Parish Visit

Saint Joseph Catholic Church Dayton, Ohio

We attended the Assumption of Mary noon Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dayton, Ohio. A holy day of obligation for Catholics this mass was full of a wide variety of people. Many families, elderly, and from what I determined given this church’s location inside the city, people dropping in on a break from work. We found a spot near the front at the end of a pew which was a lifesaver for a mother with three children one of which is a rambunctious toddler. Our plan was to attend mass closer to our relatives’ home but as it appears the Dayton area (part of the Diocese of Cincinnati) as a whole is experiencing a significant decline in the faithful practicing Catholic population. Several parishes seem to share the resources of their priests which makes for a juggling of mass times spread between 6 parishes. I spent my childhood in the Dayton area and this was one parish I did not remember attending as a child.

This parish began as the first English speaking Catholic parish in Dayton. It consisted mostly of Irish Catholic immigrants for the first years then began to become populated with Italians. An Italian Romanesque style church is its current design which was the second build for the parish that was established in the 1840s. It was decided to be named St. Joseph because at the time the only parish for Catholics was a German church, St. Emmanuel that was built in 1837. As more immigrants began arriving in Dayton St. Emmanuel (still an active parish to this day) was feeling the swelling of its growth. The story goes that the German speaking Catholics sat on the left (Mary) side and the English/Irish speaking Catholics would sit on the right (St. Joseph) side of the church. Due to this it made perfect sense that the first English speaking Catholic church in Dayton should be named St. Joseph. The name remains yet the varied history has brought to its doors Catholics of all backgrounds.

The striking bell tower is fitted with a bell lovingly called Patrick, that is situated on the back towards the sanctuary as opposed to the more typical front of the church.  I noticed this on our arrival and found it to be a deeply fascinating feature. There is a Sorrowful Mother Shrine with a copy of Michelangelo’s  “Pieta” surrounded by beautiful stained glass windows, well worth seeing. From their visitors guide I learned that Relics of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul are in the high altar. I was enchanted with so much to see inside this church. Throughout Mass I was mesmerized by its beauty. Our children kept remarking about how beautiful this church is pointing out numerous things that caught their attention. I took pleasure in their curious excitement. They were seeing these small pieces of beauty that have significance to our Catholic faith.

We took our time leaving this church. I wanted to see far more of its features up close. After mass the rosary promptly began and I found myself quietly exploring. I tried to capture a few high points without being too distracting to the people in prayer. Visiting a well built church with thoughtful spiritual design is enchanting. I always wonder if the parishioners realize how fortunate they are to behold this beauty each mass, to worship with such remarkable reminders of the glory of our faith. Tremendous indeed. (On a side note being visitors I had no idea where to change a diaper…..ended up having to go out on the lawn. Sometimes in the beauty we find the ordinary.…or a looney lady changing a diaper in front of a church.)

For more information about the history of this church please see: http://www.stjosephdayton.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/St_Joseph_Visitor_Guide_2022.pdf