St. Joseph Parish

St. Joseph Catholic Church is a very active parish. We were originally a Benedictine Parish, started by the Benedictine Monks of St. Leo Abbey and are now a Parish in the Diocese of St. Petersburg. On any day, you will find group of people ministering to others around our parish. We welcome you to come visit us, and see the list of ministries we have available to you.

If you have anything you would like to know about us, please feel free to call the parish office at 813-782-2813.

St. Joseph Church History

The first Mass of St. Joseph Mission was celebrated at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Brazie in 1912. This residence was a farmhouse near the site of the first church. Fr. Jerome Wisniewski, OSB, a priest from St. Leo Abbey, started the mission celebrating mass for a mere handful of Catholics in Zephyrhills.

Mr. Henry Adams, a generous catholic union soldier donated two lots for church construction on 4/15/1912. The lots were located on the top of a hill just north of the city limits on 10th Street. Mr. Albert Naber, provided lumber for the parishioners who completed the church by 1914. Accomodating 75 people, the frame church had a small bell tower above the front entrance.

The Church was dedicated on April 27, 1919, by Abbot Charles Mohr, O.S.B., the first Abbot of St. Leo. Mass was scheduled only once per month. The first confirmation was administered by Bishop Patrick Barry, DD of St. Augustine on January 21, 1923, in the days when Florida had only one diocese.

In March of 1942, Mr. & Mrs. B.A. Thomas donated two lots on 5th Avenue. A donation of four adjacent lots by the city of Zephyrhills followed on May 1, 1942. Mrs. Thomas gave four additional lots on January 9, 1945, while Miss Flora Yager donated one lot. Those eleven lots comprised the property on which the church was built in 1942, by Fr. John Schlicht, O.S.B.

Later two wings were added. At this time the congregation consisted of 27 families with 32 women and 48 men. Since that initial church, the property has grown to 2 1/2 blocks with 8 buildings. Families number 2148, with over 6,000 registered parishioners.

February 22, 1959, tragedy struck when a fire destroyed the entire church, leaving only the sacristy. The sacristy was converted into a chapel seating for forty people and used for daily Mass for three years. Sunday Masses were celebrated in the Home Movie Theatre and later, the Municipal Auditorium for two years.

Fr. Cassian Foley, OSB, became the first resident priest in Zephyrhills in October of 1960, when he rented a two-story frame house doubling as both a rectory and religious education facility. Before this, the Benedictine Priests commuted from St. Leo Abbey. Architect George Stickly of St. Augustine designed the new church with an estimated cost of $90,000.

Msgr. John McNulty, Vicar General and pastor of St. Patrick parish in Largo, dedicated the church on November 25, 1961. Abbot Marion Bowman, OSB and Fr. Keith Symons, MC were also present. Fr. Michael O'Reilly, ordained at St. Patrick's Missionary Society of Ireland, expanded the church and erected the parish center with a very successful building fund campaign. Fr. O'Reilly worked as pastor from 1971 until his death April 12, 1980.