Take a Virtual Tour
of Our Parish

We think our parish is a pretty special place and would like you to enjoy visiting it. For those who cannot come and visit in person, perhaps this virtual tour will help.

As you arrive at the front of the Church there's no doubt that you've found us -- it's evident from the sign! This sign was made from wood that was carved to reflect the name of the parish, that it's a Catholic Church and to show the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The smaller sign to the right lists the Mass times. They aren't legible in this picture due to the size. There is another sign that also proclaims the name of the church mounted on the outside wall, also facing the street. We're hard to miss!

As you pull into the parking lot, the first thing you'll see directly in front of you is the parish school. The school is constructed on two levels, and the upper level is visible in this picture. With one class each of grades 1 through 8 as well as a day-care and kindergarten, the school is a busy place. Students are well grounded in a fundamental education along with a Catholic religious education program. The school participates in intramural sports on several levels with both boy's and girl's teams. Special attention is paid to preparation for the reception of the various sacraments, especially First Reconciliation and First Communion. The school also offers facilities for our religious education program for students attending the various public schools. These classes are held in the early evening hours. The rooms of the school also serve as additional meeting rooms for various parish functions. In fact, our parish is so busy that it's frequently hard to find space for all the meetings and activities we have going on. The statue in the open area (seen on the left) is "St. Joseph the Protector." In this role St. Joseph is seen as protecting, nurturing and training the child Jesus. This emphasis is found in our school as well.

Continuing around the church building itself (the church is pictured on the Home Page so it is not included in this virtual tour) we find the new Parish Center. This building is the most recently built. Construction was based upon the old hall which was retained and remodeled. Meeting and office space was added as was a youth center and facilities for the St. Vincent de Paul society. There are four meetings rooms upstairs in the Parish Center that can be combined to form two larger meeting areas. In the lower section (center of the photo at left) are three halls (A, B, and C). There is also a professional kitchen that is used for special parish events. The hall forms the social center for the parish. Between the wall in the photo below right and the Parish Center itself is the courtyard. This area is where we gather for coffee and donuts following the Sunday morning Masses (the "pass-through" window shown in the photo at the right). This time of socializing helps us to understand our call to support our brothers and sisters. It is a time for relaxation with friends and for discussing the various activities of the parish. This area may also be used for photographs of parish events such as first communions and confirmation. Personal events such as weddings will also utilize this space for photographs. Mounted on the wall just below the covered walkway that goes from the youth center to the office space are mounts for speakers that can be used for outdoor events. This space is seen as the general gathering location for major parish events, especially those of a social nature.

As one enters the side door near the altar one finds the baptismal font and pool. At St. Joseph we consider this the "main" entrance since we must pass the sign and symbol of our rebirth into the life of Christ as members of the Body. We practice both infusion and immersion baptisms. For infants under the age of seven the parents choose which form they wish to use. Infusion is the method we are most familiar with and is done with the child being held over the font while water is poured over the child's head. The Church, however, prefers immersion since the action of being submerged in the water speaks more clearly to the understanding that baptism is a "dying and rising" with Christ. The baptismal pool, then, becomes the "burial ground" for our old selves who are raised to new life in Jesus through baptism. When this method is chosen for infants they are baptized nude with the presider (priest or deacon) standing in the pool.

At the Easter Vigil adults being baptized into the Church also use immersion, but they are wearing a gray robe (symbolizing the old self). After they are baptized they put on a white robe to symbolize their new birth and status as members of the royal priesthood called to the three-fold ministry of Jesus as priest, prophet and king. There is no holy water bowl near this entrance since the baptismal font takes its place.

The altar is the central focus of the church for it is here that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is re-presented. As a result of reforms following Vatican II the altar rail was removed, but there are still several indications of the location of the sanctuary including a step up from the main body of the church (nave) as well as a different color carpet. The altar is freestanding, made of Italian marble. The same marble is found in the baptismal font, around the top edge of the baptismal pool, in the ambo, and in one of the side altars under the statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe (the patroness of the Diocese of Orange).

Directly behind the altar is the tabernacle (visible in this picture) directly below the crucifix (a nearly life-sized crucifix donated by the Sisters of St. Joseph). The three Greek crosses on each of the support pillars for the altar represent the Trinity. There is also a single Greek cross on the ambo (pulpit) and on the floor of the baptismal pool.

On either side of the main altar are smaller "side altars" which were part of the original design of the Church. Above each of these altars are traditional Catholic statues. Above the altar to the left is a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (directly behind the ambo) and to the right is a statue of Mary. Actually, we have several representations of Mary in the church including a painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (below the Sacred Heart statue on the left) done by Fr. Ricardo Garcia, a former associate pastor who has done several paintings, murals and icons for parishes in this diocese. There is also a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe (below the Marian statue to the right) who is the patroness of the Diocese of Orange. This statue was used for many years as the "official" statue in the diocesan celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe and was carried in the processions by the "Guadalupanos" group that is active here in the parish of St. Joseph.

To the left is the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help done by Fr. Ricardo, and to the right is the statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  This statue commemorates Our Lady's visit to Blessed Juan Diego. The original image is found in the "tilma" which Juan Diego wore on that memorable day. Recent studies of this image have revealed reflections in the eyes of the Virgin showing Juan Diego kneeling before her.

In the vestibule of the church is our St. Joseph shrine. Here we have a statue of St. Joseph along with kneelers and a place for people to leave prayer requests. The statue of St. Joseph is made from hand carved wood. There is a matching statue of St. Mary, but it has unfortunately cracked due to age and dryness. Here is the statue with decorations for the Advent season.

Also, during the Advent season we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12). Not only is she the patron saint of the Americas, but as mentioned above, she is the patron saint of the Diocese of Orange. We at St. Joseph parish take great pride in this feast day. Early in the morning we gather for Mañanitas. The Hispanic community works hard to decorate the area around the statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe as can be see below -- complete with Juan Diego kneeling at her feet.

As time permits we will add more pictures of our church for this virtual tour.

We certainly hope that you've enjoyed this virtual tour of our parish church. If you are ever in the neighborhood, please drop in and visit us. You are always welcome to come and worship with us.