Jasper native Fr. Daniel Kreilein celebrates first Mass at St. Joseph Church
Fr. Daniel Kreilein returned home to Jasper for a rare Solemn Latin Mass at St. Joseph, celebrating his first Mass of Thanksgiving in the parish where he grew up.
Daniel Kreilein came home to St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jasper on Wednesday evening, returning to the parish where he grew up to celebrate his first Mass of Thanksgiving as Fr. Daniel Kreilein. The 6 p.m. Solemn Latin Mass gave Jasper a rare chance to watch one of its own offer Mass at the historic church that formed his faith.
Bishop Joseph M. Siegel was expected to attend and preach at the service, adding diocesan weight to a moment that carried deep local meaning for St. Joseph parishioners. Kreilein is a parishioner of the church, and his return turned a priestly milestone into a hometown event for families who know the church not just as a Sunday destination, but as a place where generations have been baptized, married and buried.
St. Joseph Catholic Church is part of the Diocese of Evansville and sits at 1215 N. Newton Street in Jasper. The parish traces its roots to 1837, when Fr. Joseph Kundek, a missionary priest from Croatia, founded the community. That history helped frame Kreilein’s first Mass as more than a ceremonial stop after ordination. It was a return to the altar of a parish that has shaped Catholic life in Dubois County for nearly two centuries.
The church’s Sunday schedule, 6:00 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. in Spanish and 6:00 p.m., reflects an active parish life that extends beyond a single celebration. Recent livestreams on the Saint Joseph Jasper YouTube channel also show how the parish has blended its long tradition with a modern media presence, making its liturgies visible to members who cannot always be in the pews.
Kreilein’s path to the priesthood had already been closely followed by the parish and the diocese. A diocesan and Latin Mass source reported that he was ordained to the diaconate on October 25, 2025, and a parish post said he was to be ordained to the priesthood on May 28, 2026, in Lincoln, Nebraska. His first Mass of Thanksgiving in Jasper brought those milestones home, closing the circle at the church where his story in the Catholic faith began.
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