About St. Joseph Oratory · Jackson, Michigan
St. Joseph the Worker Oratory is a Catholic worship site at 707 N. Waterloo Street in Jackson, Michigan, operated as an oratory of St. John the Evangelist Parish in the Diocese of Lansing. The oratory traces its roots to St. Joseph Parish, founded in 1902 by Jackson's Polish Catholic community, and today serves the merged Jackson grouping with a Sunday evening Youth Mass at 5:00 PM, weekday Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, and a thriving youth-ministry hub on its historic campus.
- Established
- 1902
- Patron
- St. Joseph (the Worker)
- Rector
- Fr. Chas Canoy (Pastor of the St. John the Evangelist / St. Joseph Oratory grouping)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lansing
Why belong here
St. Joseph the Worker Oratory offers Jackson Catholics an intimate historic worship site with weekday Masses, regular Eucharistic Adoration, confession, and a vibrant 5:00 PM Sunday Youth Mass that draws together middle-school and high-school youth with the wider community. As part of the St. John the Evangelist Parish grouping, visitors get the heritage and smaller-campus warmth of a 1902 Polish-rooted parish backed by the full programming, faith formation, sacraments, outreach, and pastoral staff of a larger parish family.
Mass times at St. Joseph Oratory
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 3rd Tuesday 6:00–6:30 PM (St. Joseph)
- Thursday before and after 9:00 AM Mass
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration at St. Joseph Oratory (Holy Hour for Vocations every Thursday night — see parish calendar)
St. Joseph the Worker Oratory
St. Joseph the Worker Oratory is the historic Polish-heritage worship site of the merged St. John the Evangelist / St. Joseph parish grouping in Jackson, Michigan. Worship at the oratory is centered on a 5:00 PM Sunday Youth Mass, a 9:30 AM Sunday Mass, and Tuesday and Thursday weekday Masses, with Eucharistic Adoration in the Adoration Chapel and monthly Confession. The campus continues to serve as the youth-ministry hub for the Jackson Catholic community.
- Address: 707 N. Waterloo St, Jackson, MI 49202
- Mailing/Phone: (517) 784-0553
- Email: [email protected]
- Sunday: 9:30 AM and 5:00 PM (Youth Mass)
- Tuesday: 5:30 PM
- Thursday: 9:00 AM Mass, followed by Eucharistic Adoration
- Confession: 3rd Tuesday 6:00–6:30 PM; Thursday before and after 9:00 AM Mass
Parish History
The oratory traces its roots to a Polish-language initiative that began in 1895 with the St. Joseph Society, which organized the immigrant community around the dream of their own parish. A priest was sent to Jackson in 1901 but removed only months later, and there was significant controversy over where the parish should be located. Rev. Joseph F. Herr, considered the first pastor, was assigned in the fall of 1902 and offered the first Mass in White Hall at Columbus and Michigan Avenue.
- 1895 — First initiative for a Polish-language parish; St. Joseph Society organized
- 1902 — Rev. Joseph F. Herr assigned as first pastor
- 1903 — Two Felician sisters begin teaching 45 pupils in a converted brick barn
- 1904 — First St. Joseph church completed
- 1908 — Four-room school built
- 1914 — Eight additional rooms added to the school
- 1925–1963 — Rev. Joseph Przybylski serves 38 years as pastor
- 1963 — Rev. Marian J. Lesniak begins 39-year pastorate
- May 1968 — Bishop Alexander M. Zaleski dedicates the present church
- 2003 — Felician community marks its centennial of service to the parish
- 2010 — Bishop Boyea decrees St. Joseph Parish an oratory of St. John the Evangelist
- Summer 2024 — St. Joseph campus becomes the youth-ministry hub for Jackson
Pastor and Clergy of the Parish Grouping
The St. John the Evangelist / St. Joseph parish grouping is led by the pastor of the merged parish, who exercises pastoral care over both the St. John campus and the St. Joseph Oratory. A parochial vicar and a deacon assist him.
- Fr. Chas Canoy — Pastor
- Fr. Randy Koenigsknecht — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Dave Etters
Youth Discipleship and Parish Faith Formation
Since the summer of 2024 the St. Joseph campus has been designated the youth hub of the Jackson parishes. Middle-school and high-school youth gather there between sessions on Sunday, and the 5:00 PM Sunday Mass — celebrated between those youth-group sessions — is open to the whole community, not only the youth.
- Youth Group sessions at the St. Joseph campus (middle school and high school)
- Sunday 5:00 PM Youth Mass at St. Joseph (open to the wider community)
- Jake Gerber — Director of Youth Discipleship / Jackson Grouping
- Todd Gale — Discipleship Coordinator & Spiritual Director
- Evan Connors — Discipleship Associate
- Angel Koerkel — Coordinator of Sacramental Preparation
- Amy Parrish — CGS (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd) Coordinator
Outreach, Parish Life, and School
The merged parish offers a range of parish-life, communications, and operations staff who serve both campuses. St. John School continues to operate on the broader parish campus as part of the Catholic educational mission that began with the Felician Sisters in 1903.
- Shayne Slough — Director of Parish Life
- Clay O'Rourke — Communications Associate
- Michael Philpott — Director of Parish Operations
- Margaret Myers — Finance Manager
- St. John School — Tara Brady (Principal), teachers and office staff
- Pastoral Council — John Dullock (President), Therri Oberdick, Pedro Tovar, Cassie Mydosh, Mary Ann Robinson, Janette Mefford, Alek Hendrickson, Sheela Federici, Shawn VanHeyningen, Julie Pienkos, John Peiffer
Sacraments
Sacramental preparation for the merged parish — including Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage — is coordinated centrally so that families from the St. John and St. Joseph campuses can prepare together. Confession is available at both campuses throughout the week.
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation preparation via Angel Koerkel
- Marriage preparation through the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick / Communion calls to the homebound
- Reconciliation (Confession) — see confession schedule
Visit and Contact
St. Joseph the Worker Oratory welcomes visitors to weekday Masses, the 9:30 AM Sunday Mass, and the 5:00 PM Sunday Youth Mass. The parish office for the merged grouping can be reached at the main St. John campus, and inquiries about the oratory or youth hub can be directed through the parish office.
- Oratory address: 707 N. Waterloo St, Jackson, MI 49202
- Parish phone: (517) 784-0553
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Main parish campus (St. John the Evangelist): 711 Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Jackson, MI 49201
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph F. Herr1902–
Considered the first pastor of St. Joseph Parish; offered the first Mass in White Hall at Columbus and Michigan Avenue.
- Rev. Joseph Przybylski1925–1963
Polish-born pastor; oversaw new convent and rectory; celebrated 50th anniversary of ordination July 6, 1963, and retired that month.
- Rev. Marian J. Lesniak1963–c. 2002
Thirty-nine year pastorate; planned and saw Bishop Zaleski dedicate the present church in May 1968.