Serving Clark County families since 1954...
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1951
Archbishop Thomas A. Connolly from the Archdiocese of Seattle formally proposed the Church of St. Joseph. 1952 St. Joseph Catholic Church was officially established January 18, 1952. Twelve and a half acres of forested land (once a golf course) overlooking the Columbia River was purchased for $56,000. Archbishop Connolly appointed Father Thomas J. Pitsch as the first pastor. 1954 In less than three years, construction was complete on a convent and a fully equipped school with 10 classrooms, library, cafeteria, four music rooms, and an auditorium, which served as the 758-seat church. The cost was $301,000. The parish consisted of 574 families and 2,000 members. The first Mass was celebrated in this new church on July 11, 1954. St. Joseph Catholic School opened September 8, 1954, with 302 students in grades 1-8, five nuns of the Sisters of Providence Order, and three lay teachers. Sister Beatrice Ann became the first principal. The Convent, with facilities for twelve Sisters, included 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. Parents' Club, the Religious Education Program, Youth Groups, CYO Athletics and Social Events all had their start during this time. 1958 A new wing was added to the north side of the school to accommodate the growing number of students. This wing now holds the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classrooms. St. Joseph's was on its way. 1964 Fr. Edmund Kearney came to St. Joseph and replaced Fr. Pitsch in 1964. 1972 The School Board was faced with finding a way to raise money or canceling the 7th & 8th grades. With Father Kearney’s support, 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 used for 25 years, then were replaced. The first festival had fresh fruits, vegetables, a chicken wagon, fashion shows, and dunk tank. It made just over $12,000. 1974 Fr. Anthony V. Domandich replaced Fr. Kearney in July 1974. 1982 The Convent was converted to the Parish Administration Building and a new Parish Rectory was built for the Pastor and Associate Priests’ living quarters. 1985 Fr. Kenneth Haydock arrived at St. Joseph in July 1985. Known as a workaholic and a doer, he organized the drive to build a larger church to accommodate the growing parish community. 1989 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. Fr. Haydock 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 church expanded from 1600 to 2800 families. 1991 Construction of the new church building began in July 1991. 1992 The first Mass celebrated in the new church was on June 20, 1992. The 28,000 sq. ft. church included seating for 850 people with overflow capacity for an additional 400, a large narthex, meeting hall, kitchen, nursery and storage. The former Fr. Pitsch room was remodeled and the old church was converted into a gymnasium/hall for school use. It was named Haydock Hall in honor of Father Haydock. 1995 The first annual School Auction was held. After all the donations were tabulated, $67,515 was raised to remodel and update classrooms in the main school building. 1996 In July 1996, Fr. Hans M. Olson became pastor of St. Joseph Church. 1997 The St. Joseph Catholic School Foundation was established to ensure the financial stability of our school. At the same time, the St. Joseph Catholic School Education Endowment Fund was opened to hold funds in perpetuity for the future. 1999 A new building for meetings, known as the Annex, was constructed on the west side of the parking lot. A new wing was also built, expanding the school with four new classrooms, currently the kindergarten and 8th grade classrooms, for a total of two classrooms per grade level. 2003 The St. Joseph Catholic School Foundation raises awareness about its purpose for the School by hosting the its 1st Annual Wine & Art Show. 2004 During the 2004-2005 school year, St. Joseph Catholic School celebrated its golden anniversary. In September, Archbishop Alex J. Brunett & Father Hans Olson celebrated Mass and the rededication of the School. This was followed by a sit-down dinner for over 100 people in the Parish Hall. The next weekend, an All-School reunion took place to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary and to kick off the 33rd Annual Sausage Fest. St. Joseph Catholic School Foundation hosted its 2nd Annual Wine & Art Show in November 2004. The final celebration of our 50th anniversary was the 11th Annual St. Joseph Catholic School Auction, Our Golden Gala, held April 9, 2005. This event raised over $170,000 for the School and Parish. After 50 years of “graduating well-educated, faith-filled students prepared for tomorrow,” St. Joseph Catholic School enrollment stood at 391 students. 2005 The boys’ and girls’ restrooms in the mail hallway of school were renovated in December 2005 thanks to generous donors who gave to this Fund-An-Item project at St. Joseph Catholic School’s Golden Gala Auction in April 2005. 2007 The Cardinal Preschool began at St. Joseph School as a half-day program for 4 year olds. 2008 The new library modular was installed on the school grounds to the west of the middle school wing. 2008 Marian Hall, St. Joseph Parish’s new community hall, was completed and dedicated. 2008 Fr. Gary Lazzeroni became pastor of St. Joseph Church in July, 2008. 2009 The music modular was added adjacent to the library modular on the school grounds. 2009-2011 High-efficiency windows were installed throughout the main school building. 2010 Using funds from Auction and Jog-a-thon, the new covered play area was installed allowing students to utilize six new basketball hoops and to play outside under cover in the rain. Also using designated auction funds and other donations, the new silver play structure was installed on the main playground and the kindergarten play structure was installed near the Kindergarten classrooms. 2013 Through generous donations from the auction, security cameras were installed throughout the school campus. Also through auction donations, security entry doors were installed at the front entrance of the school. 2013 With the expansion of Cardinal Preschool, the new modular was added to the preschool complex. In addition, NatureScape, an onsite outdoor classroom where every preschool student participates in creative play, was built. The NatureScape provides a way for children to be outdoors rain or shine, experiencing the natural world, engaging their senses in a structured space that encourages creativity, science, and social skills through exploration. 2015 Auction donations funded installation of Security doors in the breezeway, securing the middle school and kindergarten classrooms. 2016 Completed in spring of 2016 using funds from auction, Jog-a-thon, and private donations, the Peter Lenz Memorial Athletic Field is named in memory of St. Joseph student Peter Lenz, class of 2011. (1997-2010) 2016 As a major capital improvement, the school roof was replaced. 2017-2018 Thanks to generous donations to our 2017 Auction Fund-an-item, a new keyless entry system was installed campus-wide. 2019 A combination of grants and anonymous donations allowed expansion of the Cardinal Preschool. One of our current portables was remodeled and the 2019 school year opened with an additional full day 4 year old classroom, growing the Preschool to 92 students. |
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