House of Worship Spotlight: St. Joseph Parish, Sylvania

Religious leader(s): the Rev. Msgr. Michael Billian, pastor; the Rev. Joseph Mominee, parochial vicar

Sect: Catholic

Neighborhood: Sylvania

Address: 5411 Main St., Sylvania

Service times: 4:30 p.m. Saturdays; 7:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 12 p.m., and 5 p.m. Sundays

Type of service: Music differs at each Mass time — organ music at the Saturday vigil and early Sunday, large choir at 10 a.m., contemporary music at noon and 5 p.m.

Ministries: St. Joseph Parish School for preschool through 8th grade students, youth and adult formation, ministry outreach in local hospitals, and senior care facilities, music ministry, St. Vincent de Paul Society outreach, soup kitchen outreach, Knights of Columbus

Regular attendance: As one of the largest parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Toledo, St. Joseph welcomes 2,000 worshippers each weekend.

History: A small, wood-frame church was built in 1871 for farmers in the area. Construction of the present church began in 1965. A  parish school was opened in 1919 for 59 students. The annual parish festival, Festirama, began in 1979. As the population of Sylvania doubled in the 1950s, the parish also grew significantly. The parish continues to grow, having welcomed 200 new members in 2023.

“Education was always important to the parish. Caring for people of all ages has always been a mainstream [priority] of the parish as well,” said the Rev. Msgr. Michael Billian, pastor of St. Joseph since 2018. “And really, from the very beginning right up to this day, the invitation and willingness of people to participate in the life of the parish [has been great].”

What's special about this faith community? “This parish is very, very blessed with lots of families who are keenly interested in learning more about the Lord and reaching out even beyond the parish,” Monsignor Billian said. “The last line of our mission statement is: ‘We are a community of disciples reaching out in service to all,’ and I think they really embrace that in this parish.”

Are there any upcoming events or projects you're working on? St. Joseph is wrapping up renovations of the church interior. The terrazzo floors will be restored and new pews will be installed in August.

Website: stjoesylvania.org

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