St. Joseph Parish first began to organize in 1813 and was founded as a mission to Assumption Church in Plattenville in 1817.
 Two years later a small wooden church building was constructed near the current church cemetery.
 The Rev. Antoine Potini was assigned as St. Joseph's first pastor.
 It is the oldest Catholic parish in the diocese and many of the other churches were founded from it and served by its priest.
 The Rev. Charles Menard had a brick church built in 1849 and it was destroyed by a fire in 1916.
 The relics of Saint Valerie survived the fire and are in the current church in a glass sarcophagus.
 The present church was begun in 1920 during the pastorate of Msgr.
Alexander Barbier.
 It was completed three years later in the Renaissance Revival style.
 The first Mass was celebrated on January 25, 1923.
 The ornamental marble and plaster work was added in 1931 and the final paint scheme was done in 1954.

Two of the parish's that were created from St. Joseph include St. Genevieve Parish, that was established in 1959, and St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in 1970.

On March 2, 1977 Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.
St. Francis de Sales Church in Houma became the cathedral of the new diocese and St. Joseph Church in Thibodaux became the co-cathedral.

St. Joseph Life Center was built in 1985 to house the parish's administrative offices and community center.
 A major restoration of the co-cathedral church was completed in 2005.
St. Joseph Parish first began to organize in 1813 and was founded as a mission to Assumption Church in Plattenville in 1817.  Two years later a small wooden church building was constructed near the current church cemetery.  The Rev. Antoine Potini was assigned as St. Joseph's first pastor.  It is the oldest Catholic parish in the diocese and many of the other churches were founded from it and served by its priest.  The Rev. Charles Menard had a brick church built in 1849 and it was destroyed by a fire in 1916.  The relics of Saint Valerie survived the fire and are in the current church in a glass sarcophagus.  The present church was begun in 1920 during the pastorate of Msgr. Alexander Barbier.  It was completed three years later in the Renaissance Revival style.  The first Mass was celebrated on January 25, 1923.  The ornamental marble and plaster work was added in 1931 and the final paint scheme was done in 1954.
Two of the parish's that were created from St. Joseph include St. Genevieve Parish, that was established in 1959, and St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in 1970.
On March 2, 1977 Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. St. Francis de Sales Church in Houma became the cathedral of the new diocese and St. Joseph Church in Thibodaux became the co-cathedral.
St. Joseph Life Center was built in 1985 to house the parish's administrative offices and community center.  A major restoration of the co-cathedral church was completed in 2005.
St. Joseph Co-Cathedral (Thibodaux, Louisiana)