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Parish History

Living our faith is what being a Catholic is all about. The key to living our faith is the central gathering place we use to worship as a community – our church. At the Church of St. Joseph, we take great pride in our parish and its origins.
- In the quiet peace which followed the Second World War, a small but determined group of Catholics in the Aston area petitioned Cardinal Dougherty’s office to have a new parish established in Green Ridge. In the summer of 1947, the Cardinal granted their wish and sent Father James A. Donnelly to be the first pastor of the Church of St. Joseph.
  
  Father Donnelly and about 60 families set out to raise the money necessary to build a church and rectory. Celebrating their early Masses in Grange Hall in St. Francis de Sales Parish, the small but dedicated group sponsored card parties, bingo, and cake sales to raise money for their dream. Father Donnelly traveled throughout the diocese Sunday after Sunday to make appeals for contributions to the Church of St. Joseph.
  
  On November 8, 1949 their hard work paid off and his Excellency J. Carroll McCormick, D.D. Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia, officiated at the laying of the cornerstone and the dedication of the Church of St. Joseph’s church on its present Concord Road site. As the years passed, the parish outgrew the church, and under the leadership of Msgr. Robert Vogan a new church was planned. On September 16, 2001, the new (and current) church was dedicated.
  
  It is our hope that as we welcome everyone, they will encounter God and opportunities to love their neighbor through the comfort, peace and prayerfulness in our church and community. St. Joseph, pray for all of us!
- Altar Window
  
  Unlike most window compositions, the design offers no narrative theme but instead emphasizes the cross with a somber-background veil. All the stained glass windows were either designed or renovated and installed by Beyer Studio, Inc. of Philadelphia.
- Clerestory Windows
  
  The theme of the sixteen clerestory windows is based on the parable of the vine and the branches.
- The Crucifix
  
  The impressive corpus of our Lord on this Crucifix was taken from Saint Elizabeth Church in North Philadelphia, which opened in 1890 and closed in 1993.
- Restored Stained Glass Window
  
  The six sets of windows featuring a delicate floral style are from Assumption B.V.M. Church in Philadelphia (closed 1995). They were crafted in 1899 and intended as a “garden to Mary.”
- Stations of the Cross
  
  These stations are from Saint Anthony of Padua’s lower church in South Philadelphia, artist unknown.
- Tabernacle
  
  Over 60 years old, the tabernacle was obtained from Saint Edmond’s Convent in South Philadelphia. The marble was added to it and commissioned by
  Msgr. Robert Vogan.
- The St. Joseph Window
  
  The Saint Joseph window was taken from our old Church and can be found in the main stairway.