St. Joseph's Church / St. Joseph's Shrine

St. Joseph’s Church originated as a missionary church during the 1850s. Priests from Adrian, Clinton, Manchester, Tecumseh, and Monroe served the parish until the first resident priest arrived in 1854. The original church, which is still part of the present structure, was constructed in 1854 by Irish pioneers. In 1863 the first Mass was held in the church. The tower and stained glass windows were added in 1911. In 1928 Father Joseph Pfeffer from St. Mary’s in Manchester served here and oversaw the enlargement and remodeling of the church to its present form. The transept was built and [the] nave enlarged, transforming the church to a cruciform plan. The red tile roof, the tower, and the use of mosaic, tile and wrought iron in the interior, give the church its Spanish Mission flavor. St. Joseph's Shrine As part of the 1928 expansion of St. Joseph’s Church, a shrine--inspired by the grotto at Our Lady of Lourdes in France--was designed. In 1932 work began on the fourteen outdoor stations of the cross, which depict scenes of the Via Dolorosa (the sorrowful way) that Jesus walked to Calvary. The footpath begins at a replica of Pontius Pilate’s palace, then winds past balconied houses, through the judgment gate and ends at Christ’s tomb. The crucifixion scene is sculpted from Carrara marble. Two Mexican artisans, Dionicio Rodriquez and Ralph Corona, under the supervision of Leo Ouelette, sculpted the steps, archways, and railings from wet cement to resemble stone and timber.