St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Appleton will begin offering its own religious education program after 36 years of running a joint program with Appleton's St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

“St. Joe’s and St Mary’s have had a long history of sharing our religious education program,” St. Joseph’s announced in a recent church bulletin. “It goes all the way back to 1984 when Fr. Roger Zach and Fr. Robert Schiavone were the pastors. “It brought our two parishes together and we could provide a first-class program with fewer staff.”

Both churches will now be operating their own independent programs, the announcement said. Registration for St. Joseph's program began late last month.

“Of course, adjustments will have to be made to adapt to fewer students,” the announcement said. “But with everyone’s help and cooperation, we’ll be working through the summer to make sure the transition goes smoothly.”