Our history is rooted in the vision of St. Paul himself which guided our first pastor and his parishioners and has continued to inspire our community for nearly fifty years. Founded in 1967 by Father John T. Walsh, and nourished by the ideals of the Vatican Council, a parish of some 300 families began a mission of building a community, caring for one another, educating themselves and the larger community, and worshipping together.
Parish life at St. Paul’s has always had a different flavor. For instance, we first worshipped in a restaurant, then known as Sweet’s Farm. We organized a religious education program in the Webster Methodist School. Our pastor worked with an elected Parish Board long before parish councils came into vogue. We underscored our commitment to our mission by tithing funds to help the less fortunate, both within and beyond the parish.
The Parish Center was designed and built as a reflection of our experience as community. We chose the image of “a people of God on a journey,” and constructed a church which in its simplicity, reflected our desire to spend our money on those with greater needs.
In our 25th year, we experienced phenomenal growth and under the direction of Fr. Ray Booth, expanded our classrooms and office space as well as our worship area. The exposed girders and cinder block of the original church were retained as a sign of our continuing commitment to the poor. Our work culminated in a re-dedication of the Parish Center, and then a year-long celebration of our Silver Jubilee anniversary.
Fr. Stan Kacprzak guided us during the transition into the 21st century with new diocesan mandates for parish operations and management.
As we approached our 50th anniversary in 2017, we faced new challenges. Fr. Paul Gitau encouraged evangelization and parishioner involvement in response to declining enrollment. He also recognized the importance of addressing the needs of the aging facility and oversaw various capital improvements. A Golden year of celebration was enjoyed with the highlight being a 50th Anniversary Mass in June 2017 with Bishop Matano presiding.
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As our community grows, so does our mission, our needs
and the invitation to involvement.
We invite you to walk with us on our journey of faith.
We would love to have you become part of our parish family!
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