St. Joseph Catholic Church, Howell, MI est. 1888 

The Roman Catholic religion was brought to Livingston County by Fr. Patrick O'Kelly in 1836.  He was first stationed at Northfield, then Green Oak Township.  During his stay in the county, he celebrated Mass in private homes and visited the Irish families living in Howell.  

St. Joseph Church became a station of Corunna in 1857 and was a mission of Brighton under Fr. James Dougherty.  The Howell congregation, comprising of 35 families, realized the need for their own church. 

In August 1878 construction began.  The church was dedicated in 1888 to St. Joseph.  Fr. James Gore was the first resident pastor from February 5, 1888 to March 8, 1898 and under his administration to the parish rectory was built.  Fr. Ryan was succeeded by Fr. George Clarkson, assisted by Fr. Fleming from January 1899 until January 1900.  

Due to the influx of parishioners from 1900 to 1905, the church was enlarged under the pastorship of Fr. Hugh D. McCarthy.  A new sacristy and sanctuary were built and a new cross placed on the church spire. 

When Fr. James P. Thornton, assisted by Fr. Francis VanAntwerp, arrived at St. Joseph in August 1905, he installed a heating system in the church and rectory.  Further remodeling and redecoration continued under Fr. George B. McDace as pastor from November 1, 1916 to January 1923.  When Rev. John Crowe took over in July 1923, he initiated many changes to include the elimination of “pew rent” as one means of church income on April 1, 1929.  However, it was replaced by an 18 cent seat collection.

With the arrival of Msgr. Herman P. Fedewa in July 1929, new organizations and activities were initiated.  Church alterations included making the altar “liturgical,” the church spire was lowered and rebuilt, a new pipe organ was installed, asphalt was placed on the roof, the rectory was remodeled and the sanctuary beautified.  The Michigan State Sanitarium (Hillcrest Center) had always been a mission of Howell.  The increased duties necessitated the appointment of Fr. Phillip J. Cook as associate pastor June 9, 1934.  The parish had 225 families.  On May 16, 1938 St. Joseph Church was transferred from the Archdiocese of Detroit to the spiritual care of the Bishop of Lansing, His Excellency Joseph Albers.  The Bishop’s first official visit to St. Joseph Church came during the celebration of its Golden Jubilee on October 2, 1938 with the first resident pastor, Fr. James Gore celebrating the Mass.  

The church hall became the site of Howell’s first parochial school opened September 9, 1940 with the first five grades and one added each year.  Three Sisters of Mercy taught the 41 children attending the new school.  The school and convent were blessed by Bishop Albers on December 11, 1941.

Fr. George M. Fitzgerald became administrator from June 8 to August 1, 1944, later returning as an assistant from January 16, 1946 to July 19, 1949.  Fr. John Ralph Day succeeded Msgr. Fedewa as pastor from August 20, 1944 until November 1, 1956.  His assistant pastors included Fr. Anthony W. Wade, Fr. Fitzgerald, and Fr. Gilbert O. Rahrig.  Ground breaking for the new school took place on Easter Sunday, April 18, 1954.  Children began attending classes in the new building on January 24, 1955. 
Upon the death of Fr. Day on June 25, 1957, Fr. Rahrig administered the parish.  He was replaced by Fr. Leo J. Kalinowski who erected a new convent during his tenure at St. Joseph from 1957 to 1961.  He was assisted by Fr. Norman J. Zefras and Fr. Jerome I. Schmitt.  Fr. Joseph Wieber became pastor on June 23, 1961 assisted by Fr. LeRoy E. White.  At that time the parish organizations included the Holy Name Society, study clubs, the League of Catholic Women, the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Usher’s Club, the Social Club, St. Veronica Society, the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Order of Foresters, and the children’s choir.

Under Fr. Wieber’s pastorship, pledges for a new church were solicited.  Construction was completed and the dedication held on May 29, 1962.  In June the old church at the corner of Sibley and Grand River (on the site of the Family Dollar currently) was torn down.  A new administration building was completed and blessed in spring of 1963.  Under the guidelines of the Second Vatican Council, given the new trend in church design and liturgy, the sanctuary was renewed in 1974.

During the history of the parish six priests were ordained, and there were nine vocations to the sisterhood.  Thousands of boys and girls have been educated at St. Joseph Elementary School and in the Confraternity of Christian Docterine (CCD) classes. 

Fr. Rahrig returned as pastor on January 17, 1967.  He has had assistance from twelve associate pastors from 1967 to 1984. 

In 1974 the sanctuary was renovated and the tabernacle moved to the side.  The baptismal font was moved to the front of the church from the Shrine of the Saints, and the statues of Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph relocated to the Shrine. 
The Fall Fun Daze became the name of the annual festival celebrated after Labor Day, the first of which was held in September of 1974 with Robert Greenway as chairman.  Each year more prizes and activities were added.  It was renamed Melon Fun Festival and held only for one day to coincide with the last day of the Howell Melon Festival in August of 1997. 

Participation of the laity as Special Ministers of the Eucharist started in the late 1970’s with the reception of the Eucharist under both species.  In 1980 the parish sponsored Vietnamese refugee families.  In order to assist young people to develop stable marriages, the parish and diocese initiated the marriage preparation program the same year. 

The spiritual life of the parishioners of St. Joseph was continuing high priority.  In 1978, the Spiritual Development – Catholic Services Commission of the Parish Council initiated the semi-annual Mass of the Anointing and the “Tree of Life” during Advent.  In 1979 this group and the Marriage Encounter Couples started Anniversary Masses the Second Sunday in February in observance of World Marriage Day.  During Lent 1981 Fr. George Michalek introduced the Ashes to Easter program involving many parishioners in group study activities.  This led to the parish involvement in the diocesan RENEW program from Fall 1984 to Spring 1986 that was chaired by Maryanne Reneaud. 

Another drive for pledges started in the fall of 1982 to build a Parish Activity Center.  Ground breaking occurred during a ceremony on August 7, 1983 and Bishop Kenneth I. Povish blessed the new facility on July 28, 1984.  It houses the activity center with a well equipped kitchen, the Emmaus Room used for celebrating morning liturgy, funeral dinners and small gatherings.  This occasion also marked Fr. Rahrig’s belated 35 year ordination celebration and the naming of the center as the Rahrig Center.

In 1983 a family directory and printed parish bulletin were issued.  The Livingston Community Hospice was given permission to use the former chapel and large meeting room in the convent in June 1986.  After Hospice left, the former convent was converted to house St. Joseph Preschool.  Years later, our Faith Formation Department was relocated to this building.

St. Mary Agnese Pilarski, RSM came to St. Joseph as Pastoral Associate in August of 1985.  In September of 1985 she started the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), the “new-old” approach to gaining converts.  Diana Seim started undertaking the RCIA program in 1991.  Endre Doran, a member of St. Joseph Parish was ordained as a permanent Deacon on December 5, 1987.

Parish Organizations now include the Fr. John R. Day Council Knights of Columbus, the Men’s Club, St. Vincent dePaul Society, the Secular Order of St. Francis, Rosary Altar Society, PTO, Altar Servers, and Parish Choirs. 

The parish celebrated 100 years, marked with tremendous growth both in the area around Howell and in the parish.  Another pledge drive was started in 1997 and construction began on an expansion of the school to provide 10 extra classrooms and a new media center.  The new building was occupied in the Fall of 1999.

On April 23, 1999 Fr. Rahrig celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination, 40 years of which he spent here at St. Joseph Parish.  The parish celebrated this momentous occasion with him with a mass and reception.  The parishioners donated a piece of material to make him a banner representing the families of the parish.  It hung in the sanctuary for the year of his celebration.

Fr. Rahrig retired in 2000 after 41 years of service to St. Joseph Parish and we welcomed Fr. William Ashbaugh in January of 2001 as pastor.  Sr. Marilyn Czarnecki SC, school principal since 1986 retired in 2001.  We welcomed Fr. John Rocus as Parochial Vicar in June of 2001.  In 2001, Deacon Endre Doran introduced “God’s Kitchen,” a hot meal prepared and served here each Wednesday, staffed by volunteers from St. Joseph and other local churches.  Deacon Frank Wines arrived, ready to serve our parish in 2004, and Fr. Lew Eberhart was assigned to our parish as Parochial Vicar. 

Building on Tradition Phase I was introduced as a stewardship fundraising campaign for needed parish improvement.  New heating, air conditioning, roof repairs, and new sound system project began in 2005, with future plans for Worship Space renovation.  Deacon Raymond Kunik from the Archdiocese of Detroit joined the St. Joseph pastoral team in 2005, as he celebrated his 25th Anniversary of Ordination. 

Fr. Gilbert O. Rahrig died on March 18, 2006, a priest of 57 years, after 41 years of serving our parish.

Fr. Kurian Kollapallil MSFS (Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales) arrived from Africa in September of 2006. 

In 2007 we completed Phase I of Building on Tradition with a modified renovation of the Worship Space, which moved the altar 15 feet forward, placed the tabernacle in the center, installed new flooring in the sanctuary, with a new ambo and baptismal font installed. 

In 2009 Fr. David Speicher was appointed Pastor of St. Joseph Parish. Also in 2009, Deacon Frank Wines celebrated his 25th Anniversary of Ordination. 

In 2011 Fr. Kurian was reassigned and Fr. Prabhu Lakra came to serve as Parochial Vicar. 

On September 10, 2011 Fr. Dave Speicher celebrated his 25th Anniversary of Ordination with a special Jubilee Mass and reception. 

In 2012 Deacon Endre Doran marked his 25th Anniversary of Ordination to the Diaconate.  

In 2013 St. Joseph Church celebrated its 125th Anniversary, marking this occasion with a special celebration Mass and reception, as well as a commemorative pictorial directory.

There can be no doubt, our parish is alive and vibrant, with Masses, prayer groups, meetings, and events every day and evening of the week.  The parking lot is rarely empty!  Annual events such as our Advent by Candlelight, Polish Dinner, Lenten Fish Fry, Parish Picnic, Golf Outing, are enjoyed by all and made possible by the many volunteers who donate their time, talent, and treasure to bring these events to life.

 Deacon Endre Doran, Deacon Ray Kunik, and Deacon Frank Wines continue to serve our parish.  And we as a parish continue to serve each other and the community in various ministries including: Prayer groups, Adoration, Adult Choir, St. Vincent dePaul, God’s Kitchen, St. Joseph Food Pantry, Bereavement Ministry, St. Joseph School, Discipleship Ministries, Building the Domestic Church Program, Band of Brothers, Knights of Columbus, Parish Councils and Commissions, and more! 

In March of 2020, the world nearly came to a screetching halt due to a global pandemic called Covid-19, a coronavirus that proved to be highly contagious and deadly in some cases.  Our church was forced into an unprecedented territory, closing doors to all activities, and resorting to online livestreaming of Masses and meetings via Facebook, Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc.  As local government restrictions were lifted, the faithful were invited back to Mass in small socially-distanced groups.  This time of separation challenged everyone and forced St. Joseph to "think outside the box" with regards to serving the needs of the people.  During this tumultous time, Pastor Fr. Dave Speicher was reassigned to serve the Community of St. Jude in DeWitt, Michigan in the beginning of June of 2020. 

Our parish welcomed Fr. Gary Koenigsknecht in June of 2020 as the Pastor of St. Joseph, Howell.  Still under some restrictions due to Covid-19, Fr. Gary faced the challenges that come with his first Pastorate as well as societal challenges of leading the flock in a time of pandemic.  Putting that time behind us all, we moved forward on a a long awaited project.  

Construction began for our new gathering space in June of 2021. 

We were blessed with a new tabernacle in July of 2021, which was obtained from a closed church (St. Casmir in Lansing).  The tabernacle was cleaned up, refurbished, and fits so beautifully in our church.  Adorned with two angels and a cross, almost  matching our altar design, it was a perfect fit.  


The gathering space project was completed in February of 2022, and we celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony, and a "Fr. Rahrig style" roast beef dinner for the whole parish.