About St. Joseph · Salix, Iowa
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a historic parish in the small community of Salix, Iowa, just south of Sioux City, belonging to the Diocese of Sioux City. It was established in 1869 and still serves the descendants of the French and Irish pioneer families who first gathered for Mass in a settler's home. Today the parish worships in the brick church dedicated on April 21, 1926 by Bishop Heelan and is pastored by Rev. Michael J. Erpelding (since 2016). With a Saturday-evening and Sunday-morning Mass, Tuesday and Thursday weekday Masses, and an active parish school heritage, St. Joseph's remains a tight-knit, multigenerational worshipping community.
- Established
- 1869
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Michael J. Erpelding
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux City
Why belong here
St. Joseph's is a small, multigenerational parish where the descendants of the original French and Irish Catholic settlers still worship together — the parish has been gathering on the same townsite since 1889 and in its present brick church since 1926. It offers a traditional Sunday and Saturday vigil Mass, weekday Mass on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Adoration of the Eucharist, a Pastor's Blog with reflections and vocation resources, Faith Formation from Becoming Catholic through the other sacraments, a Youth Ministry, and a Liturgy & Worship program. Visitors and new parishioners are welcomed into a faithful community that still buries its dead in the parish cemetery founded in 1884, and that shared the front line of one of Iowa's defining tragedies in 1989.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before each Mass
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Adoration of the Eucharist — see the Adoration page on the parish website for the current schedule
Welcome and Worship at St. Joseph
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Salix welcomes visitors and parishioners to its longstanding worshipping community, founded in 1869 and now housed in the brick church dedicated on April 21, 1926. The parish offers a Saturday vigil Mass and Sunday morning Mass along with Tuesday and Thursday weekday Masses, with Reconciliation available thirty minutes before Mass or by appointment. A weekly Parish Bulletin, an Events Calendar, a Pastor's Blog and a live 'Mass Video' link keep the community connected week to week.
History of St. Joseph Parish
The parish's written history — including a 1927 chronicle by Fr. J.J. Ryan and a modern appendix on the 1989 Flight 232 disaster — is published in full at stjoesalix.com/history-st-joseph.php. It traces the parish from the first Mass said at the home of John Harrington in 1869, through the pioneer frame churches of 1875 and 1880, the long pastorate of Fr. James A. Griffin (1887–1918), the founding of the parish school in 1891–92, the 1925–26 construction and dedication of the present church, the 1989 airport disaster response, and into the present pastorate of Fr. Michael J. Erpelding.
Founding and Early Years (1869–1887)
Only fourteen Catholic families lived in the Salix territory in 1869, when Rev. John Hayes of St. Mary's, Sioux City, said the first Mass at the home of John Harrington. The next Mass was offered by Rev. James McNulty at the home of Edward McDonnell on September 18, 1870. The congregation built a simple frame church in 1875 (lost to a windstorm) and rebuilt it larger in 1880; that second church served the parish for forty-five years. Missionaries from Sioux City — including Rev. Bartholomew Lenehan and Administrator Rev. James Barron — tended the scattered flock until the first resident pastor arrived.
- 1869 — first Mass at the home of John Harrington, by Rev. John Hayes
- 1875 — first frame church built, then destroyed by a violent windstorm
- 1880 — congregation rebuilds a larger, more substantial church
- 1884 — parish establishes a cemetery three miles north of Salix
Fr. James A. Griffin and the Parish School (1887–1918)
Fr. Griffin's thirty-one-year pastorate shaped the modern parish: in 1889 he acquired two blocks in the south part of town as the permanent parish site and moved the church there, enlarging it. In December 1890 he launched a drive to build a parochial school; $3,000 was subscribed at the first meeting. The school opened on May 9, 1892 with 127 pupils under the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, who served until 1899, when the Servants of Mary took over for the next twenty years. Bishop Garrigan blessed a new three-acre cemetery in October 1908. In 1918 Fr. Griffin was named Vicar General of the Diocese of Sioux City and reassigned to Corpus Christi parish in Fort Dodge.
- 1891 — construction of the parochial school begins
- May 9, 1892 — school opens with 127 pupils under the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny
- 1899 — Servants of Mary assume charge of the school
- 1908 — Bishop Garrigan blesses a new three-acre parish cemetery
The 1925–26 Brick Church
Under Fr. J.J. Ryan, who succeeded Fr. Griffin on July 1, 1918, parishioners finally built the permanent brick church. The contract was awarded to Reische and Sanborn of Sioux City in December 1924; volunteers dug the basement in spring 1925; Bishop Heelan blessed the cornerstone on Palm Sunday, April 5, 1925. The finished church — with a parish hall, stage and kitchen in its basement — was dedicated by Bishop Heelan on the Feast of the Patronage of St. Joseph, April 21, 1926, in a Pontifical High Mass; seventy-two persons were confirmed that afternoon.
- Cornerstone blessed by Bishop Heelan, April 5, 1925 (Palm Sunday)
- Dedication of the finished church, April 21, 1926 (Feast of the Patronage of St. Joseph)
- Basement designed as a full parish hall with stage and kitchen
The 1989 United Flight 232 Disaster Response
At about 4:00 PM on July 19, 1989, Fr. Raymond Wieling of St. Joseph's was called by a parishioner, the wife of a rescue worker, after her police scanner picked up the crash of United Airlines Flight 232 at Sioux Gateway Airport. He was the first priest on the scene, anointing the dying and the dead in the triage area, the fuselage (after smoke had cleared) and in the cornfield, including pilot Captain Al Haynes. Other diocesan priests present included Msgr. Thomas Donahoe, Fr. Michael Erpelding, Fr. Frank Brady and Fr. Terry Roder. The parish website devotes a full chapter to the crash and to the parish's role in the wider Catholic response across Sioux City.
- July 19, 1989 — Fr. Raymond Wieling first priest on the crash site
- Wieling anointed survivors, the dying, the dead and pilot Capt. Al Haynes
- Other priests present: Msgr. Thomas Donahoe, Fr. Michael Erpelding, Fr. Frank Brady, Fr. Terry Roder
St. Joseph North Cemetery
The parish began its cemetery three miles north of Salix in 1884. Many of the original Catholic pioneer families of Salix — including settlers of French descent (Lamoureux, LaCroix) and Irish descent (Dunn, Madden) — are buried there. A second, three-acre cemetery was purchased and blessed by Bishop Garrigan in October 1908.
Ministries and Faith Formation
The parish website groups its active apostolates under Liturgy & Worship, Youth Ministry, Education (including Becoming Catholic / OCIA-RCIA preparation), Prayer and Devotion, and the Parish Council. Faith formation from Baptism through Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick is coordinated through the Sacraments pages. Online giving is facilitated through myEoffering.com.
- Liturgy & Worship
- Youth Ministry
- Education / Faith Formation
- Becoming Catholic (OCIA/RCIA)
- Prayer and Devotion
- Parish Council
Sacraments
St. Joseph's sacramental preparation is organized through a dedicated section on the website for each of the seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Marriage, Holy Orders, Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick. Anointing of the Sick is also arranged by calling the parish office; Reconciliation is heard 30 minutes before Mass or by appointment.
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Eucharist
- Marriage
- Holy Orders
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Anointing of the Sick
Contact and Visit
The parish office is at 509 Tipton Street, Salix, IA 51052, telephone 712-946-5635. Email is published in reversed form on the website (read as secretary at stjoesalix.com) to deter spam. Visitors can request driving directions through the parish website and view the Parish Directory. The Mass Video link allows those unable to attend in person to watch the livestream or recorded Mass.
- Office: 712-946-5635
- Address: 509 Tipton Street, Salix, IA 51052
- Email (parish secretary): [email protected]
- Mass Video and Directions available on the website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John Hayes1869–1870
Pastor of St. Mary's, Sioux City; said the first Mass for the Salix faithful at the home of John Harrington.
- Rev. Thomas Gunn1870
- Rev. James McNulty1870–1872
Said Mass at the home of Edward McDonnell.
- Rev. Bartholomew Lenehan1872–1881
- Rev. James Barron (Administrator)1881–1883
Based in Sioux City while serving the missions.
- Rev. Michael C. Daly1883–1887
First resident pastor; purchased a rectory in 1884.
- Rev. James A. Griffin1887–1918
Over 30-year pastorate; acquired the parish site, enlarged the frame church, founded the parochial school (1892); later named Vicar General of the Diocese of Sioux City and moved to Corpus Christi, Fort Dodge.
- Rev. J.J. Ryan1918–1931
Author of the 1927 parish history; led construction of the present brick church dedicated in 1926.
- Rev. Edward Dunn1931–1936
- Rev. Joseph Finnegan1936–1952
- Rev. John Turza (Administrator)1952–1954
- Rev. Norbert Boes1954–1968
- Rev. James Fandel (temporary assistant)1955
- Rev. Raymond Wieling1968–1990
First priest on the scene of the United Airlines Flight 232 crash at Sioux Gateway Airport on July 19, 1989; anointed survivors and the dead, including pilot Capt. Al Haynes.
- Rev. Thomas Nash1990–1991
- Rev. Bruce Lawler1991–1998
- Rev. Donald Slaven1998–2005
- Rev. Patrick O'Kane2005–2016
- Rev. Michael J. Erpelding2016–present
Current pastor.