St. Joseph Catholic Church (Wilmette, Illinois) facts for kids
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a church in Wilmette, Illinois, United States. It's part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chicago. You can find it at the corner of Lake Ave and Ridge Road. This church is special because it's listed on the Wilmette Register of Historic Properties and the National Register of Historic Places.
The church started as "St. Joseph's Mission" in 1842. People called it the "Log Cabin Mission." It became a full parish in 1845. Chicago's first Catholic bishop, William Quarter, made it official. It was created to serve German Catholic immigrants.
The first priest was Father G.H. Plathe in 1845. He was followed by Father Johann Fortmann in 1847. In 1852, Father Fortmann moved to start St. Henry's Catholic Church. This church was built between St. Joseph's and downtown Chicago. Many people at St. Joseph's were sad to see him go. For a few months in 1852, St. Joseph's became a "Mission" again. It was hard to find a new priest to go there.
After several short-term priests, Father William Netstraeter arrived in 1872. He served the church for over 50 years! He also helped Wilmette as a trustee. He even helped start New Trier High School. In 1873, the church opened a school. Nuns from Milwaukee taught there from 1877 to 1981. The school closed in 1986, but families from the church reopened it ten years later.
The 1939 Church Building
Father Netstraeter passed away in 1924. His will said that money from his estate should be used to build a new church. But there was a condition: the church members had to pay any extra money needed. The people didn't know about this gift. They weren't ready to start building in 1924. The old St. Joseph's Church was on the north side of Lake Avenue. That spot is now the parking lot for St. Joseph's School, next to the cemetery. Since the parish wasn't ready, Cardinal George Mundelein borrowed the money. It was used to help build the University of St. Mary of the Lake.
Thirteen years later, in 1937, something unexpected happened. St. Joseph's Parish was sued by a distant family from Germany. They claimed to be relatives of Father Netstraeter. They wanted to get the money mentioned in his will. This was seen as a trick. It was likely a way to cause trouble for Cardinal Mundelein. He had spoken out against Adolf Hitler. A court in Chicago decided that Father Netstraeter's will was valid. The money was quickly returned to St. Joseph's. Building the new church started right away.
The new church was finished in 1939. Its dedication ceremony was in October. This was Cardinal Mundelein's last public appearance before he passed away.
St. Francis Xavier Church started in 1904. It joined with St. Joseph Parish in 2019. Saint Francis Xavier Church is in Wilmette. It's at the corner of Linden Ave and 9th Street.
Pastors of St. Joseph's Wilmette
- Father Gerhard M. Plathe (1845-1847)
- Father Johann "Henry" N. Fortmann (1847-1852)
- Father J.B.U. Jacoment (1852)
- Father Lawrence Kuepfer (1852-1853)
- Father Nicholas Stauder (1853-1855)
- Father Anthony Kopp (1855-1860)
- Father Peter Kartlaub (1860)
- Father Tschider (1861)
- Father Franz Blaesinger (1861-1864)
- Father Bernard Heskemann (1864-1872)
- Father William Netstraeter (1872-1923)
- Monsignor John Neumann (1923-1964)
- Monsignor Charles Meter (1964-1981)
- Father Donald Cusack (1982-1993)
- Bishop Francis J. Kane (1993-2003)
- Monsignor John Pollard (2003-2010)
- Father Robert Tonelli (2010-2017)
- Monsignor Daniel Mayall (2017-2019)
- Father Wayne F. Watts (2019-present)
