St Joseph Parish is the Northernmost parish in the Diocese of Lake Charles. About 645 families are incorporated into the canonical parish and are ministered to by Rev. Jude Brunnert, M.S.
The fact of geography has meant that St Joseph Parish, throughout it 75 year history, has been on the periphery of the state's Catholic centers.
Protestant families from the southeast first settled the northern part of the Imperial Calcasieu. It was not until the development of the timber industry that a Catholic Population arrived. These were Italian, Lebanese, Albanian and Syrian immigrants, who were brought in or who came on their own, to work in the many sawmills located around DeRidder at the turn of the 20th century. Since the nearest priests were in Lake Charles or Alexandria, these Catholic families, following their age-old practices, would gather in different homes on Sunday to pray the Rosary and read the Catechism.
The first priest to visit came by horseback or buggy, usually arriving in the evening, and staying overnight in one of the homes of the families they were ministering to. They celebrated Mass in one of the homes the next morning, and then spent the remainder of the day baptizing infants, validating marriages, and administering the other sacraments as needed.
The Rev. Hubert Cramers, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Lake Charles, was one of those who made periodic trips to DeRidder. It was through his influence that the Rev. Vincent Ciolino was sent by the Archdiocese of New Orleans for the spiritual care of Italian and Albanian Catholics, while a Father Joseph (other name uncertain) who was visiting from Lebanono, agreed to assist with the Lebanese and Syrian Catholics.
A Ladies Altar Society as organized, and the ladies began to prepare for the day when DeRidder would have a resident priest. By begging donations, holding many pie and cake sales, they bought a small house on a lot contiguous to the chapel and were able to pay for it. This was to be the rectory, if, and when, they had a priest.
Today, St Joseph Parish continues to grow and completed an $800,000.00 renovation in 2011; the first since it was built in 1966.