St. Joseph, Grafton

Our Parish Roots:

St. Joe Grafton Interior of Church Grafton’s recorded history dates back to the mid-1800s when German immigrants came to the new world in search of political and religious freedom. Missioners known as “circuit riders” rode out from Milwaukee on horseback to minister to the Germans. These priests kept the Word of Christ alive. Our parish roots can be traced back to the 1840s in Town Ten, a few miles west of Grafton, where the first Catholic Church in the area, St. Francis Xavier, was established. Years later, the population shifted to Grafton, and St. Francis Xavier was closed. Guided by two circuit riders, Fr. Joseph Salzmann and Fr. Joseph Sadler, the people of Grafton founded St. Joseph parish on November 7, 1849. A Mass celebrating this unity of faith was held at the Grafton Courthouse. In 1860 a permanent place for worship was built; in honor of its founding fathers, it was named St. Joseph.

The development of the freeway brought Grafton to the doorsteps of Milwaukee and subdivisions began to crop up. In the late 1960’s there was a significant increase in parish families. Crowded conditions at Mass led to the building of a new church. On Christmas Eve, in 1968, Mass was celebrated for the first time in the current church.

Give Now

Our Share

Through much prayer, planning, and conversation, we have identified our greatest needs and initiatives to strengthen our mission and vision for years to come. Our share of the funds raised will be used to improve our facilities, update fixtures and furnishings, and for improvement of our cemetery.

Parish Goal

$1,603,435

Parish Share

$962,061

Final Total Pledged

$1,202,765

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FACILITIES - $507,000

Supporting our mission, as The Hands of Christ…Open to All, and faithfully planning for the future requires sound infrastructure. This includes the maintenance and improvement of the buildings and grounds of St. Joseph Parish. Through this campaign, we will address our heating and cooling needs, improve lighting, increase our technological capabilities, and repair and upgrade the interior and exterior structure. Additionally, in solidarity with our sister parish of Los Toros in the Dominican Republic, we will provide support for their infrastructure needs.

FIXTURES AND FURNISHINGS - $255,000

We enhance the mission of St. Joseph when we continually update our worship and education spaces with an eye toward our future. Creating a safe and comfortable environment to worship and learn requires that we update our pews and security cameras and ensure our altar, font, and ambo are in good condition. We must also purchase new furnishings in our Gathering Hall, classrooms, and meeting rooms to better suit our needs.

OUR CEMETERY - $200,000

Our cemetery tells the story of the long and loving history of St. Joseph Parish. Worn by time and weather, our cemetery will benefit from sustaining and improving the landscape. Our vision for the future includes the acquisition of additional land and the building of a columbarium as a final resting place for urns.