St Joseph, Hopedale, was established as a mission of St. Mary, Delavan, in 1909.

In the Hopedale community of pioneer days there were only a few Catholic families.  They attended Mass in Tremont or in private homes. In 1909,  Fr. Andrew A. Stapleton, the pastor of St. Mary's Church in Delavan,  organized St. Joseph's Parish and began to offer Mass every other Sunday in the village town hall.  In 1910, he began to solicit funds for the erection of a church building.

The church was built in 1911, at a cost of $8,207.20, and named in honor of St. Joseph.  Fr. Stapleton celebrated the first Mass in the new building on June 25, 1911.  The Most Reverend Edmund M. Dunne, Bishop of Peoria, dedicated the church on July 2, 1911.  Fr. White was the celebrant of the Mass with Fr. Medcaff and Fr. Irish acting as deacon and sub-deacon.

Fr. Stapleton continued to serve as pastor of both St. Mary, Delavan, and St. Joseph, Hopedale.  A tradition that continues to this day.

The congregation then, as now, was made up of Catholics from Hopedale and the surrounding communities.

 

Fr. Andrew A. Stapleton (1909-1917) was a native of Ireland and was a principal of a school in India before coming to Peoria and being ordained as a Catholic priest. He was appointed pastor of St. Mary, Delavan, in 1905.  In 1909, he organized St. Joseph Parish, Hopedale, and the church was built under his direction in 1911.  

He served as pastor of both St. Mary and St. Joseph until August of 1917.

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Fr. W.J. Burke (1917-1926) came to pastor the church in 1917 and served until his death in February, 1926.  Then,  Fr. Stanislaus Pryzbysz (1926) acted as pastor until August of that year, when the newly appointed Bishop H. Schlarman assigned a permanent pastor to the parish.

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Fr. W.M. Graham (1926-1940) During his years as pastor, Fr. Graham made extensive repairs to the exterior of the church.  It was also during this time that the Parish celebrated it's 25th Anniversary.  A High Mass, assisted by the children's choir directed by Sister Francis of Peoria, was held on June 21, 1936.

With the help of the Sisters of Notre Dame, from St. Patrick's in Peoria, Fr. Graham also started Catechism classes that were taught for 2 weeks during the summer for the children of St. Mary and St. Joseph.  He would drive to Hopedale to transport children to Delavan Grade School.  Because there were so many, some would ride on the running boards of his car.

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Fr. Graham was succeeded by  Fr. R.O. Barnett (1940-1957) who had been serving as an assistant pastor at St. Patrick's in Lincoln.  During his 17 years, the parishioners came to love him for his zeal and faithful service to the church.  The people in the community also had a great respect for him due to his work with the Boy Scouts.  In 1950, he was among the speakers at the annual Confraternity of Christian Doctrine that was held in Peoria.  He was assigned to St. Mark's Parish in East Moline in 1957.

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Fr. James J. Fay (1957-1961) was very quiet, an excellent spiritual counselor, and loved Lorayne Rossi's spaghetti on Sundays. He was instrumental in bringing the Catechism classes back to the church and taught throughout the school year.  

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For a short period of 9 months,  Fr. John H. Schwarz (1961) served as administrator for the parish.  The parish then numbered about 48 families from Minier, Mackinaw, and Stanford, as well as Hopedale.  Although the number of families wasn't large the territory of the parish was extensive.  

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When Fr. Louis M. Condon (1961-1971) was appointed pastor, both parishes were in a state of insolvency.  Within a year, all debts were liquidated.

During his 10 years, Fr. Condon was the Catholic Chaplain to the patients at the Hopedale Medical Complex.  He spent much of his time visiting folks of all faiths.  He was a member of the Delavan Rotary Club, an active member of the Peoria Duplicate Bridge Association, and the Peoria YWCA.  He was also a protagonist in the Ecumenical Movement and on special occasions participated in joint services with other churches.  In 1971, he was assigned to St. Joseph's in Kewanee.

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Fr. David F. Roche (1971-1973) who was born in Peoria, was pastor until he was assigned to be Chaplain at Mercy Hospital in Urbana.

 

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Fr. Thomas R. Brajkovich (1973-1977) was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and ordained in the Peoria Diocese in 1961.  He was instrumental in the remodeling of the church and it's re-dedication in 1975.
 

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Fr. Brajkovich was succeeded by  Fr. William Ryan (1977-1979).  Fr. Ryan was born in Chicago and ordained in 1959.  He left to co-pastor St. Patrick's in Ottawa.

 

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Fr. Paul J. Meismer (1979-1985) was born in Peoria and ordained in 1969.  He was an avid hunter and ourdoorsman. He left in 1985 to pastor St. Patrick's in Sheffield.

 

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Fr. Kevin J. Zerull (1985-1990) served the parishes until 1990 when he was assigned to OSF St. Francis Hospital in Peoria.

 

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Charles R. Robards (1990-1992) was instrumental in getting the church air conditioned.
 

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For a short period of time, Fr. David Kipfer (1992), was assigned to the parish.  He was born in Peoria and ordained in 1988.  He was reassigned as pastor at the Cathedral in Peoria, where he was also the Director of Vocations
 

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Fr. Donald R. Henderson (1993-1995) was born in Peoria and ordained in 1970.  He left to pastor St. Philomena in Peoria.

 

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Fr. Edward S. Kopec (1995-1997) was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and ordained in 1992.  During his tenure, the arch around the cross was installed and the Tabernacle altar was built.  He was assigned to St. Joseph's in Colfax in 1997.
 

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Fr. Gregory J. Jozefiak (1997-2000) was born in Chicago and ordained in 1992.  During his time as pastor, the decorating project, started by Fr. Kopec, was finished.  He was also instrumental in revitalizing a youth group and worked well with the younger generation.  He was assigned to the Pekin Federal Prison as Asst. Chaplain in 2000.

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Fr. Gerald J. Verdun (2000-2012) was born in Pontiac, IL and ordained in 1972.  He was an avid traveler and has told many stories about the trips he has made to the Holy Land.

 

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Msgr. Timothy Nolan (2012-present) was born in Wenona and ordained in 1992.  He currently serves as pastor for both St. Mary and St. Joseph and also serves the Peoria Diocese as the Episcopal Vicar for the Diaconate.