About St. Joseph · Saint Joseph, Tennessee
St. Joseph Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in the rural community of St. Joseph, Tennessee, in southern Lawrence County near the Alabama border. It is served jointly with nearby Sacred Heart Parish in Loretto, and the two share a pastor, school, and many traditions under the umbrella of the Diocese of Nashville. The current church building, completed in 1885, is a notable example of Gothic Revival architecture built by German Catholic immigrants and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With roughly 65 registered families, St. Joseph remains a tight-knit community best known locally for its role in the annual Fourth of July Picnic that the two linked parishes have hosted for more than 150 years.
- Established
- 1872 (parish roots); 1885 (current church building)
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Daniel Steiner (Fr. Delly)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Nashville
Why belong here
St. Joseph is a small but devoted rural Catholic community where the 1885 Gothic Revival church is still in active use and is lovingly preserved by parishioners. The parish shares clergy, Sacred Heart Catholic School (Pre-K through 8), religious education, and a long list of ministries with Sacred Heart in Loretto, so families have access to a full Catholic school, faith formation, and music programs while worshiping in an intimate setting. The two parishes are also the heart of the famous 4th of July Picnic — a 150-plus-year tradition of food, faith, and community that draws the whole county.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday at St. Joseph: 7:20 AM – 7:50 AM
- Wednesday at Sacred Heart: 7:00 AM – 7:45 AM
- Friday at Sacred Heart: 7:00 AM – 7:45 AM
- Saturday at Sacred Heart: 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM
- 1st Saturday at St. Joseph: 7:00 AM – 7:45 PM
- Appointments available by calling the pastor at 931-853-4371
Adoration times
- Wednesday at Sacred Heart: 7:00 AM – 7:45 AM
- Friday at Sacred Heart: 7:00 AM – 7:45 PM
- 1st Saturday at Sacred Heart: 7:00 AM – 7:45 AM
About St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph is a small Roman Catholic parish in the rural community of St. Joseph, Tennessee, in southern Lawrence County near the Alabama border. It is paired with Sacred Heart Parish in Loretto, and the two share a pastor, parish staff, school, and many ministries. The parish is part of the Diocese of Nashville and is currently served by Rev. Daniel Steiner ('Fr. Delly'), with Amy Brown as office manager.
- Patron: St. Joseph
- Diocese: Diocese of Nashville
- Linked parish: Sacred Heart, Loretto, TN
- Approximate size: ~65 parishioners
History of St. Joseph
The parish traces its roots to 1872, when Fr. John H. Heuser and Bernard Klaholz established Sacred Heart in Loretto for German Catholic settlers from the Cincinnati area. Father Heuser soon bought land about five miles south for the German Catholic Homestead Society; a church was built there and named St. Joseph, and the town took the same name. The present stone church was constructed in 1885 by parishioners and consecrated that year by Bishop Joseph Rademacher.
- 1872 — Sacred Heart founded in Loretto by Fr. John H. Heuser and Bernard Klaholz
- 1870s — St. Joseph mission established south of Loretto
- 1885 — Current Gothic Revival stone church built and consecrated by Bishop Joseph Rademacher
- 1901–1903, 1914–1934 — Fr. John Sliemers' tenures shape the elaborate interior
Heritage & National Register Status
In 1984, St. Joseph Church was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as part of the German Catholic Churches and Cemeteries of Lawrence County thematic resource. In 1998, Bishop Edward Kmiec, the 10th Bishop of Nashville, designated the church a pilgrimage site for the Great Jubilee of 2000. The parish council and parishioners continue restoration work to preserve the building for future generations of German-American Catholics.
- Listed on U.S. National Register of Historic Places, October 10, 1984
- Designated a Jubilee Year 2000 pilgrimage site by Bishop Edward Kmiec in 1998
Architecture & Interior
The 1885 building is Gothic Revival in style, with an ashlar cut stone exterior finished in stucco, a square bell tower, and a short octagonal steeple roofed with tin shingles. The interior is unusually elaborate for a small rural parish and features carved main and side altars, lathe-turned balusters on the chancel rail and rear gallery, an original confessional beneath the gallery stairs, stained-glass windows, and painted religious scenes on the interior walls.
- Gothic Revival style, 1885
- Ashlar cut stone exterior with stucco
- Square bell tower with octagonal steeple
- Carved main and side altars
- Stained-glass windows and painted interior scenes
Devotions
Beyond Mass and Adoration, the linked parishes pray the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet before Sunday Mass at St. Joseph, and they observe a First Saturday devotion with morning Mass at St. Joseph followed by a First Saturday block of confessions.
- Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet — Sunday 7:30 – 7:55 AM at St. Joseph
- First Saturday Mass — 8:00 AM at St. Joseph
- First Saturday Confessions — 7:00 AM – 7:45 PM at St. Joseph
Sacred Heart Catholic School
Sacred Heart Catholic School, located in Loretto and serving Pre-K through 8th grade, is the parish school for both Sacred Heart and St. Joseph parishes. The school began with the 1872 founding of Sacred Heart parish and was originally run by the Sisters of the Precious Blood from Maria Stein, Ohio. It reopened in 1907 under three Sisters of Mercy, was blessed in a new brick building by Bishop Adrian in 1947, and added a gym, Parish Life Center, and Pre-K/Kindergarten over the following decades. Today it is staffed primarily by a Catholic lay faculty and is proud of its long tradition of faith-filled education in Lawrence County.
- Pre-K through 8th grade
- Shared school of Sacred Heart (Loretto) and St. Joseph parishes
- Parish Life Center dedicated 2004–2005
- Computer lab updated 2011, 2014, 2018
- Most recent building updates completed 2019
Parish Staff & Leadership
St. Joseph is served jointly with Sacred Heart, Loretto. The current pastor is Rev. Daniel Steiner, assisted in the parish office by Office Manager Amy Brown, who also serves as secretary and bookkeeper. Parish Council is chaired by Emily Gillespie; liturgical music is coordinated by Dianne McMasters and by Tim and Connie Lamprecht.
- Pastor — Rev. Daniel Steiner (Fr. Delly), 931-853-4371, [email protected]
- Office Manager — Amy Brown, 931-853-4370, [email protected]
- Parish Council Chair — Emily Gillespie
- Music Ministry — Dianne McMasters, 931-853-4984; Tim & Connie Lamprecht, 931-845-4947
Contact & Visiting
The parish mailing address is 304 American Blvd., St. Joseph, TN 38481. The shared parish office phone is 931-853-4370, and the pastor can be reached directly at 931-853-4371. Sunday Masses and other liturgies at St. Joseph are also live-streamed on the parish's Facebook page for parishioners at home or away.
- Address — 304 American Blvd., St. Joseph, TN 38481
- Parish office — 931-853-4370
- Pastor line — 931-853-4371
- Pastor email — [email protected]
- Office email — [email protected]
- Live-stream — facebook.com/saintoseph/live
The 4th of July Picnic
For more than 150 years, the linked parishes of Sacred Heart (Loretto) and St. Joseph have hosted the annual 4th of July Picnic — a beloved Lawrence County tradition running under the banner 'Food, Fun, Faith & Freedom.' The day typically begins with the Independence Day 5K Run, includes a First Saturday Mass at St. Joseph, a community bake sale, online charity auction, country store, children's games, beauty pageant, cornhole tournament, bicycle parade, picnic dinner, Saturday Vigil Mass, bingo, live music, and fireworks. The picnic is the parishes' largest shared ministry and a major fundraiser for parish life.
- Tradition spanning 150+ years
- Joint fundraiser of Sacred Heart and St. Joseph Parishes
- Includes 5K, country store, auction, picnic dinner, Vigil Mass, bingo, and fireworks
Getting Involved
The two linked parishes invite Catholics in southern Middle Tennessee to register, attend Mass, join the school community, serve in Music Ministry, sit on Parish Council or the Finance Board, support the school through SCRIP-style giving, or volunteer for the 4th of July Picnic. Online giving is available through separate portals for Sacred Heart and St. Joseph on the parish website, and parishioners are encouraged to sign up for a free FORMED account for at-home faith formation.
- Online Giving — separate portals for Sacred Heart and St. Joseph
- Parish registration and sacramental forms on the website
- Music Ministry, Parish Council, Finance Board, school volunteer opportunities
- Free FORMED parish subscription for faith formation
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. John H. Heuser (Hueser)1872–
Founded the linked Sacred Heart Parish in Loretto in 1872 and bought land for what became St. Joseph.
- Fr. John Sliemers1901–1903 and 1914–1934
Created the elaborate carved altars, lathe-turned balusters, stained glass, and interior paintings.