About Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary Roman Catholic Church in Las Vegas, Nevada:
Saint Joseph Husband of Mary Parish began in the Palm Mortuary Chapel on Jones Boulevard and Trinity Methodist Church on West Charleston. Those locations are where the Rev. Joseph Anthony gathered 50 parishioners in 1989 and told them one day they would worship in their own church. Bishop Daniel Walsh gave Father Anthony the task of forming a congregation for the church to be built on five acres at West Sahara Avenue and Tenaya Way. The reverend began by giving guest sermons at Catholic churches around Southern Nevada. He also announced plans to build Saint Joseph.
The pastor at Trinity Methodist Church was happy to rent its chapel, and Father Anthony’s flock met there and at the mortuary. After the first week, Father Anthony realized he had to get some sort of building up on the Sahara site, as close to 40 families joined the original 50 parishioners that week.
Through donations from the congregation, modular buildings were constructed on the property. They were small and the roof leaked, they held their first Mass on May 12, 1990.
With a congregation of 500 by 1991, Saint Joseph committed to constructing a permanent multipurpose building that would substitute as a temporary church. Father Anthony knew he wanted a Spanish design, similar to the missions in Northern California. Parishioners raised $700,000 over three months and borrowed the remainder of the $1.2 million from the diocese. Within seven months, the multipurpose facility was providing a temporary church hall, kitchen, offices and several classrooms. And already it wasn’t enough.
“On the first week, we outgrew the building,” Father Anthony said. “We moved in, and we had over 700 seats filled.”
The congregation was eager to have a permanent church.. but Father Anthony knew the diocese wouldn’t allow him to construct a church that sat fewer than 1,000 people. To raise enough money for a building that big, he turned to Dan Healy, a development consultant who worked for the Catholic Church. Healy had lived in the Las Vegas for 2 1/2 years and worked on fund-raising projects throughout Nevada for 21 years. He was aware of the church’s needs and knew exactly what to do.
“It was a complete act of love,” says Meggan Debevec, a parishioner who worked on both the multipurpose and church projects. “I lived and breathed these projects every single day. But it was a great way to be part of the community. How many people get to say they built a church in their lifetime?”
Debevec was surprised at the volunteer turnout. She thought 200 would be good. When 500 parishioners arrived, she was amazed.
“We have an inspirational pastor,” Debevec says. “He is the shepherd of his flock. We were all inspired. You know when you have these many people involved, God is on your side.”
Anthony chose a Spanish design that would complement the multipurpose building. He admits “borrowing” design features — the large courtyard and fountain, for instance — from the Mission of San Carlos Borromeo de Carmel in Northern California.
Entering the church, you walk into a wide foyer capped by a 50-foot ceiling. Two bronze statues imported from Italy stand watch over the entrance. A massive cantara stone baptismal fountain carved in Guadalajara, Mexico, is the first thing you see before walking into the chapel.
“We wanted people to see the fountain first because, for all Christians, this is where life starts,” Anthony says.
The church will accommodate 1,410 people. The 24,000-square-foot chapel and adjoining offices are ringed by 2 1/2 tons of stained glass. The altar and pulpit are cantara stone, and behind them loom three glass-tile-and-gold mosaics.
The center mosaic of Christ measures 26 by 10 feet. On either side are smaller mosaics of the Virgin Mary and a trinity of angels. Designed by artist Bruno Salvatori of Italy, they were shipped to Las Vegas in 1-by-1-foot pieces (230 for the Christ mosaic alone) and assembled in the church.
Salvatori spent five months creating the figures from glass squares. The backgrounds are finished in 24-carat gold.
Helen Detmer was the only Nevada artist to work on the church. She created three black-and-white stained-glass overlay windows in three doors. Anthony had her do depictions of “Our Lady of Guadalope,” “I Will Make You Fishermen of Men” and “The Raising of Lazarus.”
“Doing these pieces was very inspiring,” Detmer says. “You are surrounded by a beautiful church and it was peaceful working there.”
Each door inlay measures 2 by 5 feet.
Note: This is not to be confused with Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in Las Vegas that is not in communion with Rome..it is, unfortunately, a schismatic church.
Traveling to Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary Roman Catholic Church in Las Vegas, Nevada:
Address: 7260 W Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89117
Phone: +1 (702) 363.1902