About St. Joseph · Isle La Motte, Vermont
St. Joseph Church in Isle La Motte, Vermont is a small mission church of Our Lady of the Lake Parish, the Catholic family that serves the Champlain Islands (South Hero, Grand Isle, North Hero, Isle La Motte, and Alburgh) in the far northwestern corner of Vermont along Lake Champlain. The current stone church was built in 1966 to replace an earlier building, and was constructed by parishioners themselves using fieldstones gathered from the island, with an interior altar carved from black marble quarried on Isle La Motte itself. Like its sister St. Joseph in Grand Isle, the church's devotion reflects the French-Canadian Catholic roots of its earliest parishioners, and today both St. Joseph churches are run entirely by parish volunteers. The church sits on St. Joseph Lane at the corner of Route 129 and Main Street in the north end of the village.
- Established
- 1966
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Joseph Sanderson
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington
Why belong here
St. Joseph of Isle La Motte is a small but deeply rooted mission church where almost everything — from upkeep of the fieldstone building to the altar made of local black marble — is the work of parishioner volunteers. Visitors and islanders are welcomed into a close-knit Catholic family that also reaches beyond its walls: the parish's food-distribution program serves 150–200 people every month through partnerships with Hannaford Supermarket, the Healthy Roots Gleaning Program, and the United Way, and at Christmas the community distributes around 200 full-dinner food boxes. It is a faithful, neighborly place where the ancient French-Catholic heritage of Isle La Motte continues in simple, hands-on ways.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Confession times are published across the parish; the Isle La Motte mission currently lists 'No Masses or Confession until further notice.' (Check the parish website for the most current schedule.)
Adoration times
- Adoration schedules are maintained at the parish level; specific St. Joseph Isle La Motte times should be confirmed via the parish office.
About Our Lady of the Lake Parish
St. Joseph in Isle La Motte is a mission church of Our Lady of the Lake Parish, the Catholic faith community that serves the five Champlain Islands towns of South Hero, Grand Isle, North Hero, Isle La Motte, and Alburgh in northwestern Vermont. The parish family worships across four church buildings: St. Rose of Lima in South Hero, St. Joseph in Grand Isle, St. Joseph in Isle La Motte, and St. Amadeus in Alburgh. Clergy and staff are shared across all four sites, with offices in the South (St. Rose) and North (St. Amadeus) and a central mailing address in Alburgh.
- St. Rose of Lima — South Hero (Saturday Vigil Mass 4:00 PM, Thursday 8:30 AM)
- St. Joseph — Grand Isle (Sunday 9:00 AM, Friday 8:30 AM)
- St. Joseph — Isle La Motte (this mission church)
- St. Amadeus — Alburgh (Sunday 11:00 AM, Tuesday 6:00 PM, Wednesday 6:00 PM)
History of St. Joseph, Isle La Motte
Catholic life on Isle La Motte reaches back to 1666, when the French built Fort Sainte Anne with a chapel on the island — the site of the first known Mass in the Northeast and the first Episcopal visit in 1668 by Bishop François de Laval. The present St. Joseph Church was constructed in 1966 to replace an earlier building. Local parishioners built the new church themselves from fieldstones collected on the island, and the altar inside is carved from black marble also quarried on Isle La Motte. The patron saint's name likely reflects the French-Canadian origins of the early Catholic families, for whom St. Joseph — patron of Canada — was a natural choice.
- Fort Sainte Anne and chapel established on Isle La Motte in 1666
- First known Mass in the Northeastern United States celebrated on the island
- Bishop François de Laval's 1668 Episcopal visit
- Current St. Joseph Church built in 1966 from local fieldstone
- Altar carved from Isle La Motte black marble
Clergy & Parish Staff
Our Lady of the Lake Parish is currently shepherded by Fr. Joseph Sanderson, Pastor. Parish Secretary Laura Limoge, who has been the public voice of the parish in diocesan communications, coordinates the office across the islands.
- Fr. Joseph Sanderson — Pastor
- Laura Limoge — Parish Secretary
Parish Office & Contact
Parish operations are coordinated from two office locations and a single mailing address. The parish office phone is 802-318-7990, with email [email protected]. The phone line associated with the Isle La Motte / northern churches is 802-796-3481. The mailing address for the parish is PO Box 49, Alburgh, VT 05440. The Isle La Motte church's physical address is 23 St. Joseph Lane, at the corner of Route 129 and Main Street.
- Parish office phone: 802-318-7990
- Northern church line: 802-796-3481
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing: PO Box 49, Alburgh, VT 05440
- Physical: 23 St. Joseph Lane, Isle La Motte, VT 05463
Outreach: Food Programs of the Parish
Our Lady of the Lake Parish runs one of the more remarkable food-distribution efforts in the diocese. Each month, a small team of parish volunteers serves 150–200 people through three Alburgh distribution centers: St. Amadeus Church, the Islands in the Sun Senior Center, and Pine Manor Senior Center. Food is supplied by Hannaford Supermarket in Swanton and the Healthy Roots Gleaning Program in Grand Isle, and the program has been running for more than a decade.
- Monthly food distribution serving 150–200 people
- Distribution sites: St. Amadeus Church, Islands in the Sun Senior Center, Pine Manor Senior Center
- Partners: Hannaford Supermarket (Swanton), Healthy Roots Gleaning Program (Grand Isle), United Way
- Annual Christmas food drive distributes about 200 full-dinner boxes
- Volunteer contact: Maurice Gauthier, 802-796-4418
Volunteer-Run Mission
The Diocese of Burlington and the parish itself emphasize that both St. Joseph churches — Isle La Motte and Grand Isle — are run entirely by volunteers. Parishioners participate in the upkeep of the fieldstone building, in liturgical ministry, and in outreach to neighbors on the island and beyond.
- Both St. Joseph churches (Isle La Motte and Grand Isle) staffed and maintained by volunteers
- Parish secretary Laura Limoge: parishioners 'try their very best to participate in simple ways'
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Rogelio "Larry" Organiza
Listed as Pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish in older directory listings (catholicchurch.directory).
- Fr. Joseph Sanderson
Current Pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish per the Diocese of Burlington and parish website.