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Located in the heart of downtown Grand Junction, St.
Joseph’s Catholic Church serves a multicultural population, with about 1/3 of
its membership Spanish surnamed. It is an urban parish with a rich diversity in
background and economic status. Grand Junction is located on the Western Slope
of Colorado in what is know as the Grand Valley which extends from the desert on
the west up to the slopes of the Grand Mesa. The population of Grand Valley is
over 100,000. Grand Junction is in the center of an agricultural region known
for its peaches, apples and, more recently, its vineyards.
Grand Junction was a bustling little
frontier town, only a couple of years old, when its small congregation of
Catholics celebrated services on Palm Sunday, 1884. About twenty-five families
were present.
The original building had two rooms to be used as
a church on Sunday and as a school during the week. In 1907 the original
building was replaced and a new church was dedicated to the area. The church was
40x70 feet in dimension, and boasted a handsome tower that extended far above
the building to showcase the majesty of the holy cross. This building still
remains standing and plays an active part of the parish, now serving as the
parish hall where social and educational events are held.
The congregation of St. Joseph’s constructed yet
another church building in the early 1990s. The new church was built
to mirror the prairie gothic style of the original church building. It
has over 10,000 square feet and seats 650 people. The entire east wall of the
church displays magnificent stained glass windows depicting the creation story.
The windows incorporate images familiar to the region, such as the mountain
bluebird and the columbine.
To further provide for the spiritual needs
of their congregation, the Catholic community of Grand Junction opened St.
Joseph School in 1916: tuition was $1.00 a month. A new school was built in
1951 and was known as the South Campus housing grades 1-5. In the fall of 2003
Holy Family Catholic School opened the doors of its newest building. The
school, which is located north of town, now accommodates grades 1-8. The former
South Campus school building is used for religious education classes, meetings,
and the Church library.
Like the multitude of fruits produced by the
region, the Catholic faithful have also flourished and multiplied in the Grand
Valley. From the seeds of the original two-room parish, St. Joseph’s has grown
and expanded into to a church that boasts a congregation of 2,200 families.
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