About St. Joseph · Kannapolis, North Carolina
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a bilingual, multicultural parish in Kannapolis, North Carolina, in the heart of Cabarrus County. It is staffed by the Redemptorist Fathers (C.Ss.R.) — an association that has continued with only brief interruptions since Bishop Vincent Waters of Raleigh established the parish in the mid-1940s. The parish sits at 108 Saint Joseph Street and serves a community that today worships in both English and Spanish at every weekend Mass. It is part of the Diocese of Charlotte and currently pastored by Rev. Blas A. Caceres, C.Ss.R., with a deacon and a small team of parish and faith-formation staff.
- Established
- 1945
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Blas A. Caceres, C.Ss.R.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
St. Joseph is a small, bilingual parish where English- and Spanish-speaking families worship side by side at every Mass, with weekday and weekend Masses in both languages and Eucharistic Adoration every Friday. It pairs that worship life with active outreach — a Food Pantry ministry that distributes bread from Publix and Harris Teeter seven days a week, support of the Samaritan's Table meal program for families struggling to keep their homes, and parish-based Faith Formation, RCIA, a Neo-Catechumenal Camino, Emaus men's and women's groups, a Grupo de Rosa, and Knights of Columbus. It's a parish with deep local roots — chartered by 16 founding families in 1945 and now 80 years old — that welcomes newcomers into both its history and its daily life.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before each Mass
- Anytime by appointment — call 704-932-4607
Adoration times
- Friday 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
History of St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph was founded in the mid-1940s at the request of Bishop Vincent Waters of Raleigh, who wanted more frequent Masses for the Catholics of Kannapolis, Landis, China Grove and surrounding areas. The Redemptorist Fathers established the parish; the first Mass was celebrated in June 1945 at the home of Gladys Burton on McLain Road, and Christmas Day 1945 saw the first Mass on the current site on Saint Joseph Street. Sixteen charter members were named. The original chapel burned on Holy Thursday 1949 — the statue of the Infant of Prague was saved — and was replaced by a relocated military chapel from Wilmington in time for Midnight Mass that Christmas Eve.
- Founded 1945 by Bishop Vincent Waters; entrusted to the Redemptorist Fathers (C.Ss.R.)
- 16 charter members at the first Mass (June 1945 at Gladys Burton's home on McLain Road)
- First Mass on the current site: Christmas Day 1945
- Original chapel destroyed by fire on Holy Thursday, April 14, 1949
- Statue of the Infant of Prague saved from the fire and still in the main sanctuary
- 1949: military chapel from near Wilmington disassembled and trucked to Kannapolis for Christmas Eve Mass
- 1967: became a mission of St. James in Concord (lasted until 2007)
- 1992: Activity Center built and opened
- 2001: old church demolished; new sanctuary dedicated by Bishop Peter Jugis on October 6, 2001
- 2007: elevated back to parish status by Bishop Jugis
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation is at the heart of parish life at St. Joseph. The program is led by Kelly Whitley (English) and Leticia JuanDiego (Formación de Fe, Spanish). Children attend religious education classes, adults journey through RCIA / RICA, and baptized Catholics seeking to deepen their faith participate in the Camino Neocatecumenal, a post-baptismal catechumenate approved by the Holy See that meets Tuesday evenings.
- Faith Formation (English) — Kelly Whitley
- Formación de Fe (Spanish) — Leticia JuanDiego
- Religious Education for children
- RCIA / RICA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) for adults
- Camino Neocatecumenal — Tuesday evenings 7:30 PM
- Volunteer Packet: forms and policies required for all volunteers
Outreach & Food Ministry
St. Joseph runs an active food ministry in partnership with the Diocese of Charlotte and local agencies. The Our Daily Bread program picks up bread donations from Publix seven days a week and a monthly pickup from the Harris Teeter warehouse, then distributes them to food pantries, soup kitchens and standalone kiosk pantries. The parish also supports Samaritan's Table, a Cooperative Christian Ministries program that since 2005 has helped families in Cabarrus County trying to keep their homes or cover essential expenses.
- Our Daily Bread — daily bread pickup from Publix; monthly pickup from Harris Teeter warehouse
- Samaritan's Table — Monday at New Hope Lutheran, Wednesday at Trinity UMC, Thursday at Kimball Memorial Lutheran
- Faith Community Nurse (Rosa Gonzalez, BSN, RN) — parish health ministry
- Knight of Columbus — parish council
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is led by Redemptorist pastor Fr. Blas A. Caceres, C.Ss.R., with Dcn. Wilson Velez assisting as deacon. Faith Formation is staffed in both languages by Kelly Whitley and Leticia JuanDiego. Christine DePascale serves as Office Manager, Amy Detter as Bookkeeper, and Rosa Gonzalez, BSN, RN as Faith Community Nurse. The rectory is currently shared with St. James in Concord (Rectory @ St. James: 704-720-0608).
- Fr. Blas A. Caceres, C.Ss.R. — Pastor
- Dcn. Wilson Velez — Deacon
- Kelly Whitley — Faith Formation (English)
- Leticia JuanDiego — Formación de Fe (Spanish)
- Christine DePascale — Office Manager
- Amy Detter — Bookkeeper
- Rosa Gonzalez, BSN, RN — Faith Community Nurse
Visit, Contact & Office Hours
St. Joseph Catholic Church is at 108 Saint Joseph Street, Kannapolis, NC 28083. The parish office can be reached at (704) 932-4607 or [email protected]. Office hours (from the parish bulletin) are Monday and Tuesday 10:00 AM–2:00 PM and 5:00–7:00 PM; Wednesday 12:00–2:00 PM and 5:00–7:00 PM; Thursday and Friday 10:00 AM–2:00 PM.
- Address: 108 Saint Joseph Street, Kannapolis, NC 28083
- Phone: (704) 932-4607
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stjosephkannapolis.com
- Office Hours: Mon–Tue 10–2 / 5–7; Wed 12–2 / 5–7; Thu–Fri 10–2
- Rectory @ St. James: 704-720-0608
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Francis Funk, C.Ss.R.1945–
Celebrated the very first Masses for the new parish in 1945; among the 16 charter members.
- Fr. Joseph Waters1990s
Diocesan priest from the Greensboro area; began a monthly Sunday Spanish Mass at St. Joseph.
- Fr. Karl Aschmann, C.Ss.R.by 1995
Established a weekly Sunday Spanish-language Mass.
- Fr. Alvaro Riquelem, C.Ss.R.2002–
Took over as pastor in 2002; helped shape the bilingual, multicultural identity of the parish.
- Fr. Fabio Marin Morales, C.Ss.R.through 2023
Led recent repairs and renovations with the help of parish 'Padrinos'; reassigned by his order effective Aug. 16, 2023.
- Fr. Blas A. Caceres, C.Ss.R.2023–present
Current pastor; Redemptorist; assigned effective Aug. 16, 2023.