 Joseph Willging was born in Dubuque, Iowa, to Henry and Elizabeth (née Hanover) Willging.After attending St. Mary's School (1891–1898) and Columbia College (1898–1905) in Dubuque, he studied at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, earning a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1908.He was ordained to the priesthood on June 20, 1908.