History of St. Joseph School

St. Joseph School in Joliet was established in 1895 as a neighborhood parish school for the Slovenian immigrants who founded the parish. Pastor Father Sustersic, welcomed 64 students the first year. Lessons were taught in Slovenian and English in the one story building which is now called Ferdinand Hall, named after the principal Sister Ferdinand Stalzer.

The second story of the building was added in 1898 and housed 186 students in three classrooms. In those days, the students walked to school and kindergarten did not exist. The first formal eighth grade graduation was held in June of 1909 with twelve graduates, one of which was Matthias Butala, who later became Monsignor Matthias Butala, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in 1938.

In May of 1914 the current school building was opened by Pastor Father John Krajnec. That fall 641 students were in attendance in the 12 new classrooms. Tuition was $2 a month! The enrollment peaked at 878 students in 1929, filling both the school and Ferdinand Hall. No longer a neighborhood school, St. Joseph Catholic School now proudly serves the entire Joliet area as well as several surrounding communities. As for kindergarten, it is now all day!

The cultural diversity in the classrooms of St. Joseph School mirrors that of society. The children greatly benefit through the sharing of heritage, culture, and tradition. It helps them to gain a broader understanding of not only our local community but the global community.

St. Joseph School strives to instill strong academics as well as good, moral character. In addition to daily religious instruction, Christian values are modeled and taught throughout the day. Every morning the students and faculty gather to pray for those people they know and don't know who are physically and spiritually ill. They pray for those who have nobody else to pray for them. They pray for their family and friends and then they pray for the friends, family and alumni of St. Joseph School and Parish. The students are also given many opportunities to provide service to their school, parish and local communities.

St. Joseph School, while rich in its 113 years of tradition continues to grow and thrive in all areas. It is committed to preparing today's youth for the intellectual, technological and spiritual challenges of this century.