1846
Parish founded. Irish priest Father Patrick O’Mealy assigned pastor.

1847
$2,000 cost of the land for the first church, finished in 1847 (but without its steeple).

1859
Pastor Father David Kelley finished construction of the steeple, which included the clock tower and largest bell in the city.

1909
In one week, church windows, pews, doors and altars moved from first church and installed in a
temporary building on Sears Street.

1911
Current church dedicated. Designed and built by McGinnis and Walsh in the Italian Byzantine style, it features a 43-ft. wide, barrel vaulted ceiling and highly decorated half-circle apse.

1943
Parish placed under the care of the Fathers of the Precious Blood.

1965
Shrine of Joseph the Worker donated.

1996-99
Major renovation included painting the interior, refurbishing the stained glass and cleaning and gilding the statues.

2000
Six new marble statues complete the church’s original design: Sts. Peter and Paul on either side of the apse, and the four evangelists in exterior niches.

2001
Memorial to Mary, Mother of the Unborn, donated by the Greater Dayton Chapter of the Knights of Columbus.

2021
Parish Life Center built across the street for neighborhood and Greater Dayton outreach.

1 Bell tower, Patrick is the name of the 3,600-lb. bell, then the largest in Dayton; hung first in the original church then moved into the new church.

2 Notable stained glass windows at the tower entrance, donated by the architects, depict Cincinnati’s cathedral and the original St. Joseph Church.

3 Stained glass windows over the high altar depict the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.

6 Relics in the Italian marble altars: Sts. Peter and Paul (arranged by Archbishop Moeller) in the high altar; martyrs Sts. Auralia and Julius in the St. Joseph altar; and martyrs Sts. Probas and Julius in the Mary altar.

22 Stained glass windows flank the nave:

8 major windows and 14 clerestory windows.

“The memorial to Mary, Mother of the Unborn, is a wonderful testament. As this town is being rejuvenated, a lot of people walk by and read it. Many of them have never known a world before Roe v. Wade. It’s a wonderful reminder that all life is precious – don’t take it for granted.”

– Rita Zimmerman, St. Joseph Business Manager

“Over the years downtown has changed from a neighborhood to industrial, and now it’s changing again. We’re right in the heart of a renaissance, with 500 new housing units. It’s exciting to be in the midst of that. We see it as an opportunity to share our faith and be a beacon of light for people looking for God and faith in their lives.” Father Angelo Anthony, C.PP. S, Pastor