The Year of Saint Joseph: May 1: Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker

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The vestibule of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in West Jordan is decorated with murals, such as this one, depicting the parish's roots.

WEST JORDAN – On May 1, Catholics around the world will celebrate the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker. This celebration will have special meaning during 2021, the Year of Saint Joseph, as declared by Pope Francis. In West Jordan at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Father Javier Virgen, pastor, will celebrate a special bilingual Mass at 5 p.m. that day, which also is the church’s 10th anniversary.

The parish has had a particular connection to St. Joseph the Worker since it was dedicated by the Most Rev. Joseph L. Federal, sixth Bishop of Salt Lake City, on May 16, 1965.

Many of the first members of the parish were Kennecott Copper miners who had been displaced from their homes in westside canyons as the mine expanded. Looking for a home in which to worship, they found it in their new parish. Like their patron saint, most of them made their mark at the parish in a quiet, unheralded way. For example, before the church could be constructed in West Jordan, a large lot need to be cleared. At that time the miners were on strike, so Fr. (later Msgr.) John Sullivan, pastor, hired out-of-work parishioners as laborers to clear the land. He had no shortage of volunteers but soon discovered that they all insisted on working for free.

Fr. Sullivan served as the general contractor for the project. He hired an architect and two foremen, but the work crews were all parishioners who donated their labor. During construction, Fr. Sullivan discovered that the Church required all crucifixes and Stations of the Cross be purchased from Italy and they wouldn’t be shipped in time for the first Mass, scheduled for Feb. 21, 1965. Nevertheless, the Mass was celebrated on that date with a crucifix borrowed from Immaculate Conception Parish in Copperton – parishioners lovingly transported it on their laps to the new church in a dump truck.

Although Fr. Sullivan was immensely proud of the new church and even organized guided tours for curious neighbors and visitors, many thought it looked like a barn or military barracks. Nevertheless, the building was functional. Eventually a rectory and convent were added on the site. After plans for a school were abandoned, a social hall that later was named for Sister Fabian Uriat, S.A. was built.

Over the years the parish stayed true to its working-class roots. When it came time to rebuild the church, Fr. Patrick Carley, who ministered there from 2000 to 2016, followed his predecessor’s example and turned to the parishioners for input and support. He led classes on design of Catholic churches based on the book God’s House is Our House. Every element of the design was pondered; parishioners even took field trips to see other churches.

The new church is circular in shape, reminiscent of a mine, although well lit. The skylight and the day chapel were lined with copper cladding to honor the parish’s historic connections to mining. Rough-hewn, board-formed concrete is used throughout the building as a remembrance of St. Joseph the carpenter, while handcrafted wood recalls the former church, carpenters, builders and craftspeople. Two sculptured panels outside the main door of the church were recovered from the old church and suggest the continuity of the parish. In the gathering space, a mural called “Dignity of Labor” by artist Duang Hoang, a relative of one of the parishioners, celebrates the community’s origins.

A groundbreaking for the new church was held Jan. 24, 2010. Later, dirt from the groundbreaking mixed with soil from both Bingham Canyon and Ireland (Fr. Carley’s and Fr. Sullivan’s native land) was placed under the altar. Stones decorated by parish children were also placed in the foundation of new church.

Dedicated on May 1, 2011 by the Most Rev. John C. Wester, ninth Bishop of Salt Lake City, the current St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church reflects the rich heritage of its parishioners as well as the inclusive spirit called for in Vatican II.

“While the church was designed to seat 800 people, the circular design gives an intimacy to the space,” said former parish secretary Anne Sheppard-Kurek, who wrote a history of the parish. “No matter where you sit, you are never far from the altar.”

The parish wanted something that would commemorate the parish’s past as well as honor the dignity of workers, Kurek said. “The artwork as well as the special features of the building would be a subtle reminder Sunday after Sunday of what the parish and our Catholicism was all about,” she said. Hoang’s “ideas were bold and creative, and his images fit in well with the modern style of the new church. It was his idea to make the images larger than life, to fill up the entire walls, floor to ceiling, and to wrap the mural around the corner.”

A depiction of Dorothy Day, who is being considered for canonization as the patron saint of workers, was added to the vestibule the following year. Two other large murals of parish children and adult parishioners were completed later.

“The church was meant to be true to our history which was down to earth, humble – not fancy, flashy or ornate,” Kurek said.  “It was made with simple materials, primarily wood and cement, which were crafted into something beautiful. The beauty exists in the subtlety, the simplicity, the work of the craftsman, the creation of the worker.”

In every facet, St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church reflects its patron saint and the humble people who have made up the parish over the last 56 years and their hard work and dedication to God.  In 2014, Fr. Carley described the parish as “Plebs Sancti Dei: the common holy people of God – no elites, just the deep, rich, personal histories of ordinary faithful Catholic women and men. This is what makes our parish history – which we rightly cherish. In the ordinary struggles and joys of life, God is honored, and we are blessed.”