A Parish Rooted in a German Catholic Colony
St. Joseph Catholic Church stands on College Avenue in Conway, Arkansas, the visible heart of a Catholic community that has lived in Faulkner County since the 1870s. The parish grew out of the St. Joseph Colony, a settlement organized by Father Joseph Strub, a Holy Ghost Father (C.S.Sp.) who arrived in Arkansas in early 1878 with the permission of Bishop Fitzgerald of the Diocese of Little Rock. Through an arrangement with the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad, Father Strub acquired land in Faulkner, Conway and Pope counties, and by 1879 he and two priests, several brothers and other helpers had built a church and a rectory in Conway. The whole colony, like its first church, was placed under the patronage of St. Joseph.
Even before that 1879 church was finished, Catholic families were already here. The Jacob Schichtl family arrived shortly after Faulkner County was created in 1873, and by 1876 they had been joined by the Erbach, Lachowsky, Schneider, Weber, Wurtzelbach and Rappel families. The first Mass offered in Conway was celebrated at an improvised altar in the Schichtl home on the Lewisburg Road a mile east of town. The first resident pastor, Father John Willms, C.S.Sp., and Brothers Leo and Genes arrived with the new church, a frame building sixty by thirty feet with an eighty-foot bell tower that Bishop Fitzgerald blessed on February 23, 1879. A special train from Little Rock brought the bishop, priests, cathedral choir and visitors for the occasion.
Father Strub wrote a guide called "The Guiding Star" in 1880 to help Catholic emigrants travel from Europe to the colony. Catholics were leaving Germany in large numbers during the Kulturkampf, the series of Bismarck-era laws that struck at Catholic liberties and institutions, and a steady stream of new families soon arrived from Poland, France, Switzerland and Germany, swelling the parish to ninety families.
The Parish School, the Tornado, and the Second Church
The history of Catholic education in Conway also begins with Father Strub. In 1881 he contacted the Sisters of St. Joseph in Cluny, France, and purchased land at the corner of Deer and Locust Avenue for $700. A two-story school was built for white children with living quarters for the nuns, and a smaller building on Deer Street for Black children. Three sisters - Sr. Emilien Kearney, Sr. Mary Sainie Adeltrude Brophy and Sr. Mary Sainte Edburge Brady - struggled with the school through low attendance, fire, drought and storms and finally closed it in 1896. The land was sold in 1904 for $100 plus back taxes.
Drought in 1881 and a typhoid epidemic the same year cut the Catholic population from ninety families to sixty, and a tornado destroyed the original church on April 14, 1883. For the rest of that year Mass was offered on the porch of the rectory while the congregation stood in the yard. A painting of St. Joseph with the Christ Child, which had hung inside the church, was blown out by the storm and was found undamaged leaning against a tree - it stayed in the convent for decades, was restored in 1994, and was returned to the church on the March 19, 1996 feast of St. Joseph. Father Charles Steurer, C.S.Sp., recruited donors in Austria and Germany to build a new and larger church, and the parish began to grow again, helped by French and Swiss immigrants.
Father Charles Laengst, C.S.Sp., who returned as pastor in 1898, reopened Catholic classes with about thirty pupils taught by Miss Catherine Herbert, built the first convent, and brought the first three School Sisters of Notre Dame to Conway on October 29, 1898. Classes began November 17, 1898, with twenty pupils. Father Laengst died of fever on September 5, 1899, the first priest buried in the St. Joseph Cemetery.
Spiritans, Native Sons, and the Third Church
Father Andrew Feger, C.S.Sp., added the two side altars to the second church, and his successor, Father Peter Zell, C.S.Sp., served fifteen years beginning in 1908. Father Zell, a gifted linguist, preached three sermons at each Sunday Mass in French, German and English, and built a parish hall while clearing the church debt. The School Sisters of Notre Dame started the School Bazaar in 1912. Father Joseph Pobleschek, C.S.Sp., who became pastor in March 1924, saw the parish hall burn down in 1926 and immediately began rebuilding. By that point he had already completed the third St. Joseph church: the cornerstone was laid November 23, 1924 and the building dedicated December 13, 1925 at a cost of $50,000. Spiritan Hall was erected in 1926 to match the church, and a new convent followed in 1930.
Father Anthony Lachowsky, C.S.Sp., the parish's first native son to serve as his home pastor, took over in 1934. He enlarged the grade school, repainted and decorated the church, and organized the campaign that built St. Joseph High School. In 1948 he founded the Church and School of the Good Shepherd for Black Catholics, with two Notre Dame Sisters opening a two-room school and the Benedictine Sisters joining in 1950. Father Henry Thessing, C.S.Sp., a native son weakened by missionary work in Africa, supervised the start of the new high school but did not live to see it finished; he died of a heart attack on February 8, 1951. Father Anthony Lechner, C.S.Sp., dedicated the completed high school on September 30, 1951, built a convent for the Benedictine Sisters in 1955, and died of a heart attack while working on its landscaping on August 17, 1955.
From the Holy Ghost Fathers to the Diocese of Little Rock
Father Sylvester Dellert, C.S.Sp., became pastor in September 1955, built the gym in his first year, and started the Good Shepherd Kindergarten in 1965 as a racially open program. Father Martin Conroy, C.S.Sp., who succeeded him in 1969, modernized the facilities, bought property west of the railroad tracks in 1970, and saw the parish through the transition of the high school from the School Sisters of Notre Dame to the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1971. The St. Joseph School Endowment was created in 1976, and by 1979 the remaining Notre Dame and St. Joseph sisters had been called to new missions.
Through the 1980s and 1990s pastors Father Joseph Deniger, C.S.Sp., Father Roger Duffy, C.S.Sp., Father Michael Carr, C.S.Sp., and Father Wayne Epperley, C.S.Sp., oversaw a new elementary school in 1989, the purchase of the former Constantine family home for after-school care in 1993, the introduction of the school uniform policy, and the largest building program in parish history. An 1,100-seat new church was built next to the existing one, which was remodeled into a chapel. The school gym became a parish hall and cafeteria, and a spacious Family Activities Center housed athletic teams. All of this was finished by 1995. Perpetual Adoration was established in the parish at that time, and the St. Joseph Primary School grew out of the purchase of the closing Ellen Smith Elementary School, dedicated by Bishop J. Peter Sartain in September 2000.
Father Tom Byrne, C.S.Sp., arrived in January 2001, paid off the building-program debt by January 2002, and led a three-year, $2,000,000 pledge drive that finished paying off the Ellen Smith property in June 2004. The Precious Memory Walkway in the cemetery was completed in October 2007. Father George Spangenberg, C.S.Sp., who took over in February 2008, relocated the tabernacle to the sanctuary, refurnished the worship area, and turned the old gathering area into a robing room for altar servers and a Mass-preparatory sacristy. The wrought-iron fence around the cemetery was extended to enclose the south end and west side of the church and school yard.
In June 2010, after more than 130 years of Spiritan guidance, St. Joseph transitioned from the Holy Ghost Fathers to the care of the Diocese of Little Rock. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor named Father John Marconi the first diocesan pastor and Monsignor Richard Oswald as associate pastor. Under Father Marconi the parish reinstated its Pastoral Councils, completed a five-year plan that led to a campus master plan, and launched a $10 million Growing our Faith Capital Campaign in 2016. The new Spiritan Center was completed in May 2018, replacing the former Spiritan Hall, Parish Hall, and parish offices, with a covered drop-off area and new parking lots to the north and south.
In August 2021 the new 39,000-square-foot St. Joseph High School was completed at a cost of more than $11 million. The eleven-classroom building includes a black-box theater, a student union, and eight specialty classrooms for music, industrial technology, computer and science labs. It was Phase 2 of the master plan that envisioned, in Phase 3, moving the elementary school from across the street onto the church grounds.
Mass, Confession, and Adoration Around the Clock
Weekend Masses are offered Saturday at 4:00 pm, with an additional Mass at 9:00 am on the first Saturday of the month. Sunday Masses are celebrated at 8:00 am, 10:30 am, 12:30 pm and 5:00 pm in Spanish. Weekday Masses follow a steady rhythm: Monday at 9:00 am, Tuesday at 6:00 pm, Wednesday at 9:00 am (a School Mass open to all), Thursday at 9:00 am and again at 6:00 pm in Spanish, and Friday at 7:00 am.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard on Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00 to 5:55 pm, on Saturday from 9:00 to 9:55 am (except the first Saturday of the month), and on Saturday from 3:00 to 3:55 pm. Perpetual Adoration is offered twenty-four hours a day in the Adoration Chapel.
The parish office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Online Giving is offered through ParishSoft, accepting secure one-time or recurring gifts from a bank account, credit card or debit card; Celeste Bailey at 501-327-5528 can answer questions about the program.
Sacraments from Baptism to Anointing
For the baptism of infants and young children up to age six, parents must be registered, practicing members of the parish (regularly using the offertory envelopes), complete a baptismal class within the last five years, and submit a registration form. Children seven and older who need baptism work through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults adapted for children (Youth OCIA), directed by Flor Argueta. Baptisms are not held during Lent, Holy Week, or Easter Sunday; baptisms in the Easter season are celebrated in the main church.
Godparent requirements follow Canon Law 874. A godparent must be at least sixteen, fully initiated in the Catholic Church (Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation), a practicing Catholic in good standing, attending Mass on Sundays and holy days, living in accord with the Ten Commandments, and if married, married according to Catholic Church law. Only one godparent is required, but two (one male, one female) are permitted. A baptized non-Catholic Christian may serve as a Christian witness alongside a Catholic godparent. The parish also requires a Godparent/Sponsor Eligibility Form signed and sealed by the godparent's pastor, plus a baptismal class.
First Reconciliation is open to all baptized children in second grade and older; the 2026-27 First Reconciliation service is scheduled for Tuesday, December 1, 2026 at 5:30 pm, with registration due by September 30, 2026. First Communion, also for baptized children in second grade and older, will be celebrated on Saturday, May 1, 2027 at 4:00 pm, with the same registration deadline. Both sacraments are coordinated by Youth Faith Formation Director Elijah Bailey.
Confirmation is a two-year process for teens, with separate handbooks for Year 1 and Year 2, a sponsor form, and an annual retreat. Marriage preparation, Holy Orders discernment, and Anointing of the Sick are all served by the parish. Sacramental records can be requested through Susana Acosta at the parish.
Becoming Catholic through OCIA
Adults who want to enter the Catholic Church or complete their initiation follow the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, coordinated by Deacon David French. The parish holds the OCIA process each year, with formation, rites, and the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist) typically received at the Easter Vigil. A separate track exists for youth ages seven to fifteen, who learn the faith as a family journey with weekly classes beginning in early September, with the same goal of full initiation at the Easter Vigil.
Catholics who have drifted away are invited to the Catholics Returning Home program, endorsed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The six-week series covers an overview, stories of returning Catholics, the Church since Vatican II, a walk through the Mass, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the Nicene Creed. Two classes are offered each year, during the Easter Season and in September, in the Parish Administration Office, free of charge with childcare provided.
Youth Faith Formation and Youth Ministry
The parish runs a traditional religious education program for students in kindergarten through eighth grade who do not attend a Catholic school, with two class times: Sunday morning from 9:10 to 10:10 am, or Wednesday evening from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Each grade has two catechists, classes run from mid-September through April, and registration is open each year for the next school year. Parents register their children through Elijah Bailey, who oversees the English program, with Flor Argueta coordinating the Spanish-speaking families.
St. Joseph Youth Ministry is open to all students in sixth through twelfth grade regardless of where they attend school. The middle-school program, JrCYM, serves sixth through eighth graders, while the high-school program, SrCYM, covers ninth through twelfth graders. Weekly Youth Nights are held on Wednesdays for the middle school and on Sundays for high schoolers, beginning after Labor Day and running through the last week of April. Adult chaperones must complete online Safe Environment training before volunteering.
Diocesan retreats are promoted through the parish: a Junior High Youth Rally for sixth through eighth graders, SEARCH weekends for eleventh and twelfth graders, the State Convention for ninth through twelfth graders, and the Catholic Charities Summer Institute (C2SI) for tenth through twelfth graders. The youth ministry has its own Facebook and Instagram presence and publishes events in the parish bulletin.
Adult Faith Formation
Adult Faith Formation is directed by Tyler Jones, who welcomes anyone, Catholic or not, to conversation about spiritual life. The stated goals are to invite and encourage adults into ongoing conversion and Christ-like living, to draw them into parish community for mutual support, and to equip them to share the love of Jesus with others. Adult small groups, seasonal programs, and one-on-one conversation with the director are all part of the offering. The ministry has a presence on Facebook (facebook.com/sjpaff) and Instagram (@stjosephconwayadultfaith).
Hispanic Ministry / Ministerio Hispano
St. Joseph has celebrated Mass in Spanish since the assignment of Father John Yates, C.S.Sp., in the early 2000s. The Sunday evening Spanish Mass continues today, along with the Thursday evening Spanish Mass at 6:00 pm and confessions, baptism preparation, First Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation, Youth Faith Formation and Youth OCIA all available in Spanish. Deacon Ramon Argueta serves as Director of Hispanic Ministry, and the parish publishes the bulletin, the From the Pastor's Desk reflections, the calendar, and most sacramental and formation resources in both English and Spanish.
St. Joseph School, K-12
St. Joseph School serves Conway and the surrounding region with a Catholic K-12 education rooted in the parish's nearly 150-year-old commitment to forming young people in faith and learning. The school wears the Bulldogs colors and provides elementary, middle, and high school classrooms, athletics, a black-box theater, a student union, and specialty labs for music, industrial tech, computers, and science in the high school. A school uniform policy is in effect for all students, and the school offers an after-school care program that began in 1993 in the former Constantine family home.
A multi-year capital campaign is now underway to fund a new K-6 elementary building on the parish campus, completing the master plan envisioned in 2012. The campaign is being led by an executive committee and supported by parishioners, school families, and the wider community; parishioners are invited to pledge over three to five years, school families are encouraged to consider pledges in proportion to the tuition savings created by the LEARNS Act, and the wider parish is asked for prayers and support.
Liturgy and Worship
Mass is supported by a wide bench of liturgical ministers. Ushers, sacristans, and AV operators are the highest current needs, but the parish also welcomes extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion (English and Spanish), lectors (English and Spanish), altar servers (English and Spanish), musicians under Music Director Courtney Burmester, and altar flower coordinators. Denay Minett is the Head Sacristan and AV Coordinator. The parish publishes a separate Liturgical Ministry Schedule.
Social Justice and Charitable Outreach
KAIROS Prison Ministry, led by Deacon Richard Papini, is an ecumenical four-day retreat weekend carried into Arkansas state prisons by an interdenominational Christian team, with weekly reunion visits and monthly "ultreyas" that build small faith-sharing communities among the inmates. Anyone can support the ministry through prayer, financial gifts, or by baking cookies for the weekend; Catholic team members are encouraged to have made a Cursillo weekend.
Catholics Returning Home, the parish's six-week re-evangelization series endorsed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, is offered twice each year.
Beacon of Hope (BOH), coordinated by Kathy Kordsmeier, serves the bereaved with a monthly grief support group called "Sharing the Journey," individual grief counseling by appointment, sending of cards, attendance at visitations and funerals, help with memorial services, and CareNotes displays. Volunteers meet on the first Thursday of each month at 5:30 pm at the St. Joseph School Endowment Office.
Missions Outreach
Missions Outreach maintains a menu of local, regional and international missionary service opportunities organized through an online volunteer system at stjosephmissionsoutreach.duplie.com. Local programs include Pack the Pantry (monthly collection and distribution to local food pantries), Missions for Transitions (furniture delivery and a call tree for clients), Handyman and H.E.L.P. Services (home repairs for parishioners, neighbors, and local nonprofits), Blessing Bags (care packages for the homeless), Bethlehem House Meals (the parish cooks and serves dinner at the Conway transitional shelter on the third Tuesday of each month), Family Events, and St. Paul Street Evangelization.
Regional and international programs include Delta Disciples service trips (twice a year to South Arkansas communities facing deep poverty), Hunters for the Hungry (donating deer meat processed at Cypress Valley in Vilonia), and domestic and international mission trips such as Central America and border trips. Parishioners, couples, youth, and families are all invited to share time, talent and treasure.
Catholic Campus Ministry
For college students, the parish staffs Catholic Campus Ministry, an outreach to young adults in higher education in Conway. Information is available through the parish.
A Community Looking Forward to Its 150th Anniversary
From a small number of Catholic families in 1879, St. Joseph has grown to more than 1,900 families and over 5,500 Catholic members, with an average age of 37 and 1,163 children and youth between the ages of 6 and 18. The mission statement that greets visitors and members alike is short and direct: "Family building the body of Christ." Under the leadership of Pastor Father John Connell and Associate Pastor Father Duwan Booker, and with a pastoral council, staff, deacons, school faculty, and hundreds of volunteers, the parish is looking ahead to its 150th anniversary in 2029 and the completion of the new K-6 school that will, at last, bring every student onto parish grounds.
For new members, the parish invites Catholics and non-Catholics alike to visit, register, attend Mass, walk through the chapel, sit in Adoration, and join one of the many small groups, ministries, or service projects that make up the life of St. Joseph.