Mission
We, the members of Saint Joseph Church, a Roman Catholic community, seek to incorporate gospel values into our lives, by living in the spirit of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by sharing our individual and community giftedness for the good of the Church, for the well-being of the Galion community, and for the welfare of all our brothers and sisters regardless of their position in life. As a family of Christian believers, we are dedicated to serving others.
History
Saint Joseph parish began as a mission of Shelby Settlement in 1853. The following timeline highlights some of our most significant historical events since our humble beginning:
1853 — Reverend Matthias Kreusch, pastor of Shelby Settlement, held services in the home of Joseph Rudinger for Catholics in the Galion area as a mission parish.
1854 — Joseph Rudinger donated a lot for the first church site on East Main Street.
1855 — The first church building was dedicated.
1859 — Parish school organized and taught by lay teachers until 1879.
1865 — Reverend John P. Puetz became the first resident pastor.
1866 — Saint Joseph parish built a brick church and school at the corner of Walnut and Union streets (today the Bishop Brown estate).
1868 — Reverend August Gerardin instituted a second parish, Saint Patrick on the corner of North Washington and Payne. He served as pastor of both parishes.
1871 — Saint Patrick built a two-classroom school at the corner of North Washington and Payne streets.
1873 — Saint Joseph outgrew the brick building on Walnut and Union streets and purchased three lots and a brick building on Liberty Street. The building was remodeled and used as a temporary church, school and pastoral residence.
1879 — Sisters of St. Francis Mary Immaculate from Joliet Illinois began teaching in the school.
1880 — Saint Joseph began construction of the current church building.
1883 — The current Saint Joseph church building was dedicated. It is a combination of Gothic and Roman architecture.
1888 — Land is purchased for Mount Calvary Cemetery. It would be used by both Saint Joseph and Saint Patrick Catholic churches.
1900 — Reverend Brady became the first resident pastor of Saint Patrick. Saint Patrick built a three story school and social facility.
1906 — Reverend Francis Keyes, pastor of Saint Patrick, organized the Saint Francis council #1234 Knights of Columbus and served as its first chaplain.
1920 — The School Sisters of Notre Dame teach 68 pupils at St. Joseph school and 44 pupils at St. Patrick school. Before this lay teachers taught in the schools.
1922 — St. Joseph and St. Patrick churches are transferred from the Cleveland Diocese to the newly formed Toledo Diocese.
1951 — St. Joseph and St. Patrick schools are combined.
1953 — The final mass at St. Patrick was held on June 21st before merging with St. Joseph.
1979 — Sylvania Franciscan and Ursline Sisters began teaching at St. Joseph School.
1997 — St. Joseph Activity Center dedicated.
2000 — Galion St. Joseph and Crestline St. Joseph were “twinned” in order to share a pastor.
2008 — Galion St. Joseph returns to single-parish status.
2010 — Galion St. Joseph is again twinned — this time with Bucyrus Holy Trinity — to share a pastor.