The very first Mass celebrated at St. Joseph's Catholic Church was on Sunday, November 1st in 1953. It was in 1952 when the Bishop of Los Angeles Archdiocese appointed Reverend Francis O'Brien as Administrator, entrusting him to build the Church as it stands today.
Since the 1920's Catholics in our community were actually a part of St. Boniface Parish in Anaheim and then St. Mary's in Fullerton. Early on, two small churches were built as missions, one out of St. Mary's and the other, known as mission Santa Teresita, in a part of Placentia, known as Atwood.
St. Joseph Church was built on five acres of land on Bradford Avenue across from Valencia High School at a cost of $68,000.00.
St. Joseph School opened its doors on September 14th in 1959 with only four classrooms. There were two teachers who taught thirty-seven first graders and forty four students in a combination class of 2nd and 3rd graders. Tuition was only $5 a month for the first child, $8 for two and $10 for 3 children.
While times have changed, what has not, is the mission of the St. Joseph Parish Community. The story of Jesus will forever be relevant in our society. We cannot forget we are all here to tell the story of Jesus through religious education, faith formation and discipleship.
Because of faith-filled, committed Parishioners, dedicated Parish and School staff, and Clergy, the St. Joseph Parish Community continues to grow. We are grateful for our rich past and look forward to writing the next chapter in the St. Joseph Parish story.
If you would like to read more about the history of our Parish, please feel free to stop by the Parish Center and we can share some of our history books with you.