About St. Joseph · Wilmington, Delaware
St. Joseph Catholic Church on French Street in Wilmington, Delaware is a historic Black Catholic parish founded on July 6, 1889 by Father John A. DeRuyter of the Josephite Fathers, making it the cradle of African-American Catholicism in Delaware. The current brick-and-cast-stone church was completed in 1948 to replace the previous building destroyed by a 1945 electrical fire, and the parish was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. After being administered by the Franciscan Friars from 1995, the parish was returned to diocesan administration in Fall 2020 and is now led by the Diocese of Wilmington, with the Very Rev. Glenn M. Evers, V.C., serving as pastor. Today the downtown parish continues its founding mission, offering weekday Masses for central-business-district workers, weekend Masses, devotions, Bible study, and a Knights of St. Peter Claver council.
- Established
- 1889
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Very Rev. Glenn M. Evers, V.C.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Wilmington
Why belong here
St. Joseph's on French Street welcomes all who seek to worship at the cradle of African-American Catholicism in Delaware — a historic, National Register-listed downtown parish whose daily noon Mass serves central-business-district workers. Members grow through Religious Education for children, Bible study on Wednesdays, the Knights of St. Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary, and active ministries of outreach to those in need, continuing the parish's founding mission of service to the underserved.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays at 4:30 PM and by appointment
Adoration times
- Holy Hour of Power — as scheduled
About St. Joseph Catholic Church on French Street
St. Joseph Catholic Church sits at 1012 N. French Street in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, in the Diocese of Wilmington. Founded on July 6, 1889, it is recognized as the cradle of African-American Catholicism in Delaware and was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The parish offers daily noon Mass on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for downtown workers, a Saturday Vigil Mass and a Sunday morning Mass, along with Reconciliation, Religious Education and outreach to the underserved in keeping with its founding mission.
History and Heritage
The parish was organized in 1889 by Father John A. DeRuyter of the Josephites, who gathered roughly 50 Black Catholics to worship in the basement of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception before incorporating as St. Joseph's Society for Colored Missions in 1890 and dedicating the first church in October of the same year. Under Father DeRuyter the parish ran an elementary school, the nation's first Black orphanage for boys (1892), and a free dispensary; its students included the first Black Delaware State Senator, Herman M. Holloway, Sr.
- 1889: Mission organized by Fr. John A. DeRuyter, S.S.J.
- 1890: Incorporated as St. Joseph's Society for Colored Missions; first church dedicated October 1890
- 1892: First Black orphanage for boys in America built on site
- 1929: Daughter parish Our Lady of Mercy, Belvedere founded
- 1936: Daughter parish Blessed Sacrament, Wilmington founded
- 1945: Church and rectory destroyed by electrical fire on New Year's Eve
- 1948: New Late Gothic Revival church reopened
- 1950: St. Joseph's School graduates among the first to integrate Salesianum
- 1954: Present rectory completed
- 1956: School/orphanage complex demolished
- 1993: Josephite tenure ends
- 1995: Franciscan Friars (Holy Name Province) take over administration
- 2004: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Fall 2020: Administration returned to the Diocese of Wilmington
- 2021: Father John McVoy named administrator
Architecture and Historic Landmark Status
The current church is a 1½-story, three-bay brick and cast stone building with a gable roof in the Late Gothic Revival style, completed in 1948 to replace the earlier church destroyed by the 1945 fire. The two-story rectory, finished in 1954 and linked to the church by a one-story hyphen, is built in the same brick-and-cast-stone vocabulary, so the complex retains a unified Mission/neo-Gothic character. The buildings were added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2004 for their architectural significance and their association with the Josephite ministry to Wilmington's African-American community.
- Style: Late Gothic Revival (1948 church) with Mission influences
- Materials: brick and cast stone
- Rectory: 1954, two-story, three-bay, brick and cast stone
- NRHP reference No. 03001385; added January 14, 2004
Parish Staff
The parish team includes the pastor, two deacons and lay administrative staff who staff the parish office on North French Street.
- Pastor: Very Rev. Glenn M. Evers, V.C.
- Deacon: Robert J. Cousar
- Deacon: Philip Gonzalez
- Administrative Coordinator: Loretta L. Young
- Receptionist: Lavon Robinson
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Religious Education sessions for children are held on Sundays after the 10:00 AM Mass. The parish also supports adult faith formation through Bible Study on Wednesdays at 6:00 PM (as scheduled) and lists Holy Orders / vocational inquiries through the Diocese of Wilmington's Director of Priestly and Religious Vocations, Father Norm Carroll.
- Religious Education: Sundays after 10:00 AM Mass
- Bible Study: Wednesdays at 6:00 PM
- Vocations referral: Fr. Norm Carroll, 302-573-3113, [email protected]
Ministries, Outreach and Community Life
Continuing the parish's founding commitment to the underserved, St. Joseph's operates an active program of prison ministry, AIDS outreach and homeless/feeding ministry. Parishioners also run a Friday Lenten Fish Fry in the parish social hall and gather in the Knights of St. Peter Claver & Ladies Auxiliary, a Catholic fraternal organization with deep roots in Black Catholic parishes.
- Prison Ministry
- AIDS Outreach
- Homeless Ministry / feeding the poor
- Knights of St. Peter Claver & Ladies Auxiliary
- Friday Lenten Fish Fry (11:00 AM–2:00 PM in the social hall)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John A. DeRuyter (Josephite)1889–
Josephite founder of the Wilmington African-American Catholic mission
- Franciscans (Holy Name Province)1995–Fall 2020
Took over from the Josephites; last Franciscan administrator was Father Paul Williams
- Father John McVoy2021–
Appointed administrator effective Sept. 14, 2021
- Very Rev. Glenn M. Evers, V.C.
Current pastor (Diocese of Wilmington), also serving as associate moderator of the curia and director of cultural ministries