Our History
The 1940s
1940 — Sr. Francis Carmel Treacy becomes principal of the school. The idea of building the new Church is considered, as Fr. Hovorka encourages the purchase of War Bonds in the name of St. Joseph’s Church.
1943 — Fr. Stanley Srnec and Fr. T. Redden take short terms as assistant pastors before Fr. Francis Hayes is named assistant.
1944 — Fr. Hovorka sends a letter to the parish, asking for an increase in giving to raise money for the new church, with the target date for building as 1949 or 1950.
1946 — Of the 810 families now registered at St. Joseph’s, 120 families are transferred to the new parish of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Minnetonka. Sr. Emile McDonald becomes principal of St. Joseph’s School. The Women’s Club organizes at St. Joseph’s. The Knights of Columbus celebrate their Silver Anniversary with a banquet at the Junior High Auditorium.
1949 — Hopkins becomes a city by adopting a city charter. Fr. Joseph Kiley, Fr. Harry Majerus, Fr. Bernard Flynn and Fr. Harry Towey take short terms as assistant pastors at St. Joseph’s. Nine sisters are teaching eight grades at St. Joseph’s School, with an enrollment of 340. (That makes 42 students in a class!)
The 1950s
1950 — Membership at St. Joseph’s again reaches 810 families, of which 105 families are transferred to the new parish of St. John’s in Interlachen Park in Hopkins. Fr. M. Zawalnicki takes a short term as assistant pastor at St. Joseph’s.
1951 — Fr. Francis Hayden takes a short term as assistant pastor until Fr. John Brown is named assistant.
1952 — Sr. Clarinda Kieffer becomes principal of St. Joseph’s school.
1953 — Ground is finally broken for the new St. Joseph’s Church building on April 26. Fr. Hovorka bargains with the City of Hopkins to move 13th Avenue South over 1 lot to give more room for the church. The Knights of Columbus lodge room (a room in the School building) is converted into a classroom. The K.C.s purchase another building in town. The baby boom is obvious. With 450 students enrolled in St. Joseph’s School and only 9 classrooms, that makes 50 students per room. The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (C.C.D.) begins a long tradition of organizing discussion clubs. 26 discussion clubs were formed between 1955 and 1964. There’s a rumor that one club is still meeting (in 2001)!
1954 — Our beautiful new church of St. Joseph is completed in late spring. The Stations of the Cross from the temporary church are installed in the new church. A dedication ceremony with Archbishop Murray is celebrated on June 20. But Fr. Hovorka offers Masses for the parishioners in the new Church as early as May 16. He rushed things a little, so that that year’s First Communion could be celebrated there. Some dinners, maybe even that year’s Fall Festival, were served in the Social Hall’s dirt floor, until the floor was laid. The total bill for the new church was $500,000.
1955 — Fr. Charles Hovorka dies, and Fr. Joseph P. Vacek becomes the second pastor of St. Joseph, a position he holds for 20 years. Four classrooms are added to the school, at a cost of $153,000.
1956 — William O. Brady is named Archbishop of St. Paul. Fr. Alvin Simon is named assistant pastor at St. Joseph’s. Rummage Sales are started at St. Joseph’s. A huge debt-reduction campaign is kicked off.
1958 — The colored windows were added to the Church, paid for through donations. The convent was enlarged to house the 13 sisters then living there (built to house 8!). John XXIII begins his 5 year term as pope. Sr. Norbertine Farrell becomes principal of St. Joseph’s School.
1959 — St. Joseph’s Parish Library is established by Margaret Kienzle. Four more classrooms are added to the school, at a cost of $160,000. School enrollment peaks at 700, with 100 on the waiting list! Even with the addition of 8 new classrooms, class sizes are between 41 and 43.
The 1960s
1960 — The Nocturnal Adoration Society is established (the first in Minnesota).
1961 — Leo Binz is named Archbishop of St. Paul. Sr. Karen Wadsworth becomes principal of the school.
Monsignor Vacek
1962 — The old rectory was demolished and the new rectory was built. Vatican Council II begins in Rome, and continues until 1965. Fr. Patrick Dooley is named assistant pastor at St. Joseph’s.
1963 — Paul VI is elected Pope.
1964 — St. Joseph’s Parish Council is established. Fr. Gordon Hoffman is named assistant pastor. He is very popular with youth, sponsoring summer canoe trips to the Boundary Waters.
1966 — Pope Paul VI confers the title of Monsignor on Fr. Vacek. Fr. Richard Jeub is named assistant pastor at St. Joseph’s. Sr. Margaret Mary Belanger becomes principal of St. Joseph’s School.
1967 — Leo Byrne is named Coadjutor Archbishop of St. Paul. Fr. Eugene Burke is named assistant pastor at St. Joseph’s.
1968 — Fr. Edward Chmielewski is named associate pastor at St. Joseph’s.
1969 — St. Joseph’s School consolidates with St. John’s and Immaculate Heart of Mary schools, and is called Hopkins Consolidated Parochial Schools. Fr. Joseph Pinkosh is named associate pastor at St. Joseph’s. St. Joseph’s hires its first Religious Education Director, Patrick Roche.