About St. Joseph · Peru, Illinois
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Peru, Illinois, part of the Diocese of Peoria. The church building sits at the corner of Fifth and Schuyler Streets in downtown Peru and was established in 1891 to serve the growing Catholic community along the Illinois River. Today St. Joseph is linked with nearby St. Valentine Church under the unified St. Rose of Lima Parish, formed on December 1, 2024, sharing clergy, staff, and a coordinated Mass schedule between the two worship sites. Father Gary Blake, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish and Vicar Forane of the LaSalle Vicariate, ministers at St. Joseph with the assistance of Fr. Miller.
- Established
- 1891
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Father Gary Blake
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peoria
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers a full schedule of daily and weekend Masses across two Peru worship sites, with frequent opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration (Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after Friday morning Mass, followed by Benediction), Saturday confessions, and a Thursday morning school Mass that is open to the public. The parish family is closely tied to the Academy of Saint Carlo Acutis school and stewards the historic St. Joseph Cemetery. As part of the unified St. Rose of Lima Parish, St. Joseph combines the warmth of a neighborhood parish in the Illinois Valley with the resources of a two-site Catholic community.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM at St. Joseph Church
Adoration times
- Friday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after the 8:00 AM Mass at St. Joseph
- Friday Benediction at St. Joseph (approximately 2:00 PM, after Exposition)
About St. Joseph Catholic Church
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish at Fifth and Schuyler Streets in Peru, Illinois, founded in 1891 and now part of the Diocese of Peoria. It is currently a worship site of St. Rose of Lima Parish, which was canonically erected on December 1, 2024, uniting St. Joseph with St. Valentine Church under one pastor and staff. The parish identifies Father Gary Blake as pastor, assisted by Fr. Miller.
History of St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph Church was established in 1891 in Peru, a river-town in the Illinois Valley that already hosted the older St. Valentine parish (1854). For most of its history St. Joseph served alongside St. Mary and St. Valentine as one of the Catholic parishes of Peru. In January 2021, following the death of Msgr. Richard Soseman, Father Gary Blake was named pastor of all three Peru parishes. In 2024 St. Mary's parish was suppressed and, on December 1, 2024, St. Joseph and St. Valentine were formally merged into St. Rose of Lima Parish under Father Blake's continued leadership.
- St. Joseph Church established: 1891 (per the Diocese of Peoria).
- St. Valentine Church (sister site) established: 1854.
- St. Rose of Lima Parish canonically erected: December 1, 2024.
Clergy & Parish Leadership
St. Joseph is served by priests of the Diocese of Peoria. Father Gary Blake, the current pastor, also serves as Vicar Forane of the LaSalle Vicariate and is assisted at the parish by Fr. Miller. In the case of a medical emergency, the parish office phone line offers a prompt to reach the on-call priest.
- Father Gary Blake — Pastor; also Vicar Forane of the LaSalle Vicariate; ordained May 24, 2008; born in Pekin, Illinois.
- Fr. Miller — Assisting priest at St. Joseph / St. Rose of Lima Parish.
St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery
The parish maintains St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, a historic Catholic burial ground serving the parish community. Cemetery matters are handled by the St. Joseph Catholic Church Cemetery Board, which is chaired by the pastor and includes parish volunteers who oversee records, plot sales, and grounds care.
- President: Fr. Gary Blake
- Treasurer: Laurie Ernat
- Secretary: Traci O'Sadnick
- Sexton: Bob Rowe
- Board members: Rick Piotrowski, Greg Mueller, Ann Ganze
- Inquiries: contact the parish office for plot information, burial records, and death records.
Parish School — Academy of Saint Carlo Acutis
St. Rose of Lima Parish is associated with the Academy of Saint Carlo Acutis, the parish's Catholic school. The school community joins the parish for the 9:00 AM Thursday School Mass at St. Joseph Church during the academic year, and this Mass is open to the public.
- Peru Catholic School Mass: Thursdays at 9:00 AM at St. Joseph, when school is in session.
- The Thursday school Mass is open to the public — families and visitors are welcome.
Contact & Visiting the Parish
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone or in person during regular business hours. The office staff can connect callers with the on-call priest in case of a medical emergency, and can assist with Mass intentions, sacramental records, and cemetery matters.
- Address: 1925 5th Street, Peru, IL 61354.
- Phone: (815) 223-0718.
- Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
- Medical emergency: call the parish office and follow the prompts for the priest on call.
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 608, Peru, IL 61354.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Msgr. Richard Sosemanuntil December 2020
Longtime pastor of the Peru Catholic parishes; his death in early December 2020 triggered the January 2021 clergy changes.
- Father Gary BlakeJanuary 20, 2021 – present
Appointed pastor of St. Valentine, St. Mary, and St. Joseph parishes in Peru by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC; continues as Vicar Forane of the LaSalle Vicariate; became pastor of the newly formed St. Rose of Lima Parish in December 2024.