Our History

Established in 1890

1861

In 1861, St. Joseph Parish began as a mission church in Menomonie serving pioneers and loggers of Canadian, Irish, German, and Austrian descent, who worked in the vast pine forests in the winter and in the saw mills of the renowned Knapp, Stout & Co. Company during the summer.

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1888

In 1888, interest for adding a parish school began to evolve.  By the fall of 1890, St. Joseph School opened its doors with instruction provided by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration of La Crosse.  The school enrollment grew to 136 students by 1896.

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1901

In 1901, a larger school was erected due to enrollment increases.  By 1907, this school building also was too small to accommodate the increasing number of children so in 1912, another new school was built.  The previous school built in 1901 was later remodeled into a convent in 1915.

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1994

Looking to the future, parishioners were inspired to build a modern and integrated Parish Center and School facility to help further minister to our members and our community.  This building was erected in 1994 and is actively used today.