St. Joseph Parish was founded in 1857 and the original church was dedicated in 1859. A rectory was built by 1866 and a convent in 1899.

The convent was used as a boarding school and housed the nuns who taught there. St Joseph School educated thousands of children until its closure in 1992.

Over the years, church parishes were carved out of the huge parochial territory of St. Joseph in Gretna making it the “Mother Church” of fourteen parishes on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish, stretching as far as Grand Isle.

A second church, a brick Gothic structure with a tall spire was dedicated in 1910 and badly damaged in the 1915 hurricane. The third and present church built in the impressive Spanish Renaissance style was dedicated in 1927.

Stations of the Cross carved from one 18-ton block of Carrara marble were fitted into the arches above the French doors.

In 2013 the church was designated as “St. Joseph Church and Shrine on the West Bank.” The Holy Family Memorial Garden is a place for prayer and meditation. The Church Complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.