History -- in progress...to be updated ...
ELK GROVE ~ St. Joseph Parish
The community --- In 1850, Elk Grove was established as a hotel stop and a transfer stop for the stage.
Located about 15 miles south of historic Sutter’s Fort, and the state capitol for California, it became a
crossroads for business, entertainment, mail service and agriculture, and acted as home base for gold
miners in nearby communities. After playing a role in the early gold rush and statehood history in
California, a close-knit community evolved with a distinctly rural and western lifestyle, with a very mixed
racial populace.
Elk Grove is among the fastest growing cities in the United States. According to the U.S. Census, these
are the population benchmarks: (1980) - 11,812 people, (1990) -- 17,483 people, (2000) -- 59,984
people, (2002) -- 74,193 people, (2005) -- 130,874. In 2005, there were 40,699 households, of which
81% were occupied by the owner; nationwide, the owner-occupancy rate is 52%. The growth rate from
2000 to 2005 averaged 12.7% per year. The median household income in Elk Grove was $72,357
(Sacramento County was $52,264, while the United States was $49,137), with a median age of 33 (while
the median age in California was 34.4; and nationwide, it is 36.6).
The Catholic Parish of St. Joseph --- On January 11, 1918, Bishop Thomas Grace purchased property
on Grove Street in Elk Grove for a new Catholic church. It was built and dedicated to “ St. Joseph ” that
same year as a mission church of the parish in Galt (St. Christopher’s). Priests of other parishes donated
the altar, original organ, and a stained glass window of St. Joseph, which was restored in 1985 and now
adorns the north side window of the “new” church since its recent renovation. After forty-two years as a
mission of Galt, St. Joseph became its own parish, with its own resident pastor, in 1962, serving the entire
city of Elk Grove --- then numbering approximately 1,100 people. In December of 1972, the old church
was sold, and a new church was built on six acres --- the existing parish site on the Elk Grove-Florin Road
across from the county (and now city) park. Bishop Alden Bell dedicated the new church in 1973. With the
huge population increases of the last 15 years, a new Catholic parish was created west of St. Joseph
Parish in July of 1993 (Good Shepherd Parish). A social hall was dedicated in January of 1997, and the
“old” new church was expanded in November of the same year. A mission of St. Joseph was established
in Rancho Murieta in 1987, with a new church constructed there in 1999 for the three hundred families
of that area.
ELK GROVE ~ St. Joseph Parish
The community --- In 1850, Elk Grove was established as a hotel stop and a transfer stop for the stage.
Located about 15 miles south of historic Sutter’s Fort, and the state capitol for California, it became a
crossroads for business, entertainment, mail service and agriculture, and acted as home base for gold
miners in nearby communities. After playing a role in the early gold rush and statehood history in
California, a close-knit community evolved with a distinctly rural and western lifestyle, with a very mixed
racial populace.
Elk Grove is among the fastest growing cities in the United States. According to the U.S. Census, these
are the population benchmarks: (1980) - 11,812 people, (1990) -- 17,483 people, (2000) -- 59,984
people, (2002) -- 74,193 people, (2005) -- 130,874. In 2005, there were 40,699 households, of which
81% were occupied by the owner; nationwide, the owner-occupancy rate is 52%. The growth rate from
2000 to 2005 averaged 12.7% per year. The median household income in Elk Grove was $72,357
(Sacramento County was $52,264, while the United States was $49,137), with a median age of 33 (while
the median age in California was 34.4; and nationwide, it is 36.6).
The Catholic Parish of St. Joseph --- On January 11, 1918, Bishop Thomas Grace purchased property
on Grove Street in Elk Grove for a new Catholic church. It was built and dedicated to “ St. Joseph ” that
same year as a mission church of the parish in Galt (St. Christopher’s). Priests of other parishes donated
the altar, original organ, and a stained glass window of St. Joseph, which was restored in 1985 and now
adorns the north side window of the “new” church since its recent renovation. After forty-two years as a
mission of Galt, St. Joseph became its own parish, with its own resident pastor, in 1962, serving the entire
city of Elk Grove --- then numbering approximately 1,100 people. In December of 1972, the old church
was sold, and a new church was built on six acres --- the existing parish site on the Elk Grove-Florin Road
across from the county (and now city) park. Bishop Alden Bell dedicated the new church in 1973. With the
huge population increases of the last 15 years, a new Catholic parish was created west of St. Joseph
Parish in July of 1993 (Good Shepherd Parish). A social hall was dedicated in January of 1997, and the
“old” new church was expanded in November of the same year. A mission of St. Joseph was established
in Rancho Murieta in 1987, with a new church constructed there in 1999 for the three hundred families
of that area.
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| 14673 Cantova Way, Rancho Murieta, CA 95683 - 9785 Phone: (916) 354-2403 - Fax: (916) 354-2406 |
| St. Joseph Parish St. Joseph Catholic Church, Elk Grove St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Rancho Murieta |
| 9961 Elk Grove Florin Road, Elk Grove, CA 95624-2560 Phone: (916) 685-3681 - Fax: (916) 685-7254 |