160 Anniversary Potluck!

St. Joseph Church Potluck

Join us at Oakdale Nature Preserve

( 4433 S Cranes Grove Rd, Freeport, IL 61032 )

October 9th

12:30pm – 4:30pm

St Joseph Church Mission Statement

The mission of Jesus is stated in the Holy Gospel according to Luke (4:43):
“I must announce the good news of the reign of God, because that is why I was sent.” “We, the people of St. Joseph Parish, Freeport, Illinois, faithful to Jesus’ mission, regularly celebrate the Eucharist and other Sacraments, from which we are sent both to live the Gospel, and to evangelize our neighbors, near and afar. As stewards of God’s generous gifts we are committed to provide the personnel and resources needed to carry out our mission.”

It has been 160 years since the church building was established. We have done our best to protect our holy place and make it a loving community for all who enters it’s newly painted doors. We would like to thank everyone who makes it all worthwhile- thank you to our entire staff, volunteers, co-op organizations, and parishioners like you. We hope you will support us for another hundred years to come.


To celebrate, we will be hosting a community potluck at Oakdale nature preserve. You can even come and join us straight after our 10:30am Mass on the 9th! Bring a dish or two to pass – and don’t forget your good manners. There will be outlets for hot dishes (bring an extension if you need one) and a grill available. Farther Barr will supply drinks: Iced tea and lemonade. We will light the new campfire circle and make S’mores. We’ll meet under the lovely new community shelter – rain or shine! There are brand new restrooms and a children’s playground.

The main nature trail is now asphalted and easy to walk. It’s a great chance to get together again, since the pandemic has kept us from social events. We hope to see you there! It will be more fun with more smiling faces to join us!


More Info: Peg and Steve Ehlbeck at (815) 618-2310

Or LouAnn Coates-Haugh at (815) 238-1163


As you can see from the images below; we have an absolutely beautiful Sunday ahead of us! Oakdale Nature Preserve has been a long-time favorite destination spot for Freeport residents. The park rangers behind Oakdale have taken it upon themselves to beautify this land, and make it accessible for all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts.