St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Egypt, Ohio)
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Egypt Catholic Church and Rectory
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Front and side of the church
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| Location | Junction of State Route 364 and Minster-Egypt Rd., Egypt, Ohio |
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| Coordinates | 40°23′5″N 84°26′4″W / 40.38472°N 84.43444°WCoordinates: 40°23′5″N 84°26′4″W / 40.38472°N 84.43444°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1887 |
| Architect | Anton Goehr |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival, Sears |
| MPS | Cross-Tipped Churches of Ohio TR |
| NRHP reference # | 79003455 |
| Added to NRHP | July 26, 1979 |
St. Joseph's Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Egypt, Ohio, United States. Built in 1887, this church is home to a small Catholic parish, and it has been declared a historic site because of its well-preserved Gothic Revival architecture.
The original settlers of far southern Auglaize County were overwhelmingly Catholic. At this period, prior to 1850, the region was part of the Great Black Swamp; consequently, travel was extremely difficult. For this reason, it is reported that the small community west of Minster was called "Egypt" — a pioneer remarked that "this place was made of a dab of mud that fell from the wheelbarrow of God when He made the world and therefore it ought to be called 'Egypt.'"
Egypt's first settlers were members of St. Augustine's Church in Minster, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) to the east. Because of the swampy character of the land, wheeled transit was nearly impossible; the men of the community could only travel to St. Augustine's on horseback, and the women and children were almost never able to worship at all. At the same time, the membership of St. Augustine's was growing to the point that its facilities were severely strained. Therefore, a movement arose for the creation of a separate parish in Egypt, and in 1852, three men were sent to petition Archbishop Purcell for a separate church. The archbishop granted permission for the erection of the parish in that year; it was dedicated to St. Joseph, and subscriptions soon raised $800 for the construction of a church.
Once the members had agreed on the basic architectural elements of their church, they summoned multiple contractors for the bidding process. Each of the contractors independently named $800 as the cost of erecting the new church; consequently, parishioner Henry Rolfes was placed in charge after he named his price at just $300 and the cost of some materials. Even after the cost of all materials was deducted, enough money remained to pay a priest for the first year. Originally, the parish had no priest of its own; Mass was typically celebrated by priests from St. John's in Maria Stein or St. Augustine's in Minster. After four years, a rectory and a female convent were built near the church, and the parish obtained a resident pastor for the first time. Since its earliest years, St. Joseph's Church has been served by the Society of the Precious Blood.
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