Saint Joseph in Dover, Ohio, was founded in 1849 and opened in 1850. The present church was dedicated in 1966. Immaculate Conception Parish was founded in 1870 for Irish railroad workers. The church was built in 1871 and rededicated in 1880 after being enlarged. Sacred Heart Parish was founded in 1895 and the church was built in 1928. All three parishes established elementary schools with Saint Joseph and Immaculate Conception also establishing high schools. Upon completion of eighth grade, students from Sacred Heart usually attended Saint Joseph High School.

Catholic education flourished as the parishes grew. Also at this time, the number of women entering religious life grew and congregations of Religious Sisters began to staff the Catholic schools. The Sisters of Divine Providence from Allison Park, Pennsylvania, were educators at Saint Joseph Elementary School and High School and Sacred Heart Elementary School with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Kentucky, educators at Immaculate Conception Elementary School and High School.


Sadly near the end of the 1960’s, enrollment in Catholic high schools began to decrease. In 1967 it was made public that area Catholic high schools might close. In 1968 Bishop Elwell was appointed to the Columbus diocese. As priest and bishop, he was, primarily, an educator. Bishop Elwell was convinced that the Catholic high school system must be preserved and developed. He conceived and brought to completion three diocesan high school buildings: Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School. Lancaster Fisher Catholic High School and Zanesville Rosecrans High School.


The class of 1970 was the last class to graduate from Dover Saint Joseph High School and Immaculate Conception High School. Bishop Elwell then merged Dover Saint Joseph High School and Immaculate Conception High School into Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School. No longer were the high schools known as the “Ramblers” and the “Blue Waves”. The new school would be known as the “Saints” (the elementary schools remained unchanged)! The first group of “Saints” to graduate from Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School was the class of 1971.


For one year, Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School students attended classes in Dennison in the building of what was formerly Immaculate Conception High School. By the opening of the next school year, Tuscarawas Central Catholic students were able to attend classes in New Philadelphia in the newly constructed building. In that year, the building of the former Immaculate Conception High School was converted into Immaculate Conception Elementary School.


By 2010 enrollment was declining in the area Catholic elementary schools. In 1985 the last Sisters of Charity withdrew from Immaculate Conception and in 1994 the Sisters of Divine Providence withdrew from Saint Joseph. Sacred Heart School was closed (no more “Crusaders”), Saint Joseph School (no more “Ramblers”) was now Tuscarawas Central Catholic Elementary School Saints (ES) with the seventh and eighth grade from both schools moved to Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School renamed Tuscarawas Central Catholic Junior Senior High School. The following year the seventh and eighth grade at Immaculate Conception merged with Tuscarawas Central Catholic Junior Senior High School.


In 2021, the Spiritual Life Committee was given the task of trying to bring religious Sisters back to Tuscarawas County.  They contacted the Diocesan Vicar for Religious Orders, Father Stash Dailey, in June of 2021.  They continued checking in with him every couple of months.  Fr. Dailey emailed the committee on May 2, 2023, stating there would be a site visit from the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Head Nun, Sr. Leena. After her visit, Sr. Leena informed Fr. Jeff that she loved our area and our Catholic community.  The rectory at Immaculate Conception Church was converted into a convent in September 2023 and the Sisters arrived October 18, 2023.