Our History      

More than one hundred and fifty years ago,  Irish and Italian immigrants settled in Baltimore County, where they sought employment and a land to call their own. Homes, businesses, and schools were established around the great kilns and quarries of the area. To care for the spiritual needs of these immigrants, the Reverend Thomas O'Neill held Mass from 1846 to 1850 in the home of John Clarke. Eventually, Mr. Clarke donated land and stone for the construction of St. Joseph church. Father Lenaghan, pastor from 1875 to 1896, graced the church with the addition of the familiar stone bell tower.

When St. Joseph parish celebrated its Centennial, it was a rural parish extending from Seminary Avenue to the Pennsylvania Line.
Parishioners numbered about 1,000 and two Sunday Masses were insufficient. St. Joseph's was a "small, country parish."  This concept was short-lived, and rapid growth made new demands upon the facility.

In 1959, St. Joseph Parish began a new school year with an enrollment of 462 students. The parish hall was rebuilt and enlarged, providing four additional classrooms. In 1966, Mass was celebrated in the enlarged and renovated church, which seated approximately 1,000 persons.

Monsignor Paul Cook, Pastor since 1977, made the first addition to a rectory that was built to house one priest. The parish undertook the restoration of the church grounds in the Spring of 1984. In 1994, new stained glass windows were installed in the church.

Today, the parish consists of 3,500 families. St. Joseph's has physically grown and changed from a simple, rural parish to a complex suburban one. Dramatic though this transformation has been, it is but a visible setting for the far more important spiritual development of St. Joseph's as a Christian community.

To meet the challenge, St. Joseph’s has entered the 3rd millennium with new and enlarged parish and school facilities.  Fully handicap accessible, it serves as the center for parish staff and volunteer ministries.