A History of St. Joseph’s Church

The beginning of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church was in the band of thirty-or-so German speaking families who walked the two and a half miles to St. Francis’ Church in Durhamville in the 1880’s for Sunday Mass. There, a German-born priest would preach and hear their confessions and counsel them in their native language.

By 1889, the group had decided it was time to commence a “St. Joseph’s German Catholic Church Building Society,” for the purpose of building a Catholic Church in Oneida to serve the German-speaking population, which now was growing much larger than that in Durhamville. Each member of the Society would contribute fifty cents a month to the fund.

By 1893, there was a monthly Mass being offered in Oneida in the schoolhouse on the corner of E. Elm St. and Williams St. By 1892, excavations had begun for the first St. Joseph’s Church, which stood at the corner of Broad St. and McGuire. That church was blessed by Bishop Ludden on 14 Oct. 1894. The Rev. Adolph Bergman was the first pastor, and a residence was rented by the parish for him at $9.00 a month.

With the passage of time, the parish saw an increase in Italian immigrants between 1905 and 1910. By 1926, the parish numbered about 105 families, but the church only sat 224 persons. There were 175 children attending Religious Instruction classes. The need for a larger church was evident.

Under the diligent, efficient and frugal supervision of the legendary pastor, Fr. John Lauer; construction of the present St. Joseph’s church was begun in 1928. Many of the men of the parish, most of whom worked on the railroad, donated their labors after work to hauling, cutting and laying of stone for the new House of God. The Church was completed and dedicated in 1930.

This magnificent Temple, so majestic, so striking and so beautifully decorated with stained glass depicting the scenes from the Gospels and the lives of the Saints, stands as a testament in stone to the faith of the good people of St Joseph’s.

In 1935, the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul began their years of service to St. Joseph’s, instructing the catechism classes of the children, training the altar servers, visiting and caring for the needs of the parishioners, directing the choir, moderating the Sodality for girls and organizing many social affairs. The Sisters were recalled by their Provincial Superiors in 1979, ending their years of service to the parish.

Today, St. Joseph’s Church is part of Spirit of Hope Parish and the faith continues to thrive there.