|
THE
HISTORY OF ST. PAUL PARISH
First Congregation and Church
First Resident Priest
First Pastor - Rev. Richard Doheny
Second Church
Second Pastor - Father John Hannan
First Permanent Deacon
Third Pastor - Father Nicholas Duggan
Fourth Pastor - Father Rey Bersabal
The Future
The First Congregation and
Church
In 1945, The
Superior California Register (now the Catholic Herald) announced that
Florin was to have a Mass every Sunday. Fr. McGoldrick,
pastor of All Hallows offered Florin's first Mass Sunday, February 4,
1945.
Prior to this
Catholics living in the area had to drive long distances to St. Joseph
in Elk Grove, St. Rose or All Hallows.
After frequent
visits Fr. McGoldrick concluded that the Catholics in the
Florin area could be best served through the establishment of a mission,
and he started one less than three years after starting All Hallows.
Off the main
roads, the population and first congregation of the mission was
comprised mostly of a mix of immigrants from Croatia, Italy, Japan,
Mexico, the Philippines, Portugal and Slovenia.
The community
began construction of the first St. Paul Church on a two-acre site
donated by John and Augusta Bacchini. Even though the
country was affected by shortages of materials and labor, due to World
War II, the building of the church proceeded rapidly. On January 6, 1945
the church was ready for dedication and occupancy.
Still standing,
and currently serving as the Florin branch of the St. Patrick's Day Care
Center, this building served as the home of the St. Paul community for
almost 20 years.
back to top
First
Resident Priest
In
the 1940s the Diocese had insufficient resources to support another
parish. Thus, St. Paul remained without a resident priest for 12 years.
As
a result Fr. McGoldrick served St. Paul from All Hallows
until Fr. John Maguire succeeded him in 1949. Later in
1955, responsibility for the Florin Mission was passed to Fr.
Edward Christen, the new pastor of St. Peter.
Finally,
in 1958 came the appointment of the first resident priest Fr.
Michael Hogan, 74 years old, a native of Ireland, he came to the
diocese in 1911 and spent many years in remote parishes, including Yreka
and Angels Camp before coming to St. Paul. He served as resident priest
for less than two and a half years until his death in April, 1960.
back to top
First Pastor - Rev.
Richard Doheny
The bishop appointed Fr. Richard Doheny the first pastor
of St. Paul Parish after Fr. Hogan's death.
Serving 16 years at St. Paul, Fr. Doheny's tenure was
marked by a number of significant events; the establishment of St. Paul
as an independent parish on November 7, 1960; the rapid growth of the
parish community; and the rapid changes in the Catholic Church itself.
The rapid growth occurring in the area brought about the realization
that the old church was becoming too small to accommodate the larger
congregation. As a result, Fr. Doheny convinced the bishop
to lend the parish a down payment for 15 acres on the corner of Florin
Road and Gardner Avenue, the site of St. Paul today.
back to top
The Second Church
Construction of the new church and its parking lot began in early 1965
and the first Mass was celebrated in the completed building on November
1, 1965.
This church served as the home for the St. Paul community for over 25
years. Building this new structure accumulated debt. In order to pay off
this debt St. Paul Parish held fund-raising social events, one of which
is still held today, the Annual Fall Parish Festival.
Fr. Doheny's stay at St. Paul ended in 1976 when he
accepted the appointment as pastor of St. Mel Parish in Fair Oaks.
Before he left, he saw to it that St. Paul was on a firm financial
basis, paying off all outstanding debts.
back to top
Second Pastor - Father John
Hannan
A
native of Ireland, the second pastor of St. Paul, Fr. John Hannan
was appointed on September 23, 1976.
He
left a lasting legacy that included a greater inclusion of the laity in
parish governance and liturgical preparation, plus the inclusion of
women in service at the altar. He ended his stay at St. Paul in 1986.
Also in the 1980s St. Paul experienced the joy and blessings of having
members of its community become ordained ministers of the Church.
back to top
First Permanent Deacon
Bishop
Quinn ordained Charles Morrison as permanent deacon for
St. Paul parish in 1983. Deacon Morrison continues to
contribute greatly to the community through his performance of baptisms,
preaching and the current formation of a Marriage Preparation Program.
back to top
Third Pastor - Father Nicholas
Duggan
Father Duggan, also a native of Ireland, arrived on March
31, 1986, leaving St. Anne parish. His arrival coincided with another
explosion of building within the boundaries of St. Paul parish. With
such rapid growth it was apparent that the church would soon be
inadequate in size to serve the congregation. So, Fr. Duggan
and members of the congregation began a series of fund drives. First for
the new church, second for the conversion of the old church to a new
parish hall. The new church was dedicated on April 24, 1993. Mass times
were changed to 4:00 pm Vigil, 9:00am and 11:00 am on Sunday.
Upon completion of the new church, plans began for the conversion of the
old church into the new parish hall. Work was completed in 1995 and the
social events of St. Paul parish continued in the new hall.
A
short time later, stained glass windows were added in the church, with
parishioners donating funds in memory of loved ones. The windows greatly
enhance the ambiance in the church.
During the tenure of Fr. Duggan the congregation continued
to increase. Ministries were added, and parishioner involvement
increased in liturgical, spiritual and social events.
Fr. Duggan retired in October 2003. When he left St. Paul
parish it was once again in a solid financial position; all loans for
the building of the church and the parish hall had been repaid.
back to top
Fourth Pastor - Father Rey
Bersabal
Father Rey Bersabal came to St. Paul parish in October
2003, from St. Anthony, and is our fourth and current pastor.
With the increase in numbers of families in our parish additional Masses
were added: 7:30 am in English and 12:30 pm in Spanish.
back to top
The
Future
We
continue on as a parish family, welcoming all with friendliness,
openness and tolerance. This allows a congregation of diverse ethnic and
racial backgrounds to fuse into an active, inclusive community. We
continue today making new plans, new goals, and new activities for all
our parish family.
back to top
We are looking
for pictures and historical facts for this section of our web site. If
you have pictures of any of the old church buildings of St. Paul parish
or any of our past events and would like to see them in this section,
please contact the
webmaster.
|
