The 2009 renovations of St. Joseph Church represent the latest step in the faith journey of a vibrant, spirit-filled parish. That journey began in 1966, when Bishop Joseph Brunini of the Diocese of Jackson appointed Fr. John Izral as pastor of a mission church to be established in North Gulfport to meet the needs of the growing population there. Generously, Paul and Lorraine DePew donated 20 acres for the project. Although the DePews had hoped for the parish to be named “Our Lady of the Fields,” the Extension Society had already made a large donation with the understanding that the church be named in honor of St. Joseph, and so our faith community had its genesis.   
            The parish boundaries extended from I-10 to the south, Canal Road to the west, Cowan/Lorraine Road to the east, and the Lyman community and parts of Saucier to the north. Members met in the old Orange Grove Lions Club Building on Hwy 49, where Chik-Fil-A now stands, as Fr. Izral and members of the first St. Joseph Parish Council — Mr. and Mrs. Willie Alley, Albert Necaise, Myron Smith, Lorraine DePew and Doris Williams — shepherded the construction of a new church on DePew Road.
            Some $15,000 was collected toward construction of the church within three months of Fr. Izral’s appointment, and at his suggestion, parish bonds were sold in denominations of $100, $250, $500 and $1000, with interest payable at the rate of 5% semi-annually.
            In early 1967, the contract for building a church and multi-purpose building (St. Joseph Hall), designed by architect Kenneth Haynes, was let to L.A. Easterling, general contractor, for a total of $73,840. Parishioners did much of the interior carpentry and painting and laid the floors to keep costs down. All pews and furnishings were donated by St. Richard Church in Jackson, and McCandliss Nursery donated the landscaping. The church was often referred to as “the house of many colors,” because each of the walls between the laminated beams was painted a different hue. Bishop Brunini presided at the dedication of the new church and hall on September 24, 1967, a scant one year after the founding of the mission church. The church seated 320, and the multi-purpose building included four classrooms, two restrooms, a kitchen and a parish hall.
             Father Noel Prendergast succeeded Fr. Izral as pastor in May 1969 and oversaw the construction of a rectory during his one-year pastorate. His successor was Fr. Patrick Tierney, who served as pastor from 1970 to 1972 and was followed by Fr. Dennis Harlow, who remained at St. Joseph for six years. Tragically, during the early morning hours of May 26, 1975, Fr. Harry Wade, who was to stay at the rectory while substituting for a vacationing Fr. Harlow, died of asphyxiation during fire in the rectory after having been there for only one day. After the fire, parishioners once again pooled their efforts to build a new rectory under Fr. Harlow’s direction, and that rectory, still in use today, was completed in 1976.
             In 1977, a large multi-purpose building was constructed immediately east of the church building to accommodate the activities of the developing parish. The facility was named DePew Hall in memory of Paul and Lorraine DePew’s son Gregory, who had died in an auto accident. It included a parish hall, classrooms, large commercial-style kitchen and parish offices.
             DePew Hall has also served as an alternate meeting place for worship during renovations to the main church building, the first of which occurred under the direction of Fr. John Kelly, who had succeeded Fr. Harlow as pastor in 1978 and remained in the parish until 1991. Architect H. F. Fountain, Jr. designed the 1982 renovations to the church, with the project carried out by general contractor J.O. Collins. The project was funded with contributions and pledges from the ever-growing list of parishioners, and the donor names are inscribed on a plaque which has hung at the entrance to the church since the renovation was completed in March 1983.
             Fr. Antone Lynch assumed the pastorate of St. Joseph in 1991, following Fr. Kelly’s tenure, and under his direction during the 13 years he served the parish, a pastoral council, finance council and liturgy board were developed, and Sr. Thérèse O’Connor of the Sisters of Mercy joined the staff as Pastoral Associate and Director of Family Life.
            In 1999, a new capital campaign, Parish Vision — Our Faith + Our Future, was launched to fund the construction of a new church, further evidence of the vitality of the St. Joseph faith community. Fr. Lynch retired before seeing the completion of the new building, and Fr. George Murphy assumed pastoral duties in January 2004, along with the responsibility for building the new church. Hurricane Katrina drastically altered the physical and financial landscape of the entire Coast on August 29, 2005.
             Although St. Joseph Parish sustained relatively minor damage, the plans to build a new church were scaled back in keeping with the economic realities of the post-Katrina Coast. With approximately $1 million on hand which had been raised through pledges and donations from parishioners, it was determined that the prudent course would be to renovate and enlarge the existing church instead of incurring a large amount of debt for construction of a new building. The Biloxi firm of Eley Guild Hardy Architects designed the project, and general contractor J. W. Puckett, with the assistance of Randy McFarland, Chair of the Parish Building Committee, and Bari Matherne, Chair of the Parish Finance Council, began the project in February 2009 with a budget of approximately $1.5 million. Bishop Roger P Morin, Bishop of Biloxi, dedicated the new St. Joseph Catholic Church, on the feast of the parish patron, March 19, 2010.
             St. Joseph Parish has been blessed not only with a faith-filled people, but also with a history of dedicated clergy and lay leadership. In addition to our pastors, several associate pastors have served St. Joseph Parish, including Fr. Tony Arguelles, Fr. Patrick Tierney, Fr. Richard Newsom, Fr. Nicholas Filipich, and Fr. David Neimeyer and Fr. Greg Barras, both of whom served the parish as deacons prior to their ordinations. A lay minister who assisted Fr. Izral during the early years of the parish, Calvin Sinclair, later entered the seminary and was ordained a priest.
             May we remain mindful of our rich history and thankful for the great blessings God has bestowed upon us.