Page 71 - WILMINGTON

Saint JoSePh
1883
MIDDLETOWN
In 1885 the railroad arrived in Middletown Delaware In 1876 Jesuits from Old Bohemia began travelling to to Middletown for the Catholic community IIn November November of of of 1878 about 15 people would attend Sunday Mass In In 1882 a a a building lot in in Middletown was purchased for $300 in in order to build a a a a church Saint Joseph is is founded as a a a a mission of of Saint Francis Xavier in in November of of 1883
and its cornerstone and a a a a 750-pound bell were blessed at this time Construction was completed and the Mass of Dedication was celebrated less than a a a a a a a year later in October 1884 By 1890 records for the parish (which
included Saint Saint Francis Xavier Saint Saint Rose of Lima in in in in Chesapeake City and and Saint Joseph) show 350 registered Catholics and and a a a a a yearly income of $850 In 1908 a a a rectory is opened on Cochran Street and Saint Joseph becomes the the main church of the the parish with Saint Saint Francis Xavier and Saint Saint Rose of Lima as missions The trip from Saint Saint Joseph to Saint Saint Rose at this time was two and and a a a a a a half hours by horse and and wagon!
In 1947 new Stations of the Cross were installed in in the church followed by new stained glass windows in 1949 With the parish growing land and and a a a a building were purchased at the corner of Cass and Green Streets for use as a a a parish center in November of 1955 By September of 1963 three Masses were said each Sunday at at at Saint Joseph’s with 350 people attending That same year a a a a a parish census was conducted: there were 120 families registered at Saint Joseph with another 45 at Saint Rose for a a a a a total of 571 parishioners In 1973 the rst “May Fair” was held at Saint Joseph This event turned out to be one of of the most signi cant occasions of of unity between the the the churches in in the the the parish It eventually evolved into the the the Annual Parish Carnival In 1980 the parish census showed 300 families in Middletown Continued growth led to a a a building project for larger facilities: a a a a a groundbreaking ceremony was held at at the the current location of the the parish parish complex in 1993 for a a a a new rectory parish parish of ces and hall Masses were rst said in Price Hall on Christmas Eve 1993 In 2000 the number of parish families had grown to 1 1 1 100 at Saint Joseph and so in in 2001 planning for the new church began By October of 2002 a a a a a master site plan was completed calling for a a a a church that could seat 900 people Part of this growth has been from the Hispanic population This led the parish to to hire Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry rst as as part-time in in 2003 and later as as full
time in 2005 Ground was broken for the new Saint Joseph by the Most Reverend Michael A Saltarelli eighth Bishop of Wilmington on on May 29 2005 Construction began in 2006 and the rst phase was completed on November 25 2007 In 2010 a a a a a porcelain tile floor was installed along with new pews 69