The St. Joseph Church has its beginning in the late 1860s when Father Joseph Rimmele ministered to the early pioneers in their homes.  In 1868 he reported that there were 60 families in the "French Community" of Eastern Cloud County and Western Clay County.

The Bishop of Leavenworth, KS sent a newly ordained Father Louis Mollier to North Central Kansas in 1873.  In the years following, a wooden church, rectory, and parochial school were erected.  At a cost of $10,000, the church stood as a monument to the courage and devotion of a people determined to have a respectable place of worship.  Time and free labor the people donated and gave freely, but money was so scarce that it was collected only by utmost sacrifice because the settlers were destitute after their many reverses in the new country.  Who can possibly conjecture how many families went hungry and wore scanty and threadbare clothing to give a pittance for their church? They built with the future in mind, for a population that was young and increasing rapidly. The original church burned to the ground on May 5, 1910 after being struck by lightning. Five candelabra and some priests' robes were all that were saved. A gold-finished candelabrum worth over $100 and a brand new organ purchased only a few months earlier were lost in the fire. Plans for the building of a new church, the beautiful brick structure that stands today, were begun immediately.  The church, completed in 1911, has a capacity of 350-400 people. 

The St. Joseph Church was formally closed June 5, 1993.  It remains a popular tourist attraction, not only for its rich history and architecture, but also for its stained glass windows.  It is certain that the St. Joseph Parish is one of the first, if not the first parish, established in the Diocese of Salina.  It has, therefore, earned the title of "Mother Church" of the Diocese because from this parish, more churches, parishes, and missions have sprung than from any other.