Welcome to St. Joseph Catholic School!

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Teaching Future Saints in Mind, Body, and Soul

“Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do.”

Genesis 41:55

The Story Behind Our School

Founding and History:

• 1853 – Reverend Matthias Kreusch, pastor of Shelby Settlement, held services in the home of Joseph Rudinger for Catholics in the Galion area as a mission parish.  
• 1854 – Rudinger donated a lot for the first church site on East Main Street. 
• 1855 – the first church building was dedicated.  
• 1859, the Parish school organized and was taught by lay teachers until 1879. 
• 1865 – Reverend John P. Puetz became the first resident pastor.  
• 1866 – St. Joseph parish built a brick church and school at the corner of Walnut and Union streets (today the Bishop Brown estate).  
• 1868 – Reverend August Gerardin instituted a second parish, St. Patrick on the corner of North Washington and Payne.  He served as pastor of both parishes.
• 1871 – St. Patrick built a two-classroom school with the parish
• 1873 – St. Joseph outgrew their building and purchased three lots and a brick building on Liberty Street, which was used as a temporary church, school and pastoral residence.
• 1879 Sisters of St. Francis Mary Immaculate from Lotiet Illinois began teaching in the school.
• 1880 – St. Joseph began construction of the current church building.
• 1883 – The current St. Joseph church building was dedicated.  It’s a combination of Gothic and Roman architecture.
• 1920 – The School Sisters of Notre Dame taught 68 pupils at St. Joseph school and 44 pupils at St. Patrick school.  Lay teachers taught prior.
• 1922 – St. Joseph and St. Patrick churches are transferred from the Cleveland Diocese to the newly formed Toledo Diocese.
• 1951 – First section of St. Joseph School building was built.  St. Joseph and St. Patrick schools are combined.
• 1953 – The final mass at St. Patrick was held on June 21st before merging with St. Joseph.
• 1957 – Second section of St. Joseph School building was built.
• 1963 – Third section of St. Joseph School building was built.
• 1979 – Sylvania Franciscan and Ursline Sisters began teaching at St. Joseph School.
• 1997 – St. Joseph Activity Center was built and serves physical education, school programs, community events, and a rental space for personal events.
• 2010 – Galion St. Joseph is twinned with Bucyrus Holy Trinity to share a pastor.
• 2014 – Bucyrus Holy Trinity School was closed and merged with Galion St. Joseph.  Bucyrus area students are bused from Holy Trinity to St. Joseph and returned each school day.

Connection to St. Joseph:

• Services were initially held in the home of Joseph Rudinger, a Catholic member of the community. Rudinger donated a lot for the first church site in Galion, OH. The name, St. Joseph, was likely chosen to honor Joseph Rudinger’s contributions.
• St. Joseph Catholic School is named after St. Joseph, the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus.  The naming of the school honors his role in the Holy Family and as a symbol of family values.  We refer to our school not as a school with students, teachers, parents and guardians, but as a school family.  We are unified to work together as a family.  This reference to our environment as a school family honors St. Joseph as the patron saint of the Holy Family.
• We have a special Mass on the Feast of St. Joseph attended by the School.

Our Vision and Beliefs:

• We believe St. Joseph School is both a school, and a community of faith;
• We believe those entrusted to us are both students, and children of God;
• We believe we are both educators, and ministers of the Gospel;
• We believe the values we teach are both character development, and a call to holiness;
• We believe our courses of study are both academic pursuits, and a search for truth;
• We believe the purpose of education is for personal gain, the development of society, and the transformation of the world.

Legacy and Impact

At St. Joseph Catholic School, our legacy lives on through the voices of our students. Each year, the graduating 8th grade class writes personal reflections about their time at St. Joseph, offering a glimpse into how their experience here has shaped their faith, character, and academic growth.

These reflections are more than just assignments—they’re heartfelt testaments to the lasting impact of a St. Joseph education:

“St. Joseph made learning fun! Each teacher has their own style of teaching, but they all have the same outcome—you learned something. If you don’t understand it the first time, the teachers are going to help you so you learn it, even if it takes a while!”
— Autumn, Class of 2023

“Overall, my experience of this school was superior to what I expect out of your average school. St. Joseph’s successfully taught me about God and about very fundamental Christian beliefs and morals. I’m not telling all who read this that the school is ‘perfect,’ but if you want your kids to have a promising future and ability to express their limitless potential, I don’t know of a better place than St. Joseph Catholic School.”
— William, Class of 2023

“And the best thing about this school is it helped me improve my love for God. Going to Mass every Thursday and getting to go to confession helped me become a better person and to deeply cherish my love for God. I now get to go into high school with a firm foundation of faith and know right vs. wrong. I used to not have as strong of a relationship with God; but after going to St. Joe’s, I pray every night, read my Bible, and overall spend more time with God.”
— Claire, Class of 2023

“My teachers and the school staff all wanted the best for me. They took time to teach me one-on-one when needed and encouraged me to be a leader by serving others.”
— Ben, Class of 2023

“I would strongly recommend this school to anyone, but this isn’t a school to me anymore; the teachers aren’t teachers, and the students aren’t students. St. Joseph’s Catholic School is a home, the teachers and staff are family, and the students are like little brothers and sisters. This school isn’t like any other school—they actually care. They care for every single student. In fact, they just don’t care for us, they love us. I’ll miss this place, and I promise I will come and visit.”
— Korbin, Class of 2024

“I can write about every teacher here, but that would take me such a long time. I am thankful for every single teacher, and I can’t forget about the best secretary and the best principal! This school will always be in my heart. I will never forget where I came from. Always in my heart, St. Joseph School.”
— Mark, Class of 2024

Year after year, our students’ words remind us why we do what we do. Although there are only excerpts of the full reflections, these students year after year are so appreciative to their families for sending them to St.Joseph Catholic School. Through faith, service, love, and a commitment to excellence, St. Joseph Catholic School leaves a lasting mark on every heart that walks its halls.