In this first in a series of Catholic faith discussions with Fr. Courtney E. Krier, the long time pastor of Saint Joseph's Catholic Church in downtown Las Vegas, we discuss Father Krier's calling to the priesthood, as well as his coping with the challenges wrought by Vatican II and a changing approach to educating priests. The interviewer is parish administrative assistant to Fr. Krier, Stephen Hauf.
ABOUT SAINT JOSEPH'S CATHOLIC CHURCH, LAS VEGAS
Founded in 1982 by Father James Wilson, a retired priest from the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church began as a modest storefront place of worship in downtown Las Vegas. Today, St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church is now in its 41st year serving the faithful of Las Vegas.
Upon the passing of Father Wilson, in 1997, Father Courtney Krier, a native of Ohio, assumed all pastoral duties. This included oversight of the Saint Joseph's Mission Church in Needles, CA, some 110 miles from Las Vegas. Father Krier is also fluent in Spanish and German and offers a 12 PM Sunday Mass in Spanish.
Father Krier expanded the original footprint of Saint Joseph's and undertook the building of the beautiful church visitors and parishioners see today. It is a church that looks like a church, not a postmodern building which could pass for a modern office complex or dance hall.
All Masses and Sacraments are of the Latin Rite. We firmly believing that the Latin Rite offers up the greatest glory to God. In fact, until the turbulent 1960s, Latin was the language of every single Catholic Church worldwide. In this there was a unity of worship that transcended borders and cultures.
In addition to attending to spiritual needs, Saint Joseph's has, for over 20 years, offered a hot weekday morning meal for the indigent, homeless, and poor of downtown Las Vegas. This is made possible through the generous donation of food items, both by individuals and institutions. Clothing donations are also gratefully accepted from kind donors and made available daily. Other types of aid are distributed on an as needed and as requested basis. No one in need is ever turned away.
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Church Website: stjosephlv.org
The demands of running a parish with a single pastor are challenging, to say the least. Father Krier conducts a rosary service before each weekday and Saturday Mass, and the Sacrament of Confession is offered before each Sunday Mass. Three Sunday Masses are offered, the last in Spanish. The high Mass is offered at 10 AM. After the last Mass, Fr. Krier drives to Needles, CA to offer a 4 PM Mass there.
Fr. Krier writes, prints, and copies a bilingual weekly church bulletin. He also writes and sends to all registered parishioners who wish to receive it a weekly letter of spiritual and historical information regarding traditional Catholicism. These are scholarly in nature and well-supported by copious sources and footnotes.They are informative and fascinating. We highly suggest you contact the office to be placed on the email list to receive them.