St. Joseph's Polish Catholic Church
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St. Joseph's Polish Catholic Church (
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
: ''Kośćiół Świętego Józefa'') is a historic
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
church at 1010 Liberty Street in Camden, Camden County,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, United States. It is one of two churches in Camden named St. Joseph. The other is St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral.


History

The parish was started by a group of Polish immigrants in 1891 and incorporated the following year on October 24. The parish rented a building on Broadway to use as a church. Land was bought at Tenth and Liberty Streets and a combination church and school was completed in 1895. George I. Lovatt, Sr., a Philadelphia architect, designed the present church in the
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
style. Construction was begun in 1913 and the church was dedicated in May 1914. The church building cost $100,000 to build. The interior was painted in 1923 for $15,000. The
stained-glass windows Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
were donated as memorials over the years.


Architecture

The exterior of the structure is covered in gray Vermont granite. A Romanesque style entrance is located in the tower. The building is cruciform in shape. There are three bells in the tower:
Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
(quarter-ton),
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
(half-ton) and
Adalbert Adalbert is a German given name which means "noble bright" or "noble shining", derived from the words ''adal'' (meaning noble) and ''berht'' (shining or bright). Alternative spellings include Adelbart, Adelbert and Adalberto. Derivative names incl ...
(one-ton). The bells were dedicated on December 2, 1917. The interior of the church features a 63-foot (19.2 m)
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
and an
apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
that is crowned by a half-rounded
cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...
above the main altar. There are two side altars in nitches that flank the main altar. A choir loft is above the main entrance. The church has a seating capacity of 1,000 people.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Camden County, New Jersey This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Camden County, New Jersey. Latitude and longitude coordinates of the sites listed on this page may be displayed in an onli ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Josephs Polish Catholic Church Christian organizations established in 1891 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1914 Roman Catholic churches in New Jersey Polish-American culture in New Jersey Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Churches in Camden County, New Jersey Roman Catholic churches in Camden, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Camden County, New Jersey 1891 establishments in New Jersey Polish cathedral style architecture 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States