View of St. Joseph the Worker church from Redwood Road

St. Joseph the Worker Church- A labor of love

It is sometimes useful to take a step backwards before moving forward. This is exactly what parishioners at St. Joseph the Worker in West Jordan have discovered.

Their church, built in 1965, is starting to show its age. Its barn-like shape is frequently derided for its appearance. It is often not recognized as a church by drivers who go past it on Redwood Road. The ceiling is bulging, the linoleum is buckling. The cry room is like a closet and the foyer is cramped. “This building is not very functional,” says Rev. Patrick Carley, administrator of the parish. In January, 2007, the Parish Council voted to move forward and replace it. In the midst of studying designs for a new church and formulating a fundraising strategy, the parish newsletter staff decided to research the history of this funny old church before it was gone forever. They sought out interviews with founders of the parish, gathered old photos and copies of minutes from early parish groups. They located and interviewed former priests and sisters of the parish. The church also hosted several history-focused events: a Founders Day Picnic, a Founding Parishioners Appreciation Tea, Bingham Canyon History Night and a Bingham Canyon Reunion.

Through all of these efforts, the parish has accumulated an extensive collection of old photos, video footage, newspaper articles and other artifacts. A precious heritage has been uncovered that can now be preserved. Most importantly, the parish has discovered that its history is an interesting, unique and inspiring one. It will surely be cherished for generations to come.

This house was located n the property that later became the site for St. Joseph the Worker.

St. Joseph the Worker was built in 1965 by displaced miners from now vanished towns of Bingham Canyon such as Dinkeyville, Lark and Highland Boy. The miners were forced to leave these towns by the expanding copper mine. Many of them, immigrants and children of immigrants, settled in the south valley areas of West Jordan, South Jordan and Riverton. They were spiritual refugees until Rev. John Sullivan led an effort to build a new Catholic church for them in West Jordan. This church would be a home of their own, a welcoming place that would restore their sense of belonging and community.

The south valley Catholics didn’t have much money but they were no strangers to hard physical labor. They built the church with their own hands. The church was placed under the patronage of St. Joseph the Worker, patron saint of the working man, in honor of these founders, men and women and children who put in long hours of work and effort for their newly found parish.

St. Joseph the Worker under construction in 1964. The first Mass was celebrated there on February 21, 1965.

The stories that have emerged are priceless– how the large structural beams were secured by a teenager strapped to a crane ball; how the front granite walls were poured on-site in chicken coops; the time a large tree fell onto Redwood Road and blocked both lanes of traffic for over an hour and how the beverages kept disappearing from the beer shed. These personal and touching accounts of the early days of the parish have added a depth and dimension to its history that cannot be found in dates and timelines alone. Over the years the parish has continued to be a welcoming place where people from many diverse backgrounds and cultures come to be joined in a strong sense of community. The church, in fact, draws a good number of Catholics from outside the parish boundaries who are drawn to the West Jordan church by its warm and welcoming nature. The church remains a working class parish with down-to-earth parishioners who are happy to pitch in when work needs to be done.

Uncovering the stories of their founders and digging up old pictures and memories has added a great appreciation and respect for this parish community. Building St. Joseph the Worker Church was truly a labor of love by its founders. Uncovering its history has been a labor of love as well. Armed with this rich history, the parish can now move forward in its effort to build a new church, secure in the knowledge that they are standing on the shoulders of a proud past. One important addition they hope to include in the new facility will be a room in which they can store their newly acquired archives. And the funky looking building, while still needing to be replaced, now has a special beauty in the hearts of all who have grown to know her.