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A Message from our pastor, Fr. JakeDear Parishioners,
St. Joseph Parish is a vibrant, thriving community, and I am grateful every day to be part of it. Each week, I see people gathering, learning, and growing together—students excited for faith formation, families connecting before and after Mass, volunteers sharing their time and talents. This is what makes our parish alive, full of energy, and a place people are proud to call home.
Our current spaces, though filled with life and memory, are stretched to their limits. That’s why we are so excited about A Place to Gather, A Place to Grow, our campaign for a new Parish Center. This isn’t just a building—it’s a space designed to match the energy, creativity, and spirit of St. Joseph Parish. Imagine:- Fellowship Hall: A welcoming space connected to the church for families and parishioners to gather, celebrate, and connect before and after Mass.
- Learning Commons: Bright, adaptable classrooms for students, children, and adults, designed to support faith formation and lifelong learning.
- Chapel: Our vision is to create a small, intimate space for prayer and Eucharistic Adoration.
This project is about making sure St. Joseph Parish continues to be a home for all generations—a place where people can gather, learn, and be inspired, now and for years to come.
I am excited for what lies ahead, and I invite you to imagine this future with us. With your prayerful and financial support, we can bring this vision to life and ensure that St. Joseph remains the vibrant heart of our community.
Blessings,
Fr. Jake Beltran, Pastor
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SJPC Updates & News
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June 4
New signage went up at the new Parish Office today! Things are getting pretty official over here! Please help us out and remind your St. Joe’s friends that our Parish Office has now moved to a new location so we can begin construction on our new St. Joseph Parish Center this summer.Read More -
June 1
As the next phase of our St. Joseph Parish Center (SJPC) campaign continues, we are entering an exciting season of progress as we prepare for demolition of the Parish Office and construction this summer.Read More -
May 28
A heartfelt thank you to all of the incredible volunteers and staff members who have been helping with the Parish Office relocation and the work being done at our new building! From packing and organizing to moving, setting up, and preparing the new space, your time, energy, and willingness to serve have helped make this transition possible.Read More -
May 26
We’re moving forward! As the next phase of our St. Joseph Parish Center campaign continues, we are entering an exciting season of progress as construction moves ahead and our campus begins to take shape.Read More
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Our VisionSt. Joseph Parish is a vibrant, thriving community, and our vision for the future reflects that energy. A Place to Gather, A Place to Grow is more than a building project—it is a commitment to the people, programs, and ministries that define our parish life.
We envision a Parish Center that strengthens the heart of St. Joseph by providing spaces that are welcoming, functional, and inspiring for all generations. Families will have room to gather, celebrate milestones, and connect with one another. Leaders and volunteers will have meeting spaces to collaborate and grow ministries that serve our parish and community. Children, students, and adults will benefit from bright, flexible classrooms designed to nurture faith, learning, and curiosity.
This campaign is about investing in the future of St. Joseph Parish. It is about creating a place where our community can continue to thrive, where relationships deepen, faith grows, and service flourishes. By building a Parish Center that meets the needs of today and anticipates the needs of tomorrow, we are ensuring that St. Joseph remains a vibrant, inclusive, and forward-looking parish for generations to come.
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Our HistoryFounded in 1905 in the heart of Libertyville, St. Joseph Parish has been a center of faith, education, and community for over a century. Over the years, we have grown to serve more than 3,300 families, with a thriving school, faith formation programs, and over 100 ministries supporting parish life. Key milestones, including the Koenig Center, science and STEAM labs, and major church enhancements, reflect our commitment to providing spaces where our community can gather, learn, and grow.
St. Joseph has always balanced tradition with vision, investing in facilities that meet the needs of each generation. Today, as we embark on A Place to Gather, A Place to Grow, we build on this legacy—creating a Parish Center that will welcome families, support our leaders, and provide vibrant learning spaces, ensuring St. Joseph continues to be a home for worship, fellowship, and faith formation for generations to come.
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St. Joseph's 6 Key Space Needs
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We urgently need a larger central gathering space for Mass overflow, Narthex activities, and parish events: a place where the heart of our community can truly thrive. Our parish events are often the first way new and returning members experience St. Joseph, yet our current spaces are stretched to the limit.
Take the St. Joseph Dinner, one of our biggest celebrations of the year. We come together to celebrate the Feast Day of our patron saint, St. Joseph, and the room is alive with laughter, conversation, and the joy of coming together, but it consistently reaches above the capacity of the Koenig Center. At Christmas and Easter, even with extra Masses in the Koenig Center, people line the walls, standing shoulder to shoulder.
To give our all in loving God, loving our neighbor, and making disciples, we need a space that can welcome everyone—both those here now and all the people we hope to invite into our parish family for years to come. A larger gathering area will allow every person to encounter Jesus, follow Him, and share His love.
Photos from Christmas Eve 2024, standing room only for many families in both our Church and Koenig Center
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We want our campus to reflect the community we are called to be a place where every person can encounter Jesus, grow in faith, and share His love. Right now, the lack of accessible entrances and clear pathways keeps some people from fully taking part in parish life. We are committed to fixing that. By creating accessible ways to enter and move throughout our campus, we are opening our doors wider and making sure everyone can belong and participate fully.
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At St. Joseph, we are committed to creating a community where every person encounters Jesus, follows Him, and shares His love. Right now, our spaces are limiting our ability to live this out fully.
We have over 1,000 students enrolled in St. Joseph Catholic School and Children’s Faith Formation programs, yet we are constrained by limited space. While our school undergoes routine maintenance each year, growing modern needs require us to do more to ensure the environment meets the demands of a 21st-century education.
For Children’s Faith Formation, classes are spread across the campus, using any available room or meeting space. This arrangement raises safety concerns and makes effective oversight and instruction challenging. The school faces similar pressures: nearly 35 years have passed since the Koenig Center was built, and every corner is in constant use. Our educators and staff do remarkable work in this environment, but space limitations make it difficult to fully support programs, students, and collaborative teaching.
Our dedicated School & CFF Committee is actively working to address these issues and develop a comprehensive plan that supports students’ learning, growth, and well-being.
Key space needs include:- Consolidated, safe space for Children’s Faith Formation, allowing simultaneous classes and better oversight.
- A central Student Services Hub for collaborative support of students, parents, and teachers.
- Flexible, multi-use space to accommodate staff meetings, small group learning, and innovative teaching.
- Expanded classrooms to strengthen early education and ensure every child is fully supported academically, spiritually, and socially.
View Our School One Pager
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St. Joseph is blessed with a large and beautiful church that can accommodate thousands of parishioners for Mass and major celebrations. While this space is magnificent for large gatherings, it does not provide the intimacy and quiet needed for personal prayer, reflection, or small group gatherings. We currently lack a dedicated chapel where students, families, and parishioners can experience a close and personal encounter with Jesus. We are only able to offer Eucharistic Adoration once a week, but there is a desire for daily Eucharistic Adoration. A dedicated chapel would allow St. Joseph Catholic School and Children’s Faith Formation classes to pray and learn in a sacred environment, give families a welcoming place to gather for prayer, and provide a respectful setting for small Masses, weddings, and funerals. Thoughtful design elements, including stained glass and flexible, comfortable seating, would honor the rich history and culture of our parish while creating an accessible and inviting space for all.
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Our parish supports over 100 ministries, each bringing unique energy, ideas, and service to the St. Joseph community. With growing participation and engagement, we need a central meeting spaces that can keep pace with this vibrant activity.
Modern, dedicated meeting rooms would allow ministry leaders to gather efficiently, plan strategically, and stay current with best practices in ministry and organizational development. The right environment fosters collaboration, communication, and coordination, ensuring that each ministry can operate at peak effectiveness and realize its full potential.
Investing in spaces designed for connection and productivity strengthens our ability to serve the parish, support our volunteers, and advance our mission with excellence. This is not merely a matter of space—it is an investment in empowering our ministries to make a greater impact in the lives of those we serve.
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The current Parish Office was originally built 58 years ago as a rectory for our priests and has since been converted into office space. Our parish staff work in former bedrooms, navigating six different bathrooms, some of which are so small or awkwardly designed that showers and closets are used for storage. The building is inaccessible—there is no way to reach the lower level except by stairs—and there are very limited meeting spaces for staff collaboration. The office is old, inefficient, and requires frequent repairs, with a long list of deferred maintenance. We plan to move our staff and repurpose existing facilities to more efficiently use our space and resources, and better equip our staff.
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Our Plan
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Fellowship HallThis central gathering space will serve as the heart of our parish. Designed with flexibility and modern technology, it welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds to come together.
- The space will support parish life through after-Mass fellowship, parish events, and youth gatherings, while also providing the school with a dynamic venue for curriculum nights, formation programs, dances, and celebrations.
- Children’s Faith Formation will have a dedicated home for kickoffs, Holyween, large-class activities, and special gatherings that nurture young hearts in their faith.
- Sacramental celebrations, including Baptisms, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, marriages, and memorial events, will find a beautiful and fitting setting here.
- Additionally, this space will welcome Archdiocesan events, including seminarian formation and diocesan workshops, making it a hub where our parish not only serves its current members but extends hospitality and discipleship to the broader Church community.
Every event, every gathering, and every moment in this space will help ensure that every person encounters Jesus, follows Him, and shares His love.
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Learning CommonsAs St. Joseph School approaches its 100th anniversary in 2026, and our Children's Faith Formation program continues to expand, the new Learning Commons space will support three forward-looking initiatives while addressing current needs.
1) Student Services Hub- Centralizes a team currently scattered throughout the building
- Collaborative space enables consistent communication and teamwork to best meet students’ needs
- Ensures that every child — at every stage — is supported, known, and set up for success
2) The Knights’ Collaborative Learning Center- Adaptable space for groups of 2-100 with modular seating and flexible configurations
- Available for multi-class activities, small group learning, indoor recess, student presentations and performances, faculty professional development, sacrament prep, and the daily gatherings, we cannot currently support
- Encourages innovative & collaborative teaching
3) New Classrooms Enable School-Wide Transformation- Creates room in the existing early elementary floor for an additional full-day four-year-old preschool
- Enables a school-wide space audit to determine current and future needs
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Chapel
Over the past year and a half, the Chapel Committee has made significant progress in envisioning and developing the chapel as an integral part of the SJPC initiative.
Chapel Committee Members:
Larry Gundrum, Chair; Anna Roeser; Judy Dioszegi; Eileen Glynn-Tucker; Theresa Ertmanis; Beth Kraft; Scott Guziec; Dan Coughlin; and Dan Harris.- Research and Inspiration: Committee members have visited more than a dozen chapels throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago and across the country, gathering ideas and inspiration for the design, functionality, and spiritual character of our chapel.
- Planning and Collaboration: The committee has held numerous planning meetings and has worked closely with the appropriate Archdiocesan staff, keeping them informed and seeking their guidance throughout the process.
- Basic Chapel Design: Working in partnership with the SJPC Design & Construction Team and our architect, the basic chapel design, represented in the gray rendering has been finalized. The chapel will be approximately 1,000 square feet, with a 15–18-foot ceiling reminiscent of the ceiling in our church, and will accommodate approximately 70 people.
- Construction Budget: The gray rendering represents the elements currently included in the construction budget and reflects the chapel as it is planned to be built as part of the SJPC project.
- Long-Range Vision: The colored rendering represents our long-term vision for the chapel. Additional funding will be needed for elements such as stained glass, chairs, and other furnishings and enhancements. Opportunities to support these items will be offered at a later date.
- A Sacred Space for Our Parish: The chapel will play an integral role in the spiritual life of the St. Joseph faith community, providing an intimate and prayerful space for adoration, personal prayer, and small religious services. More than simply another room within the new building, the chapel is envisioned as a place where people can encounter Christ, deepen their faith, and find a quiet place to pray and be with the Lord.
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Timeline
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Campaign prayer
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Good and gracious God,
You have blessed our parish
with vibrant faith, unwavering hope,
enduring love, and a desire to serve.
As we work to build the
St. Joseph Parish Center,
a place to gather, a place to grow,
guide our efforts with Your wisdom and grace.
Inspire generosity in our hearts,
believing that You invite us to give
“not equal gifts but equal sacrifice,”
so that together we may create
an ever-expanding community
where every person encounters Jesus,
follows Him, and shares His love.
With Your Spirit,
may we respond to Your mission
as a parish community,
giving our all to love God,
love our neighbor, and make disciples.
We make this prayer through
the intercession of St. Joseph,
our protector and guide.
May this work bring glory to Your name.
Amen.
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mAKE yOUR fAITH commitment
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PRAY
Take time to intentionally pray about the vision God has entrusted to St. Joseph parish. Invite the Holy Spirit into your discernment and ask the Lord to open your heart to how you and your family are being called to participate.COMMIT
Make your faith commitment to God’s vision for St. Joseph parish. You can commit to intentionally praying or through a financial pledge or donation. To make an online pledge or donation, please click here. We also have pledge cards available in the Church. Pledge cards can be returned in the Narthex drop boxes or at the Parish Office at any time. If you have questions or want to talk more about the project, our team is ready to talk with you.CELEBRATE
Celebrate what God is already doing and what He will continue to do through your faithfulness. Every commitment is a step forward for our parish community and a sign of hope for the future. Return your faith commitment card with joy and confidence, knowing that God delights in generous hearts and multiplies even the smallest offerings in beautiful and surprising ways.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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The planned Parish Center will be approximately 25,000 square feet, designed to meet the growing needs of our parish community.
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Our goal is to raise at least $15 million. The more we are able to raise, the more we will be able to accomplish through this project and the greater impact we can make for our parish community.
Our budget for construction is estimated at $14 million, in addition the Archdiocese of Chicago requires us to hold $700,000 in contingency. We have also budgeted $700,000 for architectural and design services, and $300,000 for fundraising expenses.
An additional $2 million of our fundraising goal will support the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Generation to Generation campaign - a united effort across the Archdiocese that strengthens the care and support of our priests while investing in the future of our Church and its communities.
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We anticipate beginning construction in April 2027, with the goal of completing the Parish Center by late summer 2028, in advance of the start of the 2028–29 school year.
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The Fellowship Hall is planned to be roughly 6,000 square feet — an intentionally generous, welcoming space for community gatherings, celebrations, and parish life. For comparison, our existing Koenig Center is about 4,000 square feet. The Koenig Center will remain an important part of our campus. Its presence is vital for St. Joseph’s School operations and other parish functions.
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No. After careful evaluation, we decided not to include a basement in the project. Excavation and construction costs to build a basement between the Church and School exceeded what our budget allows.
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We plan to temporarily relocate parish staff to the first-floor annex of our existing facility at 200 N. Milwaukee Avenue, with the long-term goal of moving staff to the second floor. This transition will allow us to repurpose existing space for meeting rooms and shared-use areas, making wise and intentional use of our facilities and resources.
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Fellowship Hall is envisioned as the heart of parish life. It will host after‑Mass gatherings, parish events, youth events, school functions, larger gatherings and meetings, and major celebrations. It will also offer a spacious and flexible setting for sacramental celebrations such as Baptisms, First Communions, weddings, memorial events, and other milestones. The space may further accommodate diocesan activities, strengthening our parish’s role in the wider Church community.
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The new Parish Center will include a dedicated Chapel, with 24-hour access. It’s designed to be an intimate, sacred space. Once completed, it will provide a quieter, more personal environment than our large church — ideal for private prayer, small liturgies like weddings and funerals, Eucharistic Adoration, and gatherings for our students, families, small groups, and ministries.
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The plan envisions the Parish Center as a two-story building constructed between the school and church — thereby strengthening the physical connection between the two. This layout allows for easier flow between worship, community, education, and ministry spaces. The design will ensure that transitions between areas are smooth and accessible.
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Yes, there are plans for a courtyard to be located between the Chapel and the school. This is currently the space between the Koenig Center entrance and the school. It will be used for small gatherings and quiet prayer. Access will be available through the new lobby area.
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Christian stewardship is a form of worship in which we, as disciples of Jesus Christ, receive God’s gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, and share them lovingly. We return these gifts with loving increase to the Lord. Stewardship is the generous giving of one’s time, talent, and treasure as lay ministers and financial donors. Sacrificial giving means to give out of one’s substance rather than merely the surplus. This amount is different for everyone, but it includes giving that brings about a positive spiritual change in you and that of your family.
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Those who came before us built St. Joseph Catholic Church. Now, we have the honor of securing and building upon that foundation for future generations. Thus, A Place to Gather, A Place to Grow is the name of our capital campaign in progress at St. Joseph Catholic Church—formerly known as the Town Square Project. This campaign seeks to raise a minimum of $15 million to address the specific needs identified by our community during the 2024 feasibility study.
First envisioned in our Master Plan over a decade ago, the vision for this new multi-story space has slowly come to life. Over the past two years, thanks to the generosity of St. Joseph School families, we’ve made significant progress—and we’re now inviting the entire parish community to join us in bringing this vision to fruition. This new facility will replace our outdated parish office, strengthen the connection between church and school, and provide a modern, flexible space to meet the growing needs of our community.
The plan is to construct a multi-story building between the school and parish, replacing the existing 13,078-square-foot, two-story office with an updated facility that will better support our ministries, programs, school, and parish life. This space will include areas for large gatherings, a day chapel for adoration, accessible office space, versatile meeting rooms, and state-of-the-art classrooms.
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From November to December 2024, St. Joseph Catholic Church conducted a feasibility study in partnership with CCS Fundraising. The feasibility study received input from more than three hundred fifty stakeholders. Participants were invited to consider and prioritize the elements of the St. Joseph Parish Center while identifying additional pressing needs to be addressed through a capital campaign. The study confirmed that St. Joseph has both the capacity and enthusiasm to move forward with a successful campaign to support the needs outlined in the campaign brochure.
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It is important that the parish offertory continue to grow during the campaign’s five-year pledge period. While this campaign will raise much-needed funds toward the capital project as outlined, the parish offertory supports the day-to-day operations of the parish and our many ministries. We are asking each family to support this campaign in addition to their annual giving to the parish and the school.
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Donors are asked to complete and sign a pledge card as a good-faith commitment, indicating that they have agreed to the terms of the gift indicated on the card. A pledge card is not a legally binding document. The completed pledge card will ensure the pledge/gift is appropriately recorded and acknowledged by the campaign gift processing office. The most vital information on the pledge card is the total amount of the commitment, the amount of the initial payment (if any), the balance, and the payment plan selected by the donor. If financial circumstances change, a donor may contact St. Joseph Catholic Church at (847) 362-2073 to adjust, pause, or cancel their pledge.
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Your first campaign pledge payment is scheduled for July 2026. At that time, you will be asked to contribute 20% of your total pledge, representing one of five annual payments.
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The campaign pledge period is structured over a five-year period, and you can determine when you want to start payment of your pledge. There are two additional ways you can support the campaign – through prayer and as a volunteer. Prayer is at the heart of the Gospel. Every family will be asked to pray for the success of the campaign. Additionally, we need volunteers to help make personal visits and/or to make phone calls. Please contact St. Joseph Catholic Church at (847) 362-2073 to learn more about how to become a volunteer.
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By completing a few simple steps, you can include our parish in your will or as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy or IRA. Including language in your will or estate plan that leaves a percentage of your estate or specific dollar amount, or a gift contingent upon certain events, will help St. Joseph Catholic Church to continue to thrive in the future. Please contact St. Joseph Catholic Church at (847)362-2073 to discuss your intent to include a gift in your estate plans and learn more about the steps needed.
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Team members
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Fundraising Team
Kevin & Lori Burns, Chair
Cathy & Maurice Griffin
Scott Guziec
Michelle Hobson
Ryan & Sarah Hutchinson
Beth & Dan Kraft
Steve & Ginny Lacke
Jim & Sharon Lentino
Kathleen & John O’Connor
Gerry & Judy Salzman
Rita & John Tschanz -
Chapel Team
Larry Gundrum, Chair
Deacon Dan Coughlin
Judy Dioszegi
Theresa Ertmanis
Anna Roeser
Eileen Glynn-Tucker
Scott Guziec
Dan Harris
Beth Kraft
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St. Joseph Parish Center Capital Campaign Steering Committee
Father Jake Beltran
Deacon Dan Coughlin, Chair
Kathleen O'Connor
Joe Wegrzyn
Kevin Burns
Jon Monroe
Kevin Rule
Anna Roeser
Liz Hein
Brian Fahrenbach
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St. Joseph Catholic School & Children's Faith Formation Team
Sarah & Ryan Hutchinson, Chair
Dr. Julie Brua
Melissa & Ryan Eigner
Jasmine Gonzalez
Rikki and Anthony Jennings
Louie Karagiannes
Marisa Macdonald
Jennifer Sullivan -
Construction & Design Team
John Landgraf, Chair
Thomas Cappelle
Dan Harris
Mike Lynn
Ben Miller
Les Sturgeon
Brian Tracey
Joe Wegrzyn
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