About St. Joseph the Worker · Corning, Arkansas
St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic mission parish in Corning, Clay County, Arkansas, in the Diocese of Little Rock's North Delta Deanery. The parish is currently attended from St. Paul the Apostle Church in nearby Pocahontas, sharing pastoral staff and administration with that mother parish. It offers one weekly Mass — a Saturday Vigil at 4 p.m. — along with Confessions before Mass and Holy Day services as announced. The parish serves the small Catholic community of Corning and the surrounding rural northeast Arkansas region.
- Established
- 1968
- Patron
- St. Joseph the Worker (St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster father of Jesus)
- Rector
- Fr. Stephen Elser, PhL (caring for the parish from St. Paul the Apostle Church, Pocahontas)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock
Why belong here
St. Joseph the Worker gives Catholics in Corning and rural Clay County a regular, accessible place to gather for the Eucharist each weekend and to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Mass. As a mission attended from St. Paul the Apostle in Pocahontas, it joins worshippers across the North Delta Deanery and offers the warmth of a small community served by a pastor who is also bilingual. For visitors to northeast Arkansas seeking a Saturday Vigil Mass, a quiet country church, or a friendly Catholic mission to call home, St. Joseph the Worker welcomes them.
Mass times at St. Joseph the Worker
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:30 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. (before Mass) — per catholicchurchtimes.com
- Before Mass — per the Diocese of Little Rock parish listing
About St. Joseph the Worker
St. Joseph the Worker is a Roman Catholic mission parish serving Corning and Clay County in northeast Arkansas. It belongs to the Diocese of Little Rock and, together with its sister mission St. John the Baptist in Engelberg, is attended from St. Paul the Apostle Church in Pocahontas. A single Saturday Vigil Mass each week, plus Holy Day liturgies as announced, sustain the parish's worship life.
- Parish type: Mission
- Deanery: North Delta
- County: Clay
- Attended from: St. Paul the Apostle Church, Pocahontas
History & Architecture
The Corning church was built in 1968. According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, it was designed by Stuck, Frier, Lane & Scott, Inc., the Jonesboro firm whose other regional religious work includes St. Michael's Catholic Church in West Memphis. As a diocesan mission in a small rural town, the parish's day-to-day life is closely tied to St. Paul the Apostle in Pocahontas, from which its priest serves the Corning flock.
- Built: 1968
- Architect: Stuck, Frier, Lane & Scott, Inc. (Jonesboro, AR)
Clergy & Staff
Pastoral care is provided by the priests and staff of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Pocahontas. The current pastor (also listed on the Diocese of Little Rock parish directory) is Fr. Stephen Elser, PhL, who was ordained June 2, 2018 and is bilingual in English and Spanish. Carol Selig serves as parish secretary.
- Fr. Stephen Elser, PhL — Pastor (ordained 2018)
- Fr. Arokiasamy Madhichettyirudayaraj — listed pastor on DOLR directory
- Carol Selig — Secretary
Visit & Contact
The church sits at 1415 Harb Street in Corning, with a mailing address of 800 11th St., Corning, AR 72422. Because the parish is staffed from Pocahontas, calls and inquiries are typically routed through the Pocahontas parish office at (870) 892-3319, and email reaches the secretary at [email protected].
- Address: 1415 Harb St., Corning, AR 72422
- Mailing: 800 11th St., Corning, AR 72422
- Phone: (870) 892-3319
- Email: [email protected]
Patron & Feast Day
The parish's patron is St. Joseph the Worker, honored on May 1 each year — a feast instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to give Christian workers a model of the dignity of labor. St. Joseph is also honored with his older feast of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary, on March 19. As patron, St. Joseph is a fitting patron for a rural Arkansas parish whose congregation is largely made up of working families.
- Patron: St. Joseph the Worker
- Feast: May 1
- Established: 1955 by Pope Pius XII
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Stephen Elser, PhLcurrent (ordained June 2, 2018)
Also pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Church, Pocahontas, which attends St. Joseph the Worker. Fluent in Spanish. Birthday March 6.
- Fr. Arokiasamy Madhichettyirudayaraj
Listed as Pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Church on a Diocese of Little Rock parish entry.