The first settlers to the area, arriving beginning in 1850, were mostly of German descent.
For many years, the Catholics traveled to Centerville to attend Mass at the church of
St. Genevieve. In the late 1880s, settlers near Rice Lake petitioned for a church of their own.
Thanks to the generosity of the local Catholic families, land was donated and a frame church
was constructed. It opened its doors in 1889 and was given the name St. Joseph of Rice Lake.
In 1895, just six years later, this first church was destroyed by a tornado. It was replaced
by a brick structure, dedicated in 1897. That building still stands, though by the 1950s the
community had outgrown their beloved church. In 1961, a new campus was completed, and
as growth continued, a beautiful new worship space, seating 1,400, was built in 1997.