About Our Parish
Mission
Statement:
We the people of St. Joseph Catholic Church proclaim our belief
in the message and mission of Jesus Christ in union with the
Universal Church. As a parish community, we seek to live out
that belief in worship. We seek to deepen our knowledge of our
faith and to share it in our civic community. We seek to create
a home for all who wish to share our faith and worship and to
embrace our gift of cultural diversity. We embrace stewardship
in thanksgiving for God's bountiful gifts. (Pastoral
Council 1999)
Vision
Statement:
To Know the Lord . . .
We accept the obligation to understand the faith and increase
our awareness of Christ in our daily lives. "Seek
first the kingdom of God . . . and all these things will be
given to you besides." (Mt. 6:26-34)
To
Love the Lord . . .
We embrace the obligation to worship and praise the Lord by
participating whole-heartedly in the sacramental life of the
church and to show our love of the Lord by example. "You
shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all
your soul and with all your mind." (Mt. 23:37)
To
Serve the Lord . . .
We hold the obligation as Christians to generously share our
gifts of time, talent and treasure for the benefit of others
and to fulfill Christ's mission. "I say to you, whatever
you did for one of these least brothers or sisters of mine,
you did for me." (Mt. 26:40) Pastoral
Council 1999
History
of St. Joseph Parish:
The
early mission years:
Following
earlier explorers, the true beginning of the Catholic Church
in the Northwest with the arrival of Father Francis Norbert
Blanchet and Modeste Demers from eastern Canada, in 1838. They
came in response to requests for priests from retired French
Canadian fur trappers. Working north of the Columbia River,
the first mission, called St. Francis Xavier, was established
at Cowlitz Prairie, in southeast Washington. In 1839, they established
the St. Paul mission on the Willamette River. Working out of
the St. Paul mission, they proceeded to evangelize the region.
At
Fort Vancouver, the Chief Factor, Dr. John McLoughlin and a
baptized Catholic, was a generous friend to the Catholic missionaries.
He taught catechism to the children of the fort. The first Catholic
church was constructed at Fort Vancouver in 1846 by order of
the Chief Factor of the Hudson Bay Company, James Douglas. The
church was called St. James in honor of the Chief Factor, and
of course, the Apostle.
Mother
Joseph of the Sacred Heart, SP, foundress of the Sisters of
Charity of Providence in the Pacific Northwest arrived in Vancouver
in 1856, at the request of Bishop Blanchet, with four other
Sisters in tow. She established the first Catholic school in
Washington Territory in 1857 and the first hospital a year later.
She died in Vancouver in 1902.
St. James Cathedral, was completed in 1885 at Vancouver. After
Bishop O'Dea transferred his See to Seattle, this church became
the parish church of St. James.
The
church of St. Joseph was originally a mission dependent on the
parish of St. James Church. The population of Vancouver, WA
grew during the boom years of World War 11 and shifted eastward.
As a result of this growth, the membership of St. Joseph became
large enough to set out on its own.
St.
Joseph Catholic Church:
Archbishop
Thomas A. Connolly from the Archdiocese of Seattle formally
proposed the church of St. Joseph in 1951. It was officially
established on January 18, 1952. Father Pitsch performed the
first Baptism in the parish for Eileen Ellis, daugher of Mr.
and Mrs Eugene Ellis in February 1952. A 12 1/2 acre plot of
scenic forested land was found overlooking the Columbia River
and was purchased for $56,000.00. Archbishop Connolly appointed
Father Thomas J. Pitsch as the first Pastor. A small group of
parishioners began clearing the land. A group of Guaminians
from a tug crew volunteered to help and cleared the land with
machetes. Father Pitsch himself, paced out the site and selected
which trees to save during the excavation. Wide publicity was
given to the project. There was potential for the fulfillment
of a dream. Father Egan of St. James parish, watched as many
of his faithful in east Vancouver left St. James to become the
founders of St. Joseph.
The
old rectory basement was the first setting for daily Mass. Later
it was celebrated in a small storage shed located near Andresen
Rd. that old timers referred to as the "chicken coop."
The McLoughlin Heights Housing Project auditorium was the original
site for Sunday Mass because of the larger facilities.
In
May, 1951, Bishop Connolly requested that Sisters of Providence
staff St. Joseph School, reaping the rewards of Mother Joseph
many years after her passing. In less than three years, local
architects and artists had constructed a convent, a fully equipped
ten classroom school with cafeteria and library and the auditorium
which was intended to be the gym, but would serve as the 758
seat bonda-fide church, at a cost of $301,000.00 dollars. Initially
the parish consisted of 574 families and about 2000 members.
The first Mass was celebrated in this new church on July 11,
1954.
On
September 8, 1954, St. Joseph School opened with 302 students
in grades 1-8. The new school had ten classrooms, a library,
a cafeteria, kitchen, four music rooms and a stage. Sr. Beatrice
Ann became the first principal. In addition, 168 public grade
school students registered for religious education classes.
The
convent had facilities for twelve Sisters including a kitchen
and a chapel. Sister Beatrice Ann was appointed as the first
superior of Saint Joseph Convent .
The
official dedication and blessing of the church, convent and
school occurred on October 10, 1954.
The
parish of St. Joseph has been blessed with a succession of priests
that were best suited for the job at the time. A natural leader
with a flair for diplomacy, Fr. Pitsch motivated the initial
members of the parish and the community.
He was a gregarious man
of
action and charisma and extremely popular. Originally from Bellingham,
Washington he enjoyed playing cards, especially pinochle, reading,
swimming, cooking and had a Dachsund named Adolph. A local businessman,
after a fund-raising dinner with the local business community,
was heard to remark, "If all priests are like this, I think
I'll join the Catholic Church". Fr. Pitsch frequently could
be found on the playground visiting with the children. He served
at St. Joseph with four able Associate Pastors: Fr. Peter J.
Duggan (1957-59), Fr. Joseph Lyons (1959-62), Fr. Theodore Sondergeld
(1962-64) and Fr. George Rink (1964-68).
With
Fr. Pitsch at the helm, the parish population grew and with
it the variety of ministries. The Knights of Columbus, Ladies
Circles, St. Vincent De Paul, Legion of Mary, Parents' Club,
Religious Education Program, Bible study, youth groups, parish
choir, CYO athletics and social events all had their start during
this time. Also a new wing was added to the north side of the
school to accommodate the growing number of students.
One
of the new rooms was christened The Father Pitsch Room in his
honor. St. Joseph's was on its way!
When
Fr. Edmund Kearney replaced Fr. Pitsch in 1964, it was a dramatic
change of leadership. He was a compassionate and capable man
though sometimes reserved and quiet with strangers. Originally
from Limerick, Eire, he was a great fisherman, pheasant hunter,
sports fan and had a German short haired hunting dog. Father
Kearney was a strong advocate for the Boy Scouts of the parish.
He also established the Parish Council in 1968.
In the spring of 1971, the School Board was faced with finding
a way to raise money or cancel the 7th and 8th grades. With
Father Kearney's support, the planning committee and many parishioners
donated materials, money and time to build booths, obtain supplies
and promote the Sausage Fest. The first stage and buildings,
built by parishioners, were use for 25 years, and then were
replaced. The first festival had fresh fruits, vegetables, a
chicken wagon, fashion shows and a dunk tank. That first year,
they made just a little over $12,000. The annual Sausage Fest
is now a huge event, with a full size carnival, many handicraft
booths, food stalls, and varied refreshments.
This was a time of change for Catholicism and it was reflected
in the parish. With Vatican II, Rome emphasized the importance
of the Lay Apostolate and the St. Joseph laity responded to
the call with unselfish service in various ministries. There
was some dissention when the Mass went from Latin to the vernacular
but Fr. Kearney was able to guide the parish through this transitional
period with grace. The Associate Pastors who assisted Fr. Kearney
were: Fr. George Rink (1964-68), Fr. David Jaeger (1968-72),
and Fr. Donald Werner (1972-75). In addition the Holy Cross
Fathers from the University of Portland served Mass on weekends
and special occasions when needed.
Fr.
Anthony V. Domandich replaced Fr. Kearney in 1974. He was a
thoughtful and precise man. He was born in Hoquiam, Washington
and was of Croatian descent. He served in the army before deciding
to join the priesthood. He liked music and played the bass,
French horn, trumpet, and trombone. His main hobby was reading
about ancient history. Father Domandich presided over the conversion
of the convent to the parish administration building and the
completion of the new parish rectory.
It was a relatively calm period for St. Joseph with plenty of
growth. There was time to plan for the future of the church.
The Parish Council now consisted of two boards: School and Religious
Education, and four committees: Liturgy, Community Services,
Finance and Building & Grounds. Also, there were special
committees: Revenue, Research & Development and joint Staff.
It was during this time, with Fr. Suss' suggestion, that the
altar in the church was moved from the alcove (stage-like) area
on the north side to the center against the west wall. Presumably
this was one of the changes related to Vatican II where the
Mass became more accessible to worshippers.
In
May, 1982, Fr. Domandich and the parish council announced that
new quarters for the Pastor and the Associate Priests were needed.
Parishioners donated the cost of the architects' fees for the
preliminary plan. A parish wide opinion poll in May 1982 indicated
that 87% of the parishioners strongly supported construction
of a new Rectory. The permit was granted on May 23rd, 1982,
ground was broken on June 27th, 1982, open house on December
19 and the Pastor and Priests moved in January 9th, 1983, Parishioners
donated roughly $250,000.00 of the budgeted $288,500.00 needed
for the project over a five month period.
Fr.
Domandich's Associates were Fr. Donald Werner (1972-75), Fr.
G. Barry Ashwell (1975-76) and Fr. Thomas J. Suss (1976-79),
Fr. Timothy Sauer (197981), Fr. David Becker (1982-86) and Fr.
Anthony Ton (1984-88). There were many opportunities for parish
members to share their special talents and contribute to the
fields of liturgy, music, finance, plant maintenance, education,
athletics, communications, social services and more. The parish
had become a solid part of the community of Vancouver.
Fr.
Kenneth Haydock arrived at St. Joseph in July 1985. He was a
voracious reader who enjoyed gourmet cooking, attending the
opera and music recitals. Father had the knack for remembering
names and faces easily. He was sometimes called a perfectionist.
Known as a workaholic and a doer, he organized the drive to
build a larger church to accommodate the growing parish community.
Fr. Haydock' s determination and efforts paid off when the new
church was built on the east side of the church property. The
plans for the new church were submitted in February 1989 for
an estimated cost of $3.2 million. Rising costs, resulted in
the building being redesigned reflecting the current church
for a cost of $2.4 million. By November 190, the parish had
raised %1.9 million in pledges and on a single day on December
1, 1991, the remaining $500,000 was pledged during a phone fund-raiser.
Construction began in July 1991. The first mass was held on
June 20, 1992 and soon the pews were filling up.
The
28,000 sq. ft. church includes seating for 750 people with overflow capacity for an additional 400, a large narthex, meeting hall,
kitchen, nursery and storage. The old church was converted into
a gymnasium/hall for school and parish use and named Haydock
Hall in honor of Father.
The Multi-Cultural Mass, the Christmas Giving Tree, the St.
Joseph Concert Series and the annual school auction were all
started up. Fr. Haydock was also responsible for upgrading the
music program. He earnestly believed in the importance of modern
technology and was one of the propelling forces behind the addition
of computers, audio/visual media and the internet in the school
and administration building. The Annex room was added on the
west side of the parking lot.
The
RCIA Program was reformed and the school classrooms were remodeled
and updated during this time. The church expanded from 1600
to 2800 families. One of the causes close to Father's heart
was the elderly. He instituted the Outreach Program, Widow and
Widower dinners and Golden Fellowship senior luncheons for spiritual
and social sharing. Fr. Haydock's Associates were Fr. Gerald
Woodman (1979-83), Fr. David Becker (1982-86), Fr. Dennis Wood
(1983-84), Fr. Anthony Ton (1984-88), Fr. ? Kindall (1989-90),
Fr. Joseph O'Shea (1990-91), Fr. Lester Avestruz (1991-92),
Fr. Dennis Shue (?), Fr. James Gandrau (?), and Fr. Tuan Nguyen
(?).
In June 1996, Fr. Hans M. Olson took over as pastor of St.
Joseph. With a gift for administration and a call to bring
the parishioners to a stronger relationship with God, he has
been responsible for leading the parish into the new millennium.
Fr.
Olson strove to bring the message of stewardship and sharing
of God's bountiful gifts to the community. He was a gifted
teacher and proclaimer of the faith who carried out the rich
traditions of the church.
Father Olson installed the present beautiful crucifix,
the Tabernacle,
and
the Blessed Virgin Mary,
just
a few of the many changes he made soon after his arrival. He
also added the large music room to the east end of the church,
in 2000, with the support of a major donor.
The
children of the parish especially enjoyed the humor and knowledge
he had to offer. It was under Father Olson's tenure that the Life Teen program
came to the parish and fervently supported religious
education. Vocations to the church were another important cause
he stressed.
His hobbies included gardening, woodworking, and art, especially
graphics (printing icons). Eleven associate pastors have
assisted Fr. Olson: Fr. Tuan Nguyen, Fr. Michael Wright, Fr.
Bryan Hersey, Fr. Sean O'Loughlin, Fr. Peter Gillette, Fr. Robert
Hagan, Fr. Qui-Thac Nguyen, Fr. Roger Blanchette,
S.J., Fr. Gary Sumpter, Fr. Crispin Okoth, and Fr. Khanh D.
Nguyen.
In July 2008, Fr. Gary Lazzeroni became the priest
administrator of St. Joseph. Assisting him are Fr. Jose "Junn"
Chavenia, Jr. from the Philippines and Fr. Emmanuel E. Iweh from
Nigeria. St. Joseph now has over 100 ministries at work and with
over 2200 families or about 8,000 members. The dream of a spiritual
center has become a reality. In January of 2009, a new Parish
Hall was completed with Bishop Joseph Tyson celebrating the
dedication of the new facility. With a thriving population and
a diverse and faithful parish, St. Joseph has a strong foundation
to build on and much potential for the future.
