Founded for Mission: Every Catholic an Apostle

The Shrine was established by Fr. Thomas Augustine Judge, C.M. in 1924 and is operated by the religious community that Fr. Judge founded, the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (Trinity Missions). During his time serving with a parish in New York, he witnessed pilgrims arriving from Italy and Ireland to America. With them, they brought the deep Catholic traditions of their faith. He quickly noticed the need to preserve the faith of the immigrant families and foster the formation of the faithful laity as missionary disciples of Jesus.

Fr. Judge established the Shrine as a place for all to be renewed in faith and sent out as missionaries in the providence of their everyday life. A place to grow in understanding that every Catholic is an apostle. The Shrine is a “Mission Center”, a place of learning, celebrating, healing, and sending. As a Mission Center, the religious and lay staff minister under the Missionary Servant Rule of Life states: “Our specific mission is the preservation of the faith in areas and among people who are spiritually neglected and abandoned, especially the poor. Our chief effort is to develop a missionary spirit in the laity, with the goal that every Catholic be an apostle.”

History of the Shrine of Saint Joseph

When the Shrine of Saint Joseph was established in 1924 by the Rev. Thomas Augustine Judge, it was placed under the patronage of Saint Joseph since this extraordinary Saint offers inspiration for the laity who struggle to preserve the vitality of their faith in a societal environment little supportive of Gospel values. The Shrine is a spiritual home fostering a “missionary spirit” that calls us to a greater collaborative role in the mission of the Church and in particular to the issues addressed by Catholic social teaching.

From its earliest inception, the Shrine has offered an atmosphere of quiet where the beauty of the natural environment speaks eloquently to all who come and witness the beauty and presence of God our Creator.

The Shrine was originally housed in a barn converted into a rustic chapel in 1928. Devotions are held each Sunday in honor of the Holy Patron, Saint Joseph, which began in that year and has continued without interruption up to the present. Our beautiful main Chapel, outdoor shrines, outdoor Stations of the Cross, and the 9/11 Tower of Remembrance offer a meditative atmosphere.

In 1970, the old wooden residence building was replaced. Five years later came the most extensive change to the Shrine campus. The rustic wooden barn – chapel finally succumbed to weather and termites and was replaced by the present stone chapel complex on the brow of the hill overlooking the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. The same year marks the arrival of the Sister Servants of Jesus; coming from their native Poland to assist in the ministry of the Shrine.

In more recent years, the former Saint Joseph Villa, established by Fr. Judge for the treatment of clergy suffering from the disease of alcoholism, and just a few minutes from the main campus was placed under the care of the Shrine. Restored and renamed Trinity House, this home is now used for retreats and spiritual programs.

In 2014, a new mission plan for the Shrine was inaugurated. This plan, built upon several “pillars of ministry” brings renewed energy and focuses the Shrine of Saint Joseph as a place of spiritual formation and mission center committed to responding to the pressing needs of the Church and our world.

What is the Missionary Cenacle?

In 1909 Fr. Thomas Augustine Judge, CM organized a lay group of women. That first meeting which took place in Brooklyn, NY at St. John’s Parish was the beginning of what was to become the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate (MCA). From this lay organization eventually came two new missionary religious congregations: the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity (a congregation of women) and the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (a congregation of men). Eventually, a secular institute of the laity was formed, the Blessed Trinity Missionary Institute (BTMI). Father Judge believed in the capacity of ordinary men and women to love and serve God in the ordinary circumstance of their lives. He taught that by being a loving presence to the people we meet in our daily life we live out our Baptismal call to be Apostles.