St. Joseph's is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in Chicago, Illinois at 4821 South Hermitage Avenue. Founded in 1887 with the current church building dating to 1914, Saint Joseph's is a prime example of the Polish Cathedral style of churches in both its opulence and grand scale. Along with St. John of God and Holy Cross, it is one of three monumental religious edifices that dominates the skyline of the Back of the Yards neighborhood. The parish survived archdiocesan budget cuts in 1990, and, in 2021, was merged with several local churches into a single parish. Today, St. Joseph serves a multicultural community.

Both immigrant Poles and Americans of Polish heritage live in Chicago, Illinois. They are a part of worldwide Polonia, the Polish term for the Polish Diaspora outside of Poland. Poles in Chicago have contributed to the economic, social and cultural well-being of Chicago from its very beginning. Poles have been a part of the history of Chicago since 1837, when Captain Joseph Napieralski, along with other veterans of the November Uprising first set foot there. As of the 2000 U.S. census, Poles in Chicago were the largest European American ethnic group in the city, making up 7.3% of the total population. However, according to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, German Americans and Irish Americans each had slightly surpassed Polish Americans as the largest European American ethnic groups in Chicago. German Americans made up 7.3% of the population, and numbered at 199,789; Irish Americans also made up 7.3% of the population, and numbered at 199,294. Polish Americans now made up 6.7% of Chicago's population, and numbered at 182,064. Polish is the fourth most widely spoken language in Chicago behind English, Spanish, and Mandarin.