St. Joseph Catholic Church

THE CHALLENGE

For more than a century, the people of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Chatham, Illinois, have embodied the spirit of their patron, St. Joseph the Worker — rolling up their sleeves and working together to build a thriving parish community. From the nine founding families who built the first church by hand in 1920 to the faithful parishioners who funded and constructed a new worship space in 1971, the St. Joseph community has always risen to meet the needs of its time. Today, St. Joseph is a vibrant and growing parish of more than 1,100 families — a 10% increase since 2021. But with growth comes new challenges. When a diocesan fundraising effort created an opportunity to share resources for a parish campaign, church leadership considered what could be accomplished. Instead of building bigger, the focus shifted to preserving and improving.

THE VISION

Parish leadership recognized the need to address critical facility issues, including:

• Resurfacing the parking lot.
• Improving drainage throughout the campus to prevent flooding.
• Upgrading electrical and lighting systems for the church.
• Improving ADA accessibility for an aging congregation.
• Renovating the aging parish hall kitchen.
• Building new onsite storage facilities.
• Creating a parish maintenance fund to sustain future needs.

THE SOLUTION

To help bring this vision to life, St. Joseph Catholic Church partnered with the Steier Group for a customized campaign management to navigate both parish and diocesan goals. Together with parish volunteers, a compelling case for support was crafted that connected the legacy of past generations with the needs of today. Additionally, assistance from Steier Group support services, including a dedicated graphic designer and grant writer, increased the visibility and effectiveness of the campaign. The result was a successful Honoring Our Past, Building Our Future Capital Campaign that united longtime members and new families alike — all committed to preserving the church they love while building for the future.