Construction of the church was divided into two phases, because the parish did not have enough money to build it at once. The first phase started in 1871 and included about half of the church as it stands today, encompassing the choir, the transepts, and two bays of the nave, at a cost of fl. 92,000. In a call for bids, the lowest of the three bids amounted to fl. 112,000. However, the first number was reached after it was decided to cut back on building materials. The Heuvelse kerk was inaugurated by Van der Lee on 15 October 1873, and the first public service was held on the first day of the next month. Van der Lee was supposed to become the parish priest of St. Jozef, but instead ended up in that same position at the parish 't Heike because of another priest's death. The bishop finally named Martinus van der Hagen the parish priest of St. Jozef. However, he died in 1875 and was succeeded by Antonius Donatus Smits. In the years after the completion of the first part of the Heuvelse kerk, statues, ornaments, and the winged altarpiece were added to the interior.
