St. Joseph eventually became a mission of St. Mary Presentation in Deer Park, a parish also administered by the Franciscans. In addition to catechism classes each Sunday, religious education students took instruction in the summer from visiting Holy Names Sisters. By 1950, the number of families at St. Joseph Colbert was growing. With an eye to the future, the congregation asked a local architect to draw up plans for a larger church. The framed plans hung in the vestibule of the church to provide inspiration and families began in earnest to collect funds for the new construction. Parishioners pledged and sacrificed their personal incomes to finance a building fund, then looked to neighbors for assistance on their project. A long time parishioner and cattleman offered 10 wooded acres of land off Colbert Road as a church building site. The land was designated as the future site of St. Joseph Parish. By the late sixties, families were anticipating officially launching construction when plans were put on hold by the news that the Franciscan Fathers were withdrawing from the mission field. Just a few years earlier, the diocese had constructed Mater Cleri, a high school seminary perched high on the hilltop overlooking Colbert. When the Franciscan Fathers announced their departure, Bishop Bernard Topel asked the priest at Mater Cleri to assume responsibility for St. Joseph Church. On Holy Thursday, 1970 Bishop Topel announced the creation of St. Joseph Parish and made the facilities of Mater Cleri Seminary available to the parish. The one room church was closed and sold. It exists toda y as a private home.
 

Mater Cleri was a unique parish home. Seminarians and the priests who taught them became part of the fabric of parish life. School classrooms and recreation facilities including a gym and swimming pool were available for parish use. By 1974, the numbers of high school seminarians all across the country were declining and a decision was made by the Bishop to close Mater Cleri. The facility was put to use as a retreat and conference center and currently is the campus for Northwest Christian School.
 

The parish still owned the land on Colbert Road and began construction of the present St. Joseph Church in October, 1990. Elements from the Mater Cleri chapel, including the stained glass windows, the onyx altar and the statue of St. Joseph, were incorporated in the new church building. The new St. Joseph Church, home by this time to 270 families, was dedicated by Bishop Skylstad on October 29, 1991.
 

In the year 2000 the parish Building Committee presented to the diocese a 10–year expansion plan to include additional classrooms and meeting space, remodeling the offices, and a designs for a larger, multi-purpose space. The first three classrooms were completed in December 2001. The second three classrooms were completed in February 2005. While the diocesan Chapter 11 bankruptcy has slowed the original plan, we have already completed a kitchen remodel in fall of 2012, and we still look forward to expanding our facilities as we continue to grow.

In 2015 air conditioning was added to the sanctuary space as well as the dining room making those spaces much more user-friendly during the hot summer months. Also during 2015, the tabernacle was moved from the chapel into the main sanctuary. In July of 2017,  we sold the old parish house that had been used by pastors for their residence. It was decided that we should build a new rectory house on the property behind the church. Construction began in July of 2017 and was completed in September of 2018. The house features two separate living spaces. Also in 2018, an addition to the dining room space was begun, increasing the number we can comfortably accommodate meals and festivities by 30%. In 2020 we removed the old carpeting from the sanctuary and installed beautiful porcelain tile. The result is a wonderful improvement. 

The parish has grown from 80 families to about 350 families. Many new organizations have been formed to involve as many people as possible in serving the community, building the parish as the people of God, and realizing the full potential of all persons in the life of the parish. The faith that constructed the first church home for the original St. Joseph in 1910 lives on in the families of St. Joseph Parish today. Parishioners of the one-room Colbert Church remember it as a warm and welcoming place. The same holds true today. Fourth and fifth generations of parish families and their new neighbors celebrate a legacy of faith and friendship strong enough to sustain the memories and foundations of the past while nurturing the future.

We are happy to welcome everyone to our parish home. We invite you to join one of our parish ministries to help carry out the mission of our parish.
 

This narrative was written in part by Mary Jane Thompson