History of St. Joseph Church

In 1868 St. Joseph church was founded by Archbishop Henni as a mission of St. John the Baptist Church in Jefferson as part of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The church was constructed in 1869 at its original location on Polk St. Six years after its inception as a mission, Father Joseph Huber was appointed the first resident pastor of St. Joseph’s in 1874 until 1891 when the parish was blessed with the pastoral guidance of Reverend F.X. Hess. The church at that time was comprised of 100 families and growing.

During Rev. Hess’ 60-year tenure, St. Joseph parish was assigned to the newly established Diocese of Madison in 1946. After the new diocesan incorporation, the parish grew even more quickly. By the 1970’s St. Joseph boasted over 200 families. In order to accommodate the needs of the growing parish the present church was constructed and dedicated in 1976. In July 2012, St. Joseph Parish, Waterloo and St. Mary of the Nativity, Marshall merged as one parish. Holy Family Parish was created.

In 2024 Holy Family merged with the Epiphany of the Lord Parish, and is now one of four churches under that Parish umbrella. St. Joseph, Waterloo, St. Mary of the Nativity, Marshall, Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Sun Prairie, and St. Albert the Great, Sun Prairie.

The original church still stands at 130 E. Polk St. and is home to the Waterloo Area Historical Society.

St. Joseph School

St. Joseph School was founded in 1905 and was located next to the church on Polk St. Grades 1- 8 were taught in that building until the early 1960’s. In 1962 the location on Monroe St. was purchased from the Waterloo School District, and students moved into that structure with six classrooms the following year. A significant contribution by William G. McKay made construction of the new school a reality. The last two School Sisters of Notre Dame left in 1985 having had set a great example for many generations that had passed through the doors of St. Joseph School. With the merging of the two churches St. Joseph, Waterloo, and St. Mary, Marshall the school’s name was changed to Holy Family in 2012 which it remained until it closed it’s doors in 2024.