St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
Riverhead, Harbour Grace

The Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815, and with it brought many Irish settlers to Conception Bay. Many settled at the head of Harbour Grace, forming a distinct Irish Community, known today as Riverhead. The time at which the families settled at Riverhead is rather hard to pinpoint, but most families seemed to appear between the year 1804 and 1815. With them they brought the still familiar names such as Sullivan, Callahan, Shanahan and McCarthy.

The Right Reverend Dr. Ronald MacDonald, third Bishop of the Diocese of Harbour Grace arrived on September 29, 1881. During his episcopacy, he opened St. Joseph's church, November 13th, 1886, as a mission of The Immaculate Conception Parish of Harbour Grace. The reason for his decision was because of the due increase of Roman Catholic citizens in Harbour Grace and surrounding areas. The boundaries for Riverhead church area were Lee's Lane in Harbour Grace including Harbour Grace South, Bryant's Cove and the Thicket. Also the surrounding communities of Upper Island Cove and Spaniards Bay. "The Colonist" dated May 3, 1890 stated> that 20 carpenters were engaged under the superintendence of Michael Tobin and the Romanesque architectural style was being finished according to the plan of Bishop MacDonald.

It is interesting to note that the there had been land purchased for the purpose of a cemetery but never had St. Joseph's had it's own cemetery to bury it's parishioners. The people who attended St. Joseph's church would still have to be buried in Harbour Grace cemetery. The location of the purchased land was on the Hard Path, Riverhead. Later in 1929 an all Grade school was built next to the church. Right now it is used as a hall.

Originally, the church was heated with a pot bellied stove but in the 1930's, a furnace replaced the stove. The imprint of the stove can still be seen in the church today. An old chimney, which has now fallen down, allows the wind driven snow to enter the attic. The remains of this chimney are still lying on the ground, and the scars of it's removal are visible and still unpainted.

Up until 1984, there were two priests stationed in the parish. One was assigned to Riverhead, which included daily mass and one weekend mass.

The church was painted in 1973 and with it they removed the marble altar which was attached to the back wall. A full length carpet was placed over the wall to cover up the imprints of the altar. The church wasn't painted again until 1988, with the help of the parishioners. They installed new carpet throughout the church. The lights that are present now have been there since they installed them years before. In 1987 they replaced the windows and wooden siding with vinyl siding.

The Roman Catholic church in Riverhead, Harbour Grace, is over 110 years old and the wooden frame building is typical of the design for that era. It has an extremely high roof supported on built-up wood columns, which share the load of the wing on either side of the main body. The original roof framing was carried out in limber on the round, whereas the extension used saw lumber. The interior has classic Roman details in the vernacular with an interesting diaper pattern ceiling.

The two-ton bell was donated by the Dryer family in 1886 when the church first opened. The bell tower was replaced in 1994, but the original bell remains in the new tower. It cost $15,000 and its purpose was to improve the look and maintenance of the church. Also in 1994, the church was modernized with a wheelchair ramp and another exit.

It's also interesting to note that in the 1987 census, approximately 100 years later, that there were more Catholics in Riverhead than anywhere in the Immaculate Conception Parish.

As the years have gone by more and more objects have been donated to the church such as Holy water fonts and Baptism font, both donated by the Coomb's family and Umbrella's donated by Noel's FuneralHome.

St. Joseph's Church has become a very important part of the lives of the parishioners in Riverhead. The people are proud to have such a history in their town. St. Joseph's is more than just a church to the people, it stands as a symbol- even a sacrament - of the living faith reflected in their hearts and lives, both past and present.