Along with St. John of God and Holy Cross, it is one of three monumental religious edifices that dominates the skyline of the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Initially a mission of St. Mary of Perpetual Help, St. Joseph's was organized in 1887 as the first Polish parish in the Back of the Yards.

Its patron saint proved very appropriate as the parish long served a congregation of immigrant workers near the Union Stockyards.

Like most of the Poles who settled in Chicago's Southwest Side, many of the first parishioners of St. Joseph's were Gorals, or Polish Highlanders, from the Carpathian Mountains.

[7] In 2015, the parish received a relic of Pope John Paul II, recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church.

[3] In August 2015, when the new St. Joseph Plaza, adorned with a paver stone rosary, was inaugurated in its place.

Mary, Joseph, and Michael Parish as part of an archdiocesan Renew My Church planning process.

[10] St. Joseph's offers mass every day of the week, with services in Polish, English, and Spanish.