion, Catholic School, and Newman Center ministries across its member communities.
- St. Agnes, Vermillion
- St. Thomas More Newman Center (University of South Dakota)
- St. Teresa of Calcutta, Dakota Dunes
- St. Peter, Jefferson
- St. Joseph, Elk Point
- St. Teresa, Beresford
- St. Patrick, Wakonda
- Good Shepherd, Centerville
Clergy and Parish Staff
St. Joseph is served by the priestly team of the Holy Angels Pastorate. Fr. Joe Vogel is the pastor for the cluster, assisted by several parochial vicars listed on the diocesan directory. A deacon and shared parish staff (office administrator and CCD director) support the work at St. Joseph's.
- Rev. Joe Vogel — Pastor
- Rev. Terence R. Anderson — Pastor (Diocese of Sioux Falls directory listing)
- Rev. Kevin Doyle — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. David Roehrich — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. John Rutten — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Joseph Twidwell
- Monica Elsinger — Director of Discipleship and Evangelization
- Jean Limoges — Office Administrator
- Dorothy Schmidt — CCD Director (605-356-2443)
Faith Formation & Youth Discipleship
Faith formation for the children of St. Joseph is offered in partnership with St. Peter in Jefferson. The K–6 Religious Education program meets Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 PM at St. Joseph's in Elk Point. Youth Discipleship small groups, led by adult mentors, meet afterward from 7:15 to 8:30 PM. The Elk Point–Jefferson youth groups have joined with the Dakota Dunes youth for activities such as praying the Stations of the Cross together at St. Peter's. Adult Discipleship Immersion Groups (DIG) are also offered across the pastorate.
- Religious Education (K–6): Wednesdays 6:00–7:00 PM at St. Joseph's, Elk Point
- Youth Discipleship small groups: Wednesdays 7:15–8:30 PM during the school year
- Discipleship Immersion Groups (DIG) for adults
- Newly revised children's catechesis curriculum (Director of D&E: Michael Denz)
Contact and Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone, fax, or email. Office hours are not published online — callers are invited to phone the parish office for current hours. The parish shares its office administrator with St. Peter, Jefferson, so calls and messages may be handled by a single staff member across both parishes.
- Address: 605 E Main Street, Elk Point, SD 57025
- Mailing: PO Box 340, Elk Point, SD 57025-0340
- Phone: (605) 356-2693
- Fax: (605) 356-3284
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.secatholics.org
- CCD Director phone: (605) 356-2443
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John Brogancirca 1880s
First regular resident pastor of St. Joseph's, appointed when the new church was completed in 1880–81.