About St. Joseph · Tontitown, Arkansas
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a historic parish in Tontitown, Arkansas, in the Diocese of Little Rock, serving the greater Northwest Arkansas Catholic community. Founded in 1898 by Italian immigrant families led by Father Pietro Bandini, it grew from a schoolhouse prayer gathering into one of the oldest continuously serving Catholic communities in the state. Today the parish offers weekend and daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, OCIA (formerly RCIA), a robust children-and-youth religious education program, a high school youth group, and is the campus of Ozark Catholic Academy. Its current pastor is Rev. Balaraju Akkala (Fr. Bala), assisted by two permanent deacons and a small parish staff.
- Established
- 1898
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Balaraju Akkala (Fr. Bala)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock (West Ozark Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Joseph's offers a close-knit Italian-American parish family that still serves as the spiritual heart of Tontitown — the town it helped found in 1898. Parishioners can attend daily and weekend Mass, spend time in a daily-open Adoration Chapel Tuesday through Friday, walk through OCIA together with new Catholics, and send their children from PreK through high school through Wednesday-night Parish Religious Education, Vacation Bible School, and a youth group with a summer trip. The parish also serves as the campus of Ozark Catholic Academy, making it a hub for Catholic formation across all ages in Northwest Arkansas.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00–3:45 PM
- Wednesday 5:00–5:30 PM
Adoration times
- Tuesday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Adoration Chapel)
- Wednesday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Adoration Chapel)
- Thursday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Adoration Chapel)
- Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Adoration Chapel)
- First Friday of the Month 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM (extended First Friday Adoration)
Parish History and Italian-American Heritage
St. Joseph's history is inseparable from the founding of Tontitown itself. In January 1898, Father Pietro Bandini led about forty Italian Catholic families — refugees from the malaria-plagued Sunnyside cotton plantation in Chicot County — onto 800 acres of Ozark land west of Springdale. They named their colony for Henri de Tonti, the Italian explorer of the Mississippi. After arsonists tried to burn out the colonists by setting fire to the schoolhouse they used as a chapel, the parish took its name from a picture of St. Joseph that locals said survived the blaze. A wood-frame church was dedicated in 1900; a tornado destroyed it on June 18, 1934; and the present 1944 Late Gothic church was built by the parish community itself, dedicated October 26, 1944. In 1994 the parish moved into a new, larger church next door, and the historic building was turned over to the Tontitown Museum Board for preservation.
- Parish founded 1898 by Fr. Pietro Bandini and about 40 Italian immigrant families
- Named for St. Joseph after a picture of the saint survived an arson fire at the original schoolhouse-chapel
- 1934 tornado destroyed the early-1900s church; the 1944 church was built by parishioner labor
- 1944 church placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 (delisted 2024)
- New (current) church built in 1994 just east of the historic structure; original bell relocated
- Parish picnic of 1898 evolved into today's Tontitown Grape Festival
Pastor and Staff
St. Joseph's is currently served by Rev. Balaraju Akkala (Fr. Bala), who was ordained in 2010 for the Diocese of Nellore, India, and is assisted by two permanent deacons. The parish also relies on a small lay staff for administration, religious education, music, and facilities.
- Pastor: Rev. Balaraju Akkala (Fr. Bala) — ordained 2010, Diocese of Nellore, India; [email protected]
- Deacon Daniel Daily
- Deacon Daniel Hennessey — [email protected]
- Administrative Assistant: Melinda Whinnery — [email protected]
- Office Manager: Penny Lee Bellard
- Director of Religious Education: Marie Meints — [email protected]
- OCIA Coordinator: Patricia (Pat) Buhr
- Choir Director: Debbie Zulpo
- Maintenance: Richard Ptak
Faith Formation: Parish Religious Education
St. Joseph's Parish Religious Education (PRE) program serves students from PreK through high school on Wednesday evenings during the school year. The program prepares children for the sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation, and incorporates Vacation Bible School, a Christmas Pageant, and quinceañera preparation under the direction of DRE Marie Meints.
- PreK through High School religious education Wednesday nights during the school year
- First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation for students age 7+ (one prior year of PRE required by the Diocese of Little Rock)
- Confirmation preparation in 9th grade or older (or age 14+), typically received in April
- Vacation Bible School, Christmas Pageant, and quinceañera events
- Children unbaptized by age 7 enter through OCIA and receive all three Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil of their second year
- Contact: Marie Meints, [email protected]
High School Youth Group
St. Joseph's high school youth group gathers throughout the year for service, spiritual, study, and social events, plus an annual summer trip, and takes an active role in parish life. Its activities are largely underwritten by the parish's annual Run for the Grapes fundraiser held during the Grape Festival in early August.
- Service, spiritual, study, and social events across the year
- Annual summer trip
- Funded in part by the parish Run for the Grapes 5K / 1/2-Mile Fun Run
OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
St. Joseph's OCIA program (formerly known as RCIA) welcomes adults — and older children not yet baptized — who are seeking to join the Catholic Church, returning to the faith, or hoping to complete their sacraments. The process introduces inquirers to Catholic beliefs, traditions, and practices through teaching, discussion, and reflection, culminating in the Easter Vigil celebration of initiation.
- Open to unbaptized adults, baptized Christians seeking full communion, and Catholics completing sacraments
- Older children (ages 7–17) preparing for Baptism also enter through OCIA
- Coordinator: Patricia (Pat) Buhr
Sacramental Life
Beyond Mass and the Eucharist, St. Joseph's celebrates the other six sacraments with formation tailored to each age and circumstance. Parents arrange infant baptism through the parish office; older children prepare within PRE or OCIA; teens and adults prepare for Confirmation; and the parish coordinates Anointing of the Sick, funerals, and Catholic marriage.
- Baptism (infant 0–6) — arrange through parish office with parent and godparent formation
- Baptism (ages 7–17) — through OCIA, received with First Communion and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil
- First Reconciliation and First Communion — during Wednesday-night PRE
- Confirmation — grades 9+ (or age 14+), second consecutive year of PRE, typically in April
- Anointing of the Sick — request through the parish office: 479-361-2612
- Funeral arrangements — coordinated through the parish office; see Sacramental Life page for the parish guide
- Marriage — Catholic marriage preparation
St. Joseph Cemetery
The parish cemetery lies less than a mile south of the church and is the resting place of founder Fr. Pietro Bandini and generations of Tontitown Italian-American families. It was expanded in 2023 to add new burial plots and columbarium niches.
- Directions: take Barrington Rd south across Highway 412 / Henri de Tonti Blvd, then left on Fletcher Ave
- New burial plots available — contact Mike Zulpo at 479-263-4808
- Columbarium niches available — contact Steve Miller at 479-841-2784
- Expanded in 2023
Music and Liturgy
Music at St. Joseph's is led by Choir Director Debbie Zulpo. The parish also gathers regularly for the Rosary before weekend Masses and for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy on Friday afternoons in the Adoration Chapel.
- Parish Choir under Director Debbie Zulpo
- Sunday Rosary at 8:30 AM
- Saturday Rosary at 3:30 PM (before the Vigil)
- Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Fridays at 3:30 PM in the Adoration Chapel
Parish Identity and Outreach
Beyond its own ministries, St. Joseph's hosts Ozark Catholic Academy on its campus, serving as a hub for Catholic formation across all ages in Northwest Arkansas. The pastor also serves Blessed Stanley Rother Church in Decatur, extending the parish's pastoral reach into neighboring communities. Each year the parish's largest fundraiser, the Run for the Grapes 5K and 1/2-Mile Fun Run, takes place during the Tontitown Grape Festival and directly supports the children-and-youth ministries.
- Campus of Ozark Catholic Academy
- Pastor also serves Blessed Stanley Rother Church, Decatur
- Run for the Grapes 5K & 1/2-Mile Fun Run — annual fundraiser during the Grape Festival in early August
- Parish office: 192 E. Henri de Tonti Blvd., Tontitown, AR 72762 — open Tuesday–Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Visiting and Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Joseph's by phone during office hours (Tuesday–Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM) at (479) 361-2612, or drop by the office at 192 E. Henri de Tonti Blvd., Tontitown, AR 72762. Mail can be sent to P.O. Box 39, Tontitown, AR 72770. The most current Mass, confession, and event schedule is always published in the parish bulletin.
- Phone: (479) 361-2612
- Office: 192 E. Henri de Tonti Blvd., Tontitown, AR 72762
- Mailing: P.O. Box 39, Tontitown, AR 72770
- Office hours: Tuesday–Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Check the bulletin for schedule changes or cancellations
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Pietro Bandini1898–1917
Founder of both the parish and the town of Tontitown; organized the St. Joseph Society in New York to care for Italian immigrants, led the colony from Sunnyside Plantation to Washington County, and served as Tontitown's first mayor after the town incorporated in 1909. Died January 2, 1917; buried in St. Joseph Cemetery.