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Parish History
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St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church
Saint Paul the Apostle Parish has a rich history, dating back to 1868 when it was founded as the New Saint Peter Church on North Hester Street, a branch of the Old Saint Peter Church on West Main Street (1841).
Some families organized a more centrally located parish by building a two-story brick structure to serve as a church and a school and dedicated it to Saint Peter the Apostle, referring to it as the New Saint Peter to distinguish it from the original. The school opened with ninety students.
The present church site at 91 East Main Street was purchased in 1871, and shortly thereafter the church was renamed Saint Paul the Apostle. The cornerstone was laid in 1890, and the church was dedicated in January of 1893. True completion of the church came in 1907 when the present 10 bronze bells were placed in the tower. Much of the cost of the bells was donated, and they continue to peal more than 100 years later. When completed, the church had a spire more than 170 feet tall, plus a 16-foot gilded cross on the top. This was removed in 1928, and the steeple was configured to look as it does now. The interior of the church has since gone through several renovations, the most recent being in 2014 when the interior was repainted, the statues and Stations of the Cross were repaired and repainted, and the new Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel was created. In 2016, the ramp and portico were added at the west entrance to enhance accessibility to the church.
Our parish has continued to grow. The Fisher family donated many buildings, including the convent, rectory, school, and auditorium in the 1920s, as well as the Shrine of the Sorrowful Mother on West Main Street (the site of the original Saint Peter's ), which was built in memory of Mrs. Fisher's parents. The Convocation Center was dedicated in 1994, and the new Parish Center and an addition to the school were blessed in 2006.
Over the years, there has been tremendous ministry shared among the people of our parish and the Norwalk community. Originally, the majority of parishioners were German-speaking. Today, several parishioners are Spanish-speaking, due to the expansion of our Hispanic ministry. -
St. Paul Parish Today
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Images of Our History
Cornerstone Laid – 1890
St. Paul the Apostle – 1893
Church Bells Installed
March 31, 1907 - Easter Sunday
The History of the Bells
St. Paul the Apostle - 1950
Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel
Created 2014
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150 Years of Blessings
St. Paul the Apostle Parish Anniversary
1872 - 2022
Photo: Parish 150th Anniversary Closing Mass
Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, Celebrant
Drone photo courtesy of Ryan Brownell.
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