About St. Joseph Mission · Stockbridge, Massachusetts
St. Joseph Mission is a small Catholic mission church at 11 Elm Street in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in the heart of the Berkshires. Founded in the 1860s by local Catholics who had previously been served from Lee and Pittsfield, it is one of the oldest Catholic churches in the region. Today it is administered as a worship site of the Parish of Mary, Mother of the Church, which also includes St. Mary's in Lee and St. Mary of the Lakes in Otis. Weekly Sunday Mass is celebrated at 8:30 AM, and the mission retains a notable 19th-century interior featuring a Skinner-Aeolian pipe organ and a 16th-century stained-glass Crucifixion window.
- Established
- 1862
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Matthew Guidi
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
Why belong here
St. Joseph's offers a Sunday Mass at 8:30 AM in an intimate 19th-century mission church with a Guerrieri-carved interior, a 1531 Bousch stained-glass Crucifixion window, and a Skinner-Aeolian pipe organ. As part of the Parish of Mary, Mother of the Church, it is cared for by a full pastoral team and shares the wider parish's Eucharistic mission of Word and Sacrament — a warm, small community to join or visit in the heart of the Berkshires.
Mass times at St. Joseph Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment (at the parish office in Lee)
About St. Joseph Mission
St. Joseph Mission is the Catholic worship site for the town of Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. Situated at 11 Elm Street in the village center, the mission grew out of a Catholic community established in the 1860s. Today it is served as part of the Parish of Mary, Mother of the Church, which unites three historic Berkshire Catholic communities: St. Mary's in Lee, St. Mary of the Lakes in Otis, and St. Joseph's in Stockbridge. The parish describes itself as 'a Eucharistic community, finding strength in Jesus and His Church by living both Word and Sacrament.' Weekly Sunday Mass is celebrated at 8:30 AM.
- Location: 11 Elm Street, Stockbridge, MA 01262
- Sunday Mass: 8:30 AM (English)
- Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
- Part of the Parish of Mary, Mother of the Church
History
The history of St. Joseph's is deeply entwined with Catholic life in the southern Berkshires. Before a church existed in town, area Catholics had walked or ridden to Albany, New York, or to St. Joseph's in Pittsfield, or were visited by priests who said Mass in private homes. With the establishment of St. Mary's parish in Lee in 1856, Stockbridge Catholics gained a more accessible spiritual home. Four years later, in 1860, the Stockbridge mission was started; construction of the church on Elm Street began that year and was completed in 1862, largely through the efforts of Miss Jane Sedgwick and other founding parishioners.
1840s–1860s: Origins of the Mission
By mid-19th century, Stockbridge-area Catholics were served by priests traveling from Lee or Pittsfield, with Mass often said in private homes or, as the congregation grew, the local Town Hall. A formal mission was established in 1860 and the church on Elm Street was built between 1860 and 1862.
- 1856 – St. Mary's Parish founded in Lee, becomes the spiritual center for local Catholics
- 1860 – Stockbridge Catholic mission begun
- 1862 – Construction of St. Joseph's Church at 11 Elm Street completed
1870s–1920s: Mission to Parish
In 1869, Rev. George Brennan of the Stockbridge mission successfully spearheaded the creation of St. Patrick's Parish in West Stockbridge to serve the growing Irish mining population; the Stockbridge mission was then transferred from St. Mary's jurisdiction to the new St. Patrick's. Eventually, in 1922, St. Joseph's was constituted as an independent parish church.
- c. 1869 – St. Patrick's in West Stockbridge established by Rev. George Brennan
- 1871 – Stockbridge mission placed under St. Patrick's jurisdiction
- 1922 – St. Joseph's given parish status
1939–1942 Renovation and the Guerrieri Interior
Between 1939 and 1942 the interior of St. Joseph's was renovated. Italian-trained Stockbridge master Antonio Guerrieri did the decorative woodwork — the same craftsman who would later build the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy for the Marian Fathers. The renovation also brought in the Crucifixion window, originally made in 1531 by Valentin Bousch for the Abbey Church of Flavigny in France, and the Skinner-Aeolian pipe organ. A further interior renovation followed in 1948, when the ceiling was renewed and the nave and sanctuary altered.
- 1939–1942 – Major interior renovation
- Antonio Guerrieri – decorative woodwork by the renowned Italian-trained Stockbridge craftsman
- 1531 Crucifixion stained-glass window installed (Bousch, Abbey Church of Flavigny)
- Skinner-Aeolian pipe organ installed
- 1948 – Additional interior work: new ceiling and altered nave and sanctuary
2012: 150th Anniversary
On Sunday, August 26, 2012, Bishop Timothy McDonnell celebrated a Mass at St. Joseph's to mark the 150th anniversary of the completion of the church. The Mass was followed by a reception on the back lawn, where parishioners shared memories of the parish's past and hopes for its future.
- August 26, 2012 – 150th anniversary Mass celebrated by Bishop Timothy McDonnell
- Reception held on the back lawn
The Church Building
The mission church at 11 Elm Street dates to 1862 in its structure and 1939–1942 (further modified 1948) in its interior. Its principal artistic features are the Guerrieri woodwork, the 16th-century Crucifixion window, and the Skinner-Aeolian pipe organ. Together these elements give the small mission an artistic character that would be unusual even for a much larger parish.
- Guerrieri interior woodwork
- 1531 Crucifixion window by Valentin Bousch
- Skinner-Aeolian pipe organ
Pastoral Team
St. Joseph Mission is staffed together with the two other worship sites of the Parish of Mary, Mother of the Church. The current pastor is Fr. Matthew Guidi. The parish also lists Fr. Brian McGrath, Fr. Jacob Janczyk, and Deacon Bob Digan among its clergy, and parish secretary Ms. Leslee Durfee on its staff.
- Fr. Matthew Guidi – Pastor
- Fr. Brian McGrath – Parochial clergy
- Fr. Jacob Janczyk – Parochial clergy
- Deacon Bob Digan – Deacon
- Ms. Leslee Durfee – Parish Secretary
Diocese and Wider Mission
St. Joseph Mission falls under the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts and is administered as part of the Parish of Mary, Mother of the Church. Parish governance and the parish office are based at 40 Academy Street, Lee, MA. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
- Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
- Parish office: 40 Academy St., Lee, MA 01238
- Phone: (413) 243-0275
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Mon–Thu, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. George Brennanc. 1869
Pastor of the Stockbridge mission who spearheaded the establishment of St. Patrick's Parish in West Stockbridge.