St. Joseph

Warsaw, the county seat of Gallatin County, originally known as Fredericksburg, is situated on beautiful bottom land along the Ohio River. In 1857, when Reverend Andrew Michel of the Cathedral parish in Covington was caring for the Catholics of Carrollton, he visited Warsaw and gathered the Catholics together for divine services. The following year, 1858, when he became the resident pastor of Carrollton, Warsaw was attached to St. John Parish as a station, Mass being said there once a month. From that time, and for a number of years afterwards, the spiritual needs of the Warsaw congregation were cared for by the pastor of Carrollton. Later, when St. Patrick Parish was established at Verona, in Boone County, Warsaw became a station attended from Verona.

In 1868, the Catholics of Warsaw secured a plot of ground and erected a church, which was dedicated in honor of St. Joseph. In 1903, Reverend Edward T. Donnelly was appointed the first resident pastor of Warsaw. Father Donnelly was an outstanding orator, and he made many friends for the Church in the community. On April 25, 1907, death closed the pastorate of Father Donnelly. He was buried in the Catholic cemetery at Warsaw.  During the pastorate of Reverend Hubert Schmitz, the church was remodeled and enlarged. Shortly afterwards the church was partly destroyed by fire, but under the direction of Father Schmitz the damage was soon repaired. Following the transfer of Father Schmitz to St. Joseph Parish, Camp Springs, in April, 1926, the parish, from April to August of that year, was cared for by Reverend Oscar L. Poole, pastor of Verona. The church property underwent many improvements during the seven-year pastorate of Reverend George Stier, 1940-1947. The present pastor, Reverend Albert E. McCracken assumed charge of the parish on January 7, 1948.  St. Joseph Parish, this Centennial year of the Diocese, commemorates the Golden Jubilee of its establishment as a parish. The parish today has twenty-six families.

excerpted from History of the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, on the Occasion of the Centenary of the Diocese, 1853-1953, by Rev. Paul E. Ryan