Twenty-four families, most of them of German origin, although a few were Irish immigrants, formed the first congregation of St. Joseph Church in 1850. Redemptorist priests from Baltimore would serve the pastoral needs of the community in the early years. Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos would lay the cornerstone of the first church on Bucks School House Road.

Shortly after the chapel, the first school was built. It was an all-boys school, but, after the school was moved to its current location in 1869, girls were also admitted. The modest chapel, which originally served only a few families, had been outgrown and, coinciding with the move of the school, a new church was built on the Belair Road property. The original Belair Road church resided where the current church parking lot is today.

As the parish grew, so too did its needs. Eventually, a parish hall was to be built, however, during the construction of the parish hall, the church caught fire and was destroyed. God's will saw to it that the would-be parish hall would now be the new church. On December 14th, 1971, the new church was dedicated, and to this day serves a vibrant and diverse community.