About St. Joseph · Occum, Connecticut
St. Joseph Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Occum, a village in the Town of Norwich, Connecticut, that sits on the west bank of the Shetucket River. It is one of three parishes that make up Saint Anne's Catholic Community in the Diocese of Norwich, alongside St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Baltic and Sacred Heart in Taftville. The parish offers a Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 PM and a Sunday Mass at 9:00 AM, with Reconciliation on Saturday afternoons, and is currently served by Fr. Joseph Tito (Pastor), Fr. Christopher Zmuda (Parochial Vicar) and Monsignor Henry N. Archambault in residence.
- Established
- 1878 (church dedicated); 1886 (made an independent parish)
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Tito
- Diocese
- Diocese of Norwich
Why belong here
St. Joseph is a small, easily-accessible parish on Baltic Road in Occum with a long-standing tradition of warm, personal pastoral care — dating back to Father Belec and his devotion to his parishioners and their families. Today it is part of Saint Anne's Catholic Community, a three-parish cluster sharing priests, faith-formation programs and Eucharistic Adoration, so a new family can plug into weekday devotions at neighboring Sacred Heart or St. Mary's alongside Sunday Mass here. The parish offers the basics Catholics look for — Saturday Vigil and Sunday Mass, Saturday Reconciliation, an annual parish registration form, and a baptism application — in the Diocese of Norwich.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM (at the church)
- Also by appointment
Adoration times
- Cluster-wide Exposition: every Sunday following the 9:00 AM Mass at St. Joseph Church, continuing until 2:00 PM
Parish History
St. Joseph's roots run to January 1873, when Rev. James Reynolds, pastor of Jewett City, celebrated the first Mass in Occum inside Parent's Hall on Main Street. Within five years a frame mission church was rising on land purchased from Charles Bliss on Baltic Road (the deed is dated Dec. 7, 1877), and on September 22, 1878, Bishop Thomas Galberry of Hartford dedicated it under the patronage of St. Joseph, with sermons given in French by Rev. Thomas P. Joynt and in English by Rev. Florimond DeBruycker. Occum was formally erected as an independent parish on February 8, 1886 by Bishop Lawrence S. McMahon, with Rev. John Synott as the first official pastor and a flock of about 670 souls. The parish weathered the 1889 closure of the Versailles woolen mill, was reunited with Baltic for a time, and was again made a separate parish on September 14, 1902, under Rev. Edward J. Broderick. The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 and the catastrophic flood that same year nearly destroyed the village dam and required massive repairs to the church walls and steeple, carried out under Father Homidas Belec (pastor from Jan. 19, 1939 until his death on Palm Sunday, April 14, 1957).
Father Belec's Legacy
Father Homidas Belec is the most remembered pastor in St. Joseph's history. Arriving January 19, 1939, he inherited a building still marked by the Depression and the 1938 hurricane and flood. He shepherded the brick-surfacing of the exterior, interior refurbishment, new stained-glass windows, new pews and lighting, and structural reinforcement of the bowing walls and steeple. Famously devoted to St. Joseph — his encouragement 'Say a prayer to St. Joseph and he will take care of it' became a saying among parishioners — he also kept close ties with the parish's servicemen in WWII, sent Christmas boxes to every local man and woman in uniform regardless of denomination, and had the national anthem played before each Mass years before it became common. The monument in front of the church, the stained-glass window above the choir, and the State of Connecticut's naming of the turnpike bridge over the Shetucket in his honor are lasting tributes.
- Father Belec Bridge — turnpike bridge over the Shetucket River at Occum
- Stained-glass war-memorial window above the choir
- Front-of-church monument to parishioners lost in military service
Campus and Memorials
Beyond the church and the 1886 rectory, St. Joseph's grounds carry the marks of its history: a memorial monument honoring parishioners lost in war, a stained-glass window above the choir added under Father Belec, and a flagpole erected in memory of Leo Blanchard (1924–1945), a parishioner lost aboard USS Swordfish (SS-193) near Yaku Island, Japan, on January 12, 1945 and posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
- 11 Baltic Road, Occum, CT
- Father Belec Bridge over the Shetucket River
- Memorial flagpole for Leo Blanchard
- War-memorial monument and stained-glass window
Sacraments and Parish Registration
New parishioners can register with St. Joseph by submitting the St. Joseph Parish Registration Form on the Saint Anne's Catholic Community website, and parents seeking Baptism for a child can download and submit the Application for Baptism St. Joseph. The cluster's Religious Education program offers CCD and Confirmation preparation on Sundays.
- Parish Registration Form
- Application for Baptism St. Joseph
- Reconciliation: Saturday 4:00–4:30 PM (or by appointment)
- Marriage and other sacraments: by appointment through the rectory
Religious Education and Confirmation
Religious Education is run cluster-wide by Saint Anne's Catholic Community. Fr. Joseph Tito can be reached through the program office at 860-822-6378; CCD classes and Confirmation preparation are held on Sundays (typically 9:15–10:15 AM during the school year), and confirmation registration forms are available on the community website.
- CCD / Confirmation Classes – Sundays 9:15–10:15 AM
- Contact: Fr. Joseph Tito 860-822-6378
Clergy and Staff
The parish is staffed by Fr. Joseph Tito (Pastor of Saint Anne's Catholic Community), Fr. Christopher Zmuda (Parochial Vicar), Monsignor Henry N. Archambault, P.A., J.C.D. (in residence), and Fr. Raymond Introvigne (assisting across the cluster).
- Rev. Joseph Tito – Pastor
- Rev. Christopher Zmuda – Parochial Vicar
- Msgr. Henry N. Archambault, P.A., J.C.D. – in residence
- Rev. Raymond Introvigne – cluster sacramental ministry
- Alan McNeely – Organist (Saturday 5:00 PM Vigil)
- Jackie McKiernan – Organist (Sunday 9:00 AM)
Saint Anne's Catholic Community
St. Joseph is one of three parishes — alongside Sacred Heart in Taftville and St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Baltic — that together form Saint Anne's Catholic Community in the Diocese of Norwich. They share clergy, faith-formation programs and a website (saintannecluster.org), so parishioners can attend Mass, devotions and CCD across the cluster.
- St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Baltic, CT
- Sacred Heart, Taftville, CT
- Shared cluster office: 860-887-3072
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James Reynolds1873 (first Mass in Occum)
Pastor of Jewett City; celebrated the first Mass in Parent's Hall on Main Street, Occum.
- Rev. John Russellc. 1877–June 1878
Pastor of Jewett City; purchased the Baltic Road land from Charles Bliss (Dec. 7, 1877) and began the mission church under the patronage of St. Joseph.
- Rev. John Van den Noort1878 (Occum reverts to Baltic)
Took over care of Occum as a mission of Baltic when Father Russell was transferred.
- Rev. John SynottFeb. 8, 1886 – Oct. 1889
First official pastor when Occum was made an independent parish by Bishop McMahon; oversaw construction of the parochial residence; later transferred to Baltic.
- Rev. Terrence DunnSept. 8, 1897 – Oct. 1901
Labored in both Baltic and Occum until failing health forced his departure.
- Rev. James W. Hoey1901 – Sept. 14, 1902
Succeeded Father Dunn until St. Joseph's was once again made a separate parish.
- Rev. Edward J. BroderickSept. 14, 1902 –
First pastor after the 1902 re-establishment of the parish; led an extensive fundraising drive to refurnish the church and rectory.
- Rev. Henri Chagnon
Succeeded Father Paradis.
- Rev. M. Jetteended 1936
- Rev. Edward MathieuSept. 1936 – Jan. 1939
Took charge after the 1938 hurricane and flood; secured land for a parish playground now maintained by the Town of Norwich.
- Rev. Homidas BelecJan. 19, 1939 – died Palm Sunday, April 14, 1957
Led the major post-hurricane restoration of the church and rectory; beloved pastor honored with a memorial bridge (Belec Bridge) and a war-memorial window.
- Rev. Clement Shea1957
Administrator of the parish at the time of Father Belec's death until the new pastor took charge.
- Rev. Anthony Caronappointed July 1957
Succeeded Father Belec as pastor.
- Rev. Joseph Titopresent
Current Pastor of Saint Anne's Catholic Community.