About St. Joseph · Winslow, Arizona
St. Joseph is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Winslow, Arizona, and the oldest Catholic church in the city. Founded in 1896, it serves the faith community of downtown Winslow from its striking 1920s sandstone church at 220 West 2nd Street. Today the parish is clustered with the neighboring Madre de Dios parish under the single banner 'Catholic Community of Winslow,' sharing one priest, offices, and a parish center/chapel at 300 West Hillview Street. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Gallup, whose Arizona parishes serve a wide region including Navajo communities.
- Established
- 1896
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Cornelius Onyigbuo
- Diocese
- Diocese of Gallup
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers the daily rhythm of a small-town parish — weekday Mass in the chapel, Saturday Vigil and Sunday Mass in the historic stone church — combined with the bilingual reach of its sister parish Madre de Dios, which celebrates a Sunday Mass in Spanish. The parish is part of the Diocese of Gallup, so it is also a gateway to wider diocesan sacramental life, faith formation, and outreach to nearby Navajo mission stations. For visitors passing through on Route 66, it's a chance to pray in a nearly century-old sandstone church that is itself a piece of Arizona Catholic history.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
- Sunday: 10:30 am – 10:50 am (before 11:00 am Mass)
- Or by appointment
About St. Joseph Parish, Winslow
St. Joseph is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Winslow, Arizona, founded in 1896 and long administered under the Diocese of Gallup. The parish church — built of hand-hewn sandstone in 1921–1923 — stands at 220 West 2nd Street and is the oldest church in the city. Together with the Spanish-language parish of Madre de Dios (1015 Central St.), St. Joseph forms the 'Catholic Community of Winslow,' sharing one priest, a single parish center, and a chapel at 300 West Hillview Street. The parish continues a sacramental record that reaches back to December 27, 1896, the date of its first recorded Baptism.
History
Catholic worship in Winslow began in a private home in February 1888, when Mass could be offered only once a month. Eight years later, on the establishment of the parish in 1896, Father Thomas M. Connolly became its first pastor, appointed by Bishop Peter Bourgade of Tucson. By 1897 Fr. Connolly was responsible for a vast swath of northern Arizona — Winslow, Williams, Grand Canyon, Seligman, and Kingman — and lived for years in two small rooms behind the church until a rectory was donated in 1906. Tucson diocesan priests administered St. Joseph's from 1903 to 1939, when administration passed to the Diocese of Gallup.
- 1888 – First Mass in Winslow offered in a private home
- 1896 – Parish of St. Joseph established by Bishop Peter Bourgade of Tucson
- 1896 – Father Thomas M. Connolly appointed first pastor
- Dec 27, 1896 – First Baptism recorded
- Jan 14, 1897 – First Marriage recorded
- Dec 23, 1897 – First funeral recorded
- Aug 15, 1902 – First Communion class
- Mar 22, 1903 – First Confirmation class
- 1903–1939 – Administered by Tucson diocesan priests
- 1921 – Cornerstone of the present sandstone church blessed
- April 8, 1923 – New church completed and solemnly blessed by Archbishop Daeger of Santa Fe
- 1939–present – Administered by priests of the Diocese of Gallup
Building the 1923 Sandstone Church
Under the direction of then-pastor Father Edward A. Albouy, contractor Mr. Bob Felton built the walls; Charles Daze cut, shaped, and hauled the sandstone on site with team and wagon; and the basement and foundation were dug entirely by hand. The cornerstone was blessed in 1921 by Fr. Schuster, OFM, who periodically tended to the spiritual needs of the Lagunas, and the finished church was solemnly blessed by Archbishop Daeger of Santa Fe on April 8, 1923. The building stands today as a monument to a lost art of construction, with massive hand-hewn sandstone blocks, ornate copper ceilings, and French-made stained glass windows.
Renovation & Steeple Restoration
Since the 1960s much of the church's original craftsmanship had been hidden behind modern remodelings — lowered acoustic ceilings and ductwork from swamp coolers that had broken out sections of stained glass. A long-running restoration, carried out in part by master steeplejack Glenn Blake, has reclaimed these features. Blake and the Kolomitz family removed the false ceilings and salvaged the original fabricated copper ceilings, restored most of the stained glass, refurbished the rock-and-concrete bell tower and the wood-and-copper steeple, and installed a centuries-old door salvaged from an Italian church destroyed in World War II and refurbished by Italian craftsmen. Blake, who grew up in Salem, Massachusetts, and trained as a steeplejack by 16, has worked on hundreds of churches — including buildings at Harvard and MIT — and used a hand-made 'bosom chair' in the rigging tradition of old sailing-ship crews.
Mission Outreach to the Navajo Reservation
Since its earliest years St. Joseph has served not only as the parish church of Winslow but also as the home base for diocesan mission outreach to nearby Navajo communities. The Diocese of Gallup has historically used St. Joseph's priests to attend Native American stations on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona.
- Leupp station (1970–present)
- Seka Dalkai station, Navajo Reservation
- Dilcon station (1980–present)
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently served by a pastor from the Diocese of Gallup, with a permanent deacon assisting. As the clustered 'Catholic Community of Winslow,' the pastor also serves the sister parish of Madre de Dios.
- Pastor – Fr. Cornelius Onyigbuo
- Deacon – Deacon Greg Carlson
The Catholic Community of Winslow
St. Joseph is clustered with the parish of Madre de Dios as the 'Catholic Community of Winslow,' sharing one priest, the parish offices, and a chapel at 300 West Hillview Street. Madre de Dios (1015 Central Street, near the junction of Central and Short Streets) provides a Sunday 9:00 am Mass celebrated in Spanish, giving the community a bilingual worship presence in Winslow.
- St. Joseph (English) – 220 W 2nd Street
- Madre de Dios (Spanish) – 1015 Central Street
- Parish Center / Office / Chapel – 300 W. Hillview Street
Visit & Contact
St. Joseph's church is on the corner of 2nd Street and N. Winslow Avenue in downtown Winslow, Arizona. The Parish Center (offices and chapel) is at 300 West Hillview Street. The parish can be reached by telephone, and the Diocese of Gallup and the Catholic Community of Winslow both maintain online presences.
- Address: 220 W 2nd Street, Winslow, AZ 86047
- Parish Center: 300 W. Hillview Street, Winslow, AZ 86047
- Phone: (928) 289-2350
- Diocese: Diocese of Gallup
- Website: http://catholiccommunityofwinslow.myfreesites.net/
- Facebook: Catholic Community of Winslow, Arizona
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Thomas M. Connolly1896–
First pastor, appointed by Bishop Peter Bourgade of Tucson when the parish was founded. By 1897 he was responsible for Winslow, Williams, Grand Canyon, Seligman, and Kingman.
- Fr. Edward A. Albouyearly 1920s
Pastor during construction of the present sandstone church. Cornerstone laid 1921; church completed and solemnly blessed by Archbishop Daeger of Santa Fe in April 1923.
- Fr. Peter Short
Listed as pastor of the clustered Catholic Community of Winslow on some third-party parish directories.