Our History

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 campuses.

On April 6, 1956, the parish was officially established by Father Walter J. Dalton, C.S.P., who was also named as its first pastor. The first meeting was held in the Richardson High School cafeteria, located at that time in the now Richardson Independent School District Administration Building on April 15. There were 90 families. The first Mass was celebrated in this facility one week later. Plans for a parish school were made and approved that same month. The following summer, the first Confraternity of Christian Doctrine Vacation School (commonly known today as Catechism) was conducted on Saint Paul property in tents in the open field with more than 90 students. Ground was broken for a ten-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 held in November. On May 2, 1965, the first class of eighth graders graduated. Since then, countless priests and sisters dedicated their lives to the spiritual and educational growth of the school and its students.

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 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 parish decisions.

Bishop Gorman resigned in 1969, but the legacy he established continued to flourish. The early 70s were growth years for the parish. Under Fr. Johnson, many assistants served Saint Paul, including Fr. John E. O’Connell, Fr. William Doran, 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 a Hispanic Ministry was created to reach out to new members of our community. Fr. Henry Petter was named pastor in 1992 along with Fr. Paul, Parochial Vicar who, although he was in his 90s, 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 then-pastor Fr. David Flori. Saint Paul School was awarded the President’s Blue Ribbon Award in 1999. Under Fr. Flori's guidance, the parish moved into the Third Millennia and continued to serve the many needs of the community.

Today, Saint Paul the Apostle Parish has more than 2000 families in its community and continues to grow under the leadership of pastor Fr. John Szatkowski, who joined the Saint Paul community in July 2017. Saint Paul has many active ministries and, with the diversity of the Richardson community, began a Multicultural Task Force. The Hispanic Ministry continues to grow in magnitude and enthusiasm. Women’s Guild, Catholic Daughters, Men’s Club, Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Over 55s, Families with Young Children, and other 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 formed Communications Ministry was begun to develop the vision of how communication helps tell the Saint Paul story as well as spread the Good News.