St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dayton, Ohio, was founded in 1846 by Irish priest Father Patrick O’Mealy to serve the city’s growing English-speaking Catholic population of Irish descent. Originally part of Emmanuel Church, the parish was named after St. Joseph, whose statue stood on the right side of Emmanuel, where its founders had worshipped. 

The growing number of English-speaking Catholics (primarily Irish) in Dayton, Ohio, in the 1840s made it necessary to form a new parish separate from the city’s only Catholic Church, Emmanuel, which was German-speaking. Therefore, Bishop John Baptist Purcell appointed newly ordained Father Patrick O’Mealy, a native of Limerick, Ireland, to begin the first English-speaking Catholic parish in Dayton. 

Father O’Mealy held a meeting on November 1, 1846, and plans for the new parish in Dayton were underway. Most English-speaking parishioners at the meeting were Irish, lived on the East Side, and were anxious about a new church. Before the month was out, they had purchased two lots, 100 by 150 feet, for $2,000. They hired a contractor who immediately stockpiled materials at the location of the new church. 

The brick church, dedicated in October 1847, was in the Grecian style of the central steeple type. However, the steeple was not completed due to a lack of funds. 

Over the next decade, several pastors, mostly of Irish descent, led St. Joseph Church. Then, in 1859, Father David J. Kelly, a native of Ireland, took another step toward finishing the church. He completed the steeple building, following the original plan of the church. He also had a town clock installed in the tower. The largest bell in town hung in the tower. It weighed 3,600 pounds and was made in Cincinnati. It was christened “Patrick.” This is the same bell we have in our church today.

By 1905, the original church was no longer sufficient, leading to the construction of the current Italian Byzantine-style building designed by McGinnis and Walsh of Boston. Parishioners temporarily worshipped in a makeshift church while the new structure was built. The cornerstone was laid in 1909 by Archbishop H. K. Moeller, and the church was completed in 1910 for $95,700. Notable features include its distinctive tower set back toward the sanctuary and steel pillars coated in scagliola to resemble marble. Father William Hickey encouraged parishioners to donate memorials for the new church, personally gifting the three Archangel windows above the altar.