St. Joseph's Church was organized on January 5, 1870, when Rev. Jean-François Ponsardin, under Bishop Bcon's orders, began forming a French-Canadian parish in Biddeford. From 1870 to 1873, the congregation used the old Methodist Church on Alfred Street, while St. Mary's Church had previously been the only Catholic church in the vicinity. Construction of St. Joseph's began in 1873, and the first mass was celebrated in the church basement in October 1874. In 1879, Rev. Pierre-Emmanuel Dupont came to Biddeford to succeed Father Ponsardin, and under his charge rapid progress was made until the church was completed in 1883. The church is Gothic in style with a 235-foot steeple topped with a gilded cross, and in 1900 three bells were added to its spire: the "Marie Joseph Ann," weighing 2,400 pounds, the "Michele Pierre Léon XIII," weighing 1,200 pounds, and the "Thérèse Angèle Jean-Baptiste," weighing 700 pounds.