Spotlight: St Joseph's Church
by Nora m. Davis (HBCA)—December 2008
St. Joe's Church staff
St Joseph’s Church has deep, deep roots in the Hopkins community. The present parish is the result of the merger of two area churches, St Mary’s and St Margaret’s. In 1921 the merged parish moved to 1310 Mainstreet. The first building was built in 1922—a school that also housed the church. (That school currently houses the Mainstreet School of Performing Arts.) It wasn’t until 1954 that the present church was built on the site.
I spent an afternoon with Audrey Borash, Pastoral Minister, and Chuck Romportl, Faith Formation Director, two of the eight staff members of this busy, 900-family member parish. Both talked about their responsibilities, and how their work has changed over the years.
Audrey works with volunteers, supervising and empowering them in a variety of ways—from working as BeFrienders, to encouraging many volunteer efforts throughout the community. She also works with seniors—making sure they have transportation to church, and assists with needed resources. Audrey was also instrumental in forming the West Metro Grief Group, a group that meets in a number of different faith communities throughout the year.
Chuck is responsible for faith education and works with all parish members—from pre-schoolers to adults looking for marriage enrichment or bible studies. He’s been at St Joe’s since 1972, and has also been involved in their music program. I asked if his work had changed over the years – and he responded – “a great deal.” “Families are under more stress, with more demands on their time and resources” he explained. Audrey concurred—indicating that people often come to St Joe’s with needs and look to the church to help heal and provide spiritual direction in their lives.
With a strong tradition of outreach and community support, St Joe’s sponsors a monthly Charitable Giving Sunday with proceeds given to area organizations. And who can forget Fall Festival? St Joe’s invites the community each fall to enjoy music, a dinner, bake sale, a silent auction, and bingo, of course! And the rummage sales sponsored by the Council of Catholic Women are legendary. Proceeds from these twice yearly events are shared with community organizations. (According to Audrey, they’ve raised rummage sales to a “true art form”!)
Check their website at www.stjoesshopkins.org, or give them a call at 952-935-0111.
