St. Joseph Parish
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Nhà thờ St. Joseph Parish là một trong 6 nhà
thờ trong vùng Tacoma (Regional Six Parishes of Tacoma) gồm có :
Sacred Heart
Parish, St. Ann's
Parish, St. Joseph
Parish,
St. John of the Woods
Parish, Church of
Visitatin Parish,
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
Parish. |
H́nh ảnh trong nhà thờ sẽ được bổ sung sau
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History of St. Joseph's Paris St. Joseph's Catholic Church was originally built as a Slovak Catholic Church. Tacoma’s Slovak community, ever conscious of worshipping God, always had a desire to build their own church. During the first few years here in Tacoma the majority of Slovak families attended Mass at St. Leo’s Church, then located on 13th and So. D Street. As more Slovak families moved into the Tacoma area and the Slovak societies just mentioned — the First Catholic Slovak Union, the National Slovak Society, the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Union, and St. Jacob’s Lodge — were formed, the need for a Slovak parish church became very great. A committee was sent by the Tacoma Slovak community in 1908 to His Excellency, the Most Reverend Edward J. O’Dea, the bishop of Seattle, to petition him to grant them the privilege of establishing a Slovak parish. Bishop O’Dea, recognizing their sincerity and need, gave them his consent. So it was in 1908, really, that the beginning of the establishment of St. Joseph’s parish took place. After permission was given by Bishop O’Dea for establishing a Slovak church, many meetings were held before it was finally decided to purchase lots which were centrally located in order to permit Slovaks from every part of the city to attend. On April 7, 1908, the lots were purchased on South 34th and Tacoma Avenue South from B.G. Prokop for $2,500.00. The contract was signed by Steve Stober, John Prebula and John Vavrek. After purchasing the lots in 1908, the question of finances had to be settled before actual construction of the church could take place. When the lots were paid for and much money collected for the building itself, the work on the church was begun early in the spring of 1911. The Slovak volunteers themselves had indeed dug the basement and laid the foundation early in the spring of 1911. For many weeks when they were through working in the factories and mills of Tacoma, they spent their evening hours building the church. It was not just one or two members of the congregation, but all the Slovaks, young and old, who helped in beginning and in constructing St. Joseph’s Slovak Catholic Church. C. Frank Mahon was the architect hired by the committee to design St. Joseph’s. Mlinar First Pastor Bishop O’Dea appointed Rev. Aloysius Mlinar to be the first pastor. So all, people and priest, working together, built the first and only Slovak Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest at a cost of nearly $20,000.00. Church records began with the first spiritual events. On August 20, 1911 Michael Rokita, son of John and Mary Rokita, was the first person baptized at the new St. Joseph ’s Church. Father Mlinar performed the first wedding at the new parish facility for George Kohut and Anna Sotak on July 8, 1911 However, it was not until May 19, 1912 at 10:30 a.m. , that St. Joseph’s Slovak Church was officially dedicated by the Most Reverend Bishop Edward O’Dea, D.D. The committee that made the arrangements for the dedication of St. Joseph’s consisted of Father Aloysius Mlinar, George Bucsko, Joseph Jacko, John Prebula, Mike Sabol, John P. Piper and George Vavrek. This dedication was also special because Bishop O’Dea administered the Sacrament of Confirmation for the first time here. The day was also marked by a special parade down Pacific Avenue by the St. Joseph Parishioners. Rev. Aloysius Mlinar served the people of St. Joseph’s from its beginning in 1911 until 1913. Source : http://stjosephstacoma.com/history
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