Welcome to the official web-site of St. Joseph Catholic Church, located in Shelbyville, IN in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

We may be contacted during our business hours:

8:00am-4:00pm, Monday-Friday

Office closed 12:00pm-1:00pm

You may also contact us by e-mail.

St. Joseph Catholic Church was established as an independent parish in 1868 to serve the spiritual and educational needs of the Catholic people of Shelbyville.  The original church building was begun in 1866 while it was still part of nearby St. Vincent de Paul Parish.  The first Mass was celebrated in it in June, 1869.

As the Catholic people of the town continued to grow in number in the last decades of the 19th century, pastor Fr. Adelrich Kaelin and the parishioners became aware of the need for a new, larger church building.  After several years of planning, the cornerstone was laid on May 24, 1903.

Rt. Rev. Denis O'Donaghue, auxiliary bishop of Indianapolis, dedicated the St. Joseph Church on August 2, 1908.  After several years of struggles, the people of St. Joseph Parish had a church building that reflected for the rest of the community of Shelbyville their steadfast faith in God. The altar, shrines, statues, and many of the stained-glass windows are the same today as in 1908; however, the interior of the church was most recently renovated in 1990, with air-conditioning added to the church in the summer of 2005. It has continued to be the spiritual home of the Catholics of Shelbyville and portions of Shelby County throughout the 20th century and now in the 21st.

Although our beautiful church is a testament to the faith of its parishioners, the true St. Joseph Catholic Church is seen when its faithful gather to celebrate the Eucharist, to hear God's Word proclaimed, to give thanks around the Table of the Lord, and to be sent forth into the community to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This was true in 1868, it is true in 2006.