In late 1955, Bishop Thomas K. Gorman saw the need for a parish in the farmland north of Dallas and purchased ten acres of the old Hughes farm. At that time there were about 50 Catholic families living in Richardson. He asked the Paulist Fathers to organize this new parish and develop Catholic student Newman Centers on all the North Texas campus. On April 6, 1956, the parish was officially established by Father Walter J. Dalton, C.S.P., who was named as its first pastor. The first meeting was held on April 15 in the Richardson High School cafeteria, located at that time in the R.I.S.D. Administration Building. There were 90 families. The first Mass was celebrated in this facility on April 22, 1956. Plans for a parish school were made and approved that same month. In the summer months the first C.C.D. Vacation School was conducted in tents in the open field that was Saint Paul’s property with more than 90 students. Ground was broken for a 10 classroom school on September 15 with Sister M. Cyprianna, C.S.C., the new principal, and eight other Holy Cross Sisters in attendance. The school opened in 1957, with a dedication in November. On May 2, 1965, the first class of 8th graders graduated. Since then, many priests and nuns have dedicated their lives to the spiritual and educational growth of our parish. By 1962, Saint Paul had grown to 975 families and Bishop Gorman dedicated a new church auditorium and four additional classrooms. The parish continued to grow and by 1966 there were 1,300 families. In May, 1967, the Dallas Diocese ceased its contract with the Paulist Fathers, and appointed Fr. Edwin J. Johnson as pastor. Fr. Michael Irwin and Fr. Leon Duesman were associate pastors. Under Vatican II guidelines a Parish Advisory Council was established to assist the pastor with decisions for the parish. The early 70’s were growth years for the parish. Under Fr. Johnson many assistants served Saint Paul’s including Fr. John E. O’Connell, Fr. William Doran, Fr. Clayton, On April 6, 1986 groundbreaking for the new church sanctuary took place exactly 30 years from the founding of the parish. The sanctuary was dedicated on October 29, 1988, and the former church was converted into an activity center. In 1991, a Spanish Mass was instituted and our new Hispanic Ministry reached out to new members of our community. Fr. Henry Petter was named pastor in 1992 with Fr. Paul, parochial vicar, in his 90’s, inspired parish members with his wisdom and charisma. In 1998, the Parish Pastoral Council was formed from new conceptual directions to "share their wisdom" through the guidance of the Holy Spirit with the pastor, Fr. David Flori. In 1999, Saint Paul the Apostle School was awarded the President's Blue Ribbon Award. Today, Saint Paul the Apostle Parish has approximately 2,000 registered families and continues to grow under the leadersip of pastor Fr. John Szatkowski, who joined hte Saint Paul community in July 2017. Saint Paul has many active ministries including our Hispanic Ministry, the Women’s Guild, Catholic Daughters, Men’s Club, Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul Society and Silver Set. In addition, Saint Paul the Apostle School continues to provide exceptional education, based in our Catholic faith and commited to educating PreK3 through 8th grade students in faith, leadership, intergrity, and service. |
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