Two Centuries on the Bay Creek Settlement
Tucked into the flat farmland of southern Monroe County, the brick sanctuary of St. Joseph Catholic Church rises above Manhattan Street in the small village of Erie, Michigan. Locals point to it as the third oldest parish in the Archdiocese of Detroit and the second oldest in Monroe County, a heritage the parish has celebrated with quiet pride since its bicentennial year in 2019. The story of St. Joseph is also the story of the settlement it grew up in.
The first pioneers arrived in what the French called La Baie - the Settlement of Bay Creek - around 1790. They were Roman Catholic and typically French Canadian, drawn to the rich walnut stands behind the shores of Maumee Bay along Lake Erie. In 1819 those pioneers raised a primitive log church, twenty-five by thirty-five feet with a notably high ceiling, on the north side of Bay Creek near the lake. That building was replaced in 1826 by a frame structure on the south side of the creek, and in 1851 the present brick church was constructed on a more accessible site further north. Bishop Peter Paul LeFever consecrated the new building in 1852. For years the parish was known as St. Joseph Sur La Baie. By mid-century the settlement itself had taken the name Vienna, then Erie.
Early Mass was celebrated by traveling priests, beginning with Fr. Gabriel Richard of Detroit, who served the Catholic community from 1798 to 1820 and offered Mass at the log church in his final two years. Priests from the Monroe area traveled in from 1820 to 1833, when Fr. John DeBruyn became the parish's first resident pastor. The history of St. Joseph Catholic Parish is one of faith, education, and community life, centered on the Eucharist, guided by the Word, and strengthened through the sacraments and service to others.
To mark the parish's 200th anniversary, a special stained-glass window was created above the church altar, visible to worshippers during Mass and, from outside, to travelers approaching on Erie Road. Around the sanctuary, twentieth and twenty-first century artists have continued the tradition of teaching the faith through images, a program called Windows into Heaven that visitors are invited to explore with a numbered guide.
Worship Schedule and the Eucharistic Presence
St. Joseph offers Mass four times each weekend and twice during the week. Saturday Vigil Mass is celebrated at 4:00 PM. On Sunday, Masses are offered at 7:30 AM, 10:30 AM, and 4:30 PM. Weekday Masses are scheduled for Tuesday at 6:00 PM and Friday at 9:00 AM, with Perpetual Help Devotions following the Tuesday Mass at 6:45 PM. Parish office hours run Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard each Tuesday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM in the church, with additional opportunity on the first Friday of each month from 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Confessions may also be arranged by appointment. Mass intentions and Sanctuary Lamp offerings may be scheduled by calling the parish office.
What most distinguishes the parish's rhythm of prayer is its daily Eucharistic Adoration, held in the Convent Chapel and at times in the church itself. The chapel is open Monday and Thursday from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, with the weekly Rosary prayed at 10:30 AM on Mondays. On Tuesday adoration runs from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM in the convent chapel, then moves to the church from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, with prayers for priests at 3:00 PM. Wednesday and Friday hours run from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and Sunday from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM. The chapel is closed on major U.S. holidays. Assigned adorers keep a holy hour before the exposed Blessed Sacrament, but the chapel is also open to anyone who wishes to stop in for a few minutes. Substitutes and new regular adorers can sign up through the parish office.
Worship is shaped by a traditional and liturgical sensibility. The Music Ministry explores the treasury of Gregorian chant, hymnody, psalmody, the Propers and Ordinary of the Mass in English and Latin, and sacred polyphony, all in keeping with the directives of the Second Vatican Council. The main Sunday choir rehearses on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the church loft and gathers for warmup at 9:30 AM each Sunday before the 10:30 Mass. No prior experience is required to join; newcomers interested in learning chant are warmly welcomed.
The Sacraments
Seven sacraments are celebrated at St. Joseph, with catechesis and preparation provided through the parish and the Lumen Christi Family of Parishes.
Baptism is the gateway to the Christian life. Parents are asked to register at least one month in advance and to attend a Baptismal class, with registration and sponsor forms available from the parish office. Adults seeking Baptism are directed to the parish's OCIA process.
Reconciliation, the first of the two sacraments of healing, is offered weekly on Tuesday evenings and on the first Friday of each month, or by appointment.
First Communion and Confirmation complete the Sacraments of Christian Initiation. Children ordinarily prepare for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist in second grade, with Confirmation celebrated in eighth grade. A First Eucharist Parent Handbook and sacramental registration are coordinated by the parish, and a retreat designated by the priest is part of the preparation.
Holy Matrimony is described in the parish's teaching as the sign of the love uniting Christ and His Church, establishing a permanent and exclusive bond. Couples are asked to make arrangements at least six months in advance and to schedule their first marriage instruction class with Fr. Lapeyre.
Anointing of the Sick may be received by any faithful person who, having reached the use of reason, is in danger due to illness or old age, with a new or worsening illness permitting the sacrament to be received again. The parish also offers visits with Holy Communion to the homebound through a team of lay ministers.
Holy Orders, the sacrament of apostolic ministry in its episcopal, presbyteral, and diaconal degrees, is discerned through conversation with the parish priest. The parish also hosts a Traveling Vocation Chalice that moves weekly among families who wish to pray for vocations.
St. Joseph Catholic School
Sharing the parish campus at 2238 Manhattan Street is St. Joseph Catholic School, a PreK through 8th grade parish school with a 10-to-1 student-teacher ratio. The roots of Catholic teaching in Erie go all the way back to 1826, when the log church became the first classroom for children in the community. The school was revived in 1855 by Father Henry Rievers and the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in a two-story frame building, and a new convent and school were built at the present site in 1914 under Father Emil Wolstyn. A small high school graduated its first class in 1919 and served students for nearly two decades. The elementary school closed in 1971, but reopened in 1979 under Father Robert Haener with the support of the Sisters of Notre Dame, beginning with Kindergarten through Grade 2 and growing one grade each year. A Pre-Kindergarten program was added in 1986, a Preschool in 1992, and a gymnasium and dining hall opened in the fall of 1996.
The school's vision is a community where faith, reason, and virtue flourish, with the example of St. Joseph - patron of workers, fathers, and the universal Church - shaping its approach. Anchored in Catholic tradition, the rigorous academic program is paired with intentional virtue formation: seven core virtues based on the Theological and Cardinal Virtues are taught one month at a time, recognized at a monthly assembly, and reinforced through Words of Wisdom on Mission Monday, Table Talk cards that travel home for family discussion, sacred scripture, lives of the saints, and a House System that fosters schoolwide belonging.
Daily prayer, weekly Mass, and a rich sacramental life are part of the rhythm. Students receive formation in religion, ELA, math, science, social studies, Latin, music, art, technology, and physical education. Athletics are offered through a school Athletic Director and a Panther sports program. Before and after school latchkey care is offered from 6:45 to 7:45 AM and from 3:05 to 5:30 PM on full school days, staffed by school personnel and supported through the FACTS Family Portal. A PTG Hot Lunch program offers Subway, Bosco sticks, walking tacos, and pizza on rotating Wednesdays and Fridays, with all orders placed and pre-paid through FACTS.
Families are asked to contribute twenty volunteer hours during the school year for K through 8, and five hours annually for Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten families. Volunteers complete a background check, attend a Protecting God's Children workshop through Virtus, review the Archdiocese of Detroit Volunteer Code of Conduct, and record their hours through a Google Form. Tuition assistance is available through the St. Joseph School Tuition Assistance Program (SJSTAP), an endowment fund founded in 2011 that helps families afford a Catholic education.
Religious Education and Sacramental Preparation
For children who attend public schools, the Lumen Christi Family of Parishes provides religious education classes for kindergarten through eighth grade, held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Temperance, Michigan. Classes run from September through April, with families choosing either Monday from 5:30 to 6:45 PM (for K-1 and Grades 3-7) or Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:45 PM (for K-8, including First Communion and Confirmation preparation). Registration opens in the spring and continues through the summer. Sacramental formation includes First Reconciliation and First Communion in Grade 2 and Confirmation in Grade 8, with required retreats, parent or sponsor attendance, and registration packets due by November 1.
For adults, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is the formal process for those seeking to enter the Catholic Church or to complete the Sacraments of Initiation. Inquiry may begin by contacting the parish office. Adult parishioners also gather for Tuesday afternoon Prayers for Priests at 3:00 PM, for a monthly Daughters of the King meeting, and for the parish's Marriage Enrichment gatherings and retreats.
Parish Organizations and Lay Groups
A wide range of parish organizations serve the spiritual, social, and service life of the parish. The Altar Society, meeting on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM, cares for the altars, sanctuary, and sacristy, laundering vestments and linens and providing small fundraisers to replace supplies.
The Knights of Columbus Council #7413 is a fraternity of Catholic men of the parish that supports parish activities, sponsors seminarians, and promotes the faith by example. Knights meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in the K of C Hall. The Ladies Auxiliary, made up of wives of the members, meets on the third Tuesday at 6:30 PM. Together they sponsor the Erie Food Pantry, a quarterly or monthly food distribution hosted at the K of C Hall, and host parish fundraisers including a Quarter Mania and Feather Party Bingo each year.
Daughters of the King is a women's prayer ministry that meets on the third Wednesday of the month in the school cafeteria. The evening opens at 6:30 PM with the Rosary, followed by prayer and study, tea, and fellowship until 8:30 PM. All women are welcome.
The Music Ministry, described above, is open to anyone interested in sacred music and chant.
The Praying Hearts Prayer Shawl Ministry crochets and knits shawls and blankets year round in prayer, with each piece blessed by Fr. Slaton and offered to the sick, elderly, bereaving, or anyone struggling in faith.
Other parish groups include the Funeral Luncheon Committee, which serves a luncheon for family and friends of the deceased on request; Marriage Enrichment, which offers programs and gatherings for married and engaged couples and connects parishioners to Worldwide Marriage Encounter and Retrouvaille; and the Christian Service Commission and Life Issues Committee, which work on Catholic social teaching, pro-life causes, and post-abortion healing, with materials for expectant mothers considering adoption.
Christian Service and Outreach
The Christian Service Commission exists to put Catholic social teaching into action through the parish community, responding to societal and individual needs under the mantle of evangelization. Among its offerings, parishioners can request a ride to Mass or to a medical appointment in Monroe or Toledo through the Rectory, or ask for a friendly home visit with Holy Communion during the week. Advance notice is requested, and new volunteers are welcome.
Three seasonal projects are part of the rhythm of the year. The St. Joseph Coat Drive collects new or gently used winter coats and jackets from Thanksgiving through the middle of December for distribution to local shelters. The Angel Tree Project, launched each October, provides Christmas gifts for students up to age 18 living in the parish boundaries. The Senior Care Package Program delivers special Christmas packages to parishioners age 90 and older, the homebound, and those in assisted living or nursing care.
Through the Lumen Christi Family of Parishes, the St. Vincent de Paul conference assists neighbors in need across southern Monroe County with housing, utilities, and emergency food, and operates Gabriel's Gift Baby Closet for mothers in need. The conference meets on the third Thursday at 6:30 PM at Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Lumen Christi Family of Parishes
St. Joseph is part of the Lumen Christi Family of Parishes along with Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Temperance and St. Anthony of Padua. Many programs - including the religious education program for K-8 children, sacramental preparation, OCIA, and the St. Vincent de Paul conference - are organized at the family level and draw on the combined gifts of the three parishes. Parishioners are welcome to take part in family-level events and ministries.
Practical Information
St. Joseph Catholic Church is located at 2214 Manhattan Street, Erie, Michigan 48133. The mailing address is PO Box 247, Erie, MI 48133. The parish phone number is 734-848-6125, with the fax line at 734-848-2784. Parish email is parish@stjosepherie.com. The parish also maintains a Flocknotes email list, a Facebook page with a live feed of parish news, an Instagram account, and a YouTube channel where Masses are livestreamed.
The school office, located at 2238 Manhattan Street next door, can be reached at 734-848-6985 or school@stjosepherie.com. Online giving to the parish and school is available through OSV Hub. Online registration forms, sacramental forms, a facility rental request, and a Catholic media library through FORMED (parish code: Lumen Christi FoP) are all available through the parish office.
Visitors are invited to come and see. Those wishing to spend time in adoration may stop in during any of the chapel hours listed above. Those wishing to register as parishioners may do so through the parish office. And those curious about the parish school may schedule a tour, a Panther for a Day shadow visit, or attend a seasonal Preview Night for Preschool through Grade 8 families.