St. Joseph's Catholic Church

Introduction

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Built in 1919, St. Joseph's Catholic Church is significant for its architecture and association with the local Catholic community. As for architecture, the church is a restrained but fine example of the Gothic Revival style. It features Gothic windows, a main entrance with Gothic tracery above the doors, a steepled tower, and brick buttresses. Jesuit missionaries founded the congregation in 1908. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

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St. Joseph's Catholic Church was built in 1919.

Backstory and Context

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The Jesuit missionaries arrived in Hardin not long after the town was established. They built a small, wood-frame church building at the intersection of Custer and Fourth Street. Jesuit priests from St. Xavier's Mission, which was located 23 miles to the south, came to Hardin once a month to conduct church services. This arrangement continued for several years. A priest bought the lot on which the current church stands in 1913, however construction didn't begin until the Spring of 1919. The first church building was sold in 1917 to help build the new one. The work was completed later that year and the first mass was held on Christmas Day. The interior was remodeled in 1938. The church is part of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings.

Sources

The Montana National Register Sign Program. “St. Joseph's Catholic Church.” Montana Historical Society - Digital Vault. Accessed July 21, 2020, http://digitalvault.mhs.mt.gov/items/show/21103.

Redding, Jackie. "St. Joseph's Catholic Church." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. April 11, 1991. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/91000379_text.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HardinMT_StJosephCatholicChurch.jpg