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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., named as its first pastor. The first
meeting was held in the Richardson High School cafeteria,
located at that time in the now R. I. S. D. Administration Building. on
April 15. 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 St. 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 8 other Holy Cross Sisters in
attendance. The school opened in 1957, with dedication in
November. On May 2, 1965, the first class of 8th
graders graduated. Countless priest and sisters dedicated
their lives to the spiritual and educational growth during
our history.
By 1962, St.
Paul’s 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 1300 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 St. Paul’s including Fr.
John E. O’Connell, Fr. William Doran, Fr. Robert Crisp,
Fr. Clayton, Fr. Gayle White, and Fr. Ramon Torres.
Monsignor Robert Johnson became pastor in 1981 with Fr.
Arthur Malinson as assistant. Fr. Edward P. Fernandez became
pastor in 1983 with assistants including Fr. John Alphonso,
Fr. Bruce Bradley, Fr. Frank Zakshesky, Fr. Frank Draude,
Fr. David Flori, Fr. John Bell, and Fr. Richard Kubiak.
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 our
current pastor, Fr. David Flori, as we move into the
3rd Millennia and continue to serve the many needs
of the community.
Today, St.
Paul the Apostle Parish has more than 2000 families in its
community. St. Paul School is an important part of the
community and was awarded the President’s Blue Ribbon
Award in 1999. St. Paul’s has many active ministries
and, with the diversity of our Richardson community, has
begun a Multicultural Task Force. Our Hispanic Ministry
continues to grow in magnitude and enthusiasm. Our
Women’s Guild, Catholic Daughters, Men’s Club,
Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Over
55’s, Families with Young Children, and our school
organizations continue the work of the Spirit
as they serve the many needs of their members and the entire
parish. Communication is an important aspect of parish life
and a newly form Communications Ministry has begun to
develop the vision of how communication helps tell our story
and the spread of the Good News. We look forward to the new
Millennium of our Christian Faith in the year 2001 and
forward.
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