Parish History:

The 125-year-old history of St. Paul Church illustrates in microcosm the history of our state and country. It reflects the westward migration, and the gathering together of settlers sharing the same faith, which provided the nucleus of settlements springing up around the centers of opportunity.

The establishment of a diocese in 1821 in Cincinnati and a Dominican priory in Somerset, Kentucky, in 1825, provided the priests to minister to the early Catholic settlers in southwestern Ohio. The first Catholics of record in this area were the transient laborers building the Little Miami Railroad from Xenia to Springfield between 1844-46. Mass was said for them in their huts or camps several times during their stay.

In 1847 the families of Joseph Downey, Martin Whalen, Dennis Day, and Patrick Hennessy moved into the local settlement. They were served by visiting priests who celebrated Mass in their homes. Mass was also regularly said in the Pettigrew farmhouse (the stone building still stands) south of the Little Miami River, and sometime later in the bowling alley of the Yellow Springs Hotel.

Judge William Mills, who had purchased a large tract of land in 1849, is generally considered the founder of the present Village through his subsequent platting and selling of lots. He donated three lots for a church building on South High Street at the corner of West North College Street. The building was contracted for $1,400, and much of the labor itself performed by men of the parish. The name chosen was The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but was later changed to St. Paul. The cornerstone was laid on August 15, 1856. This same year the Village was incorporated. This edifice still stands, but now put to industrial use. Among the parishioners at the time were the families of Civil War generals W. S. Rosencrans and E. P. Scammon.

On August 7, 1864, the completed church was dedicated by the general's brother Bishop Sylvester H. Rosencrans, Auxiliary of the Cincinnati Archdiocese and later the first bishop of Columbus. His family presented to the new parish the oil painting which still hangs in the church. It is purported to be a copy of Caravaggio's Madonna of Loreto, the work of Charles Andre Van Loo (1705-65) who was a pupil of Van Dyke.

The recording of baptisms was begun in 1868 with that of Helen (Ella) Abbey on December 6th.

St. Paul's was first served by the pastors of St. Raphael Church in Springfield until autumn 1872, when the Rev. James A. Burns was assigned as resident pastor. The first parochial residence was built in 1876. During the pastorate of the Rev. James O'Keefe (1887-1905) five acres of land were purchased for the parish cemetery, and were dedicated on October 26, 1892.

The first ordination of a "native son" occurred on July 26, 1887, in Cincinnati in the person of Daniel Quinn, born in Yellow Springs in the days of the infant parish. His first Mass was celebrated in St. Paul Church. He was given the pastoral appointment in 1905, succeeding Fr. O'Keefe. His intervening years following ordination were spent abroad in the study of Ancient and Modern Greek in Athens, and later in Berlin, Germany. He served the community spiritually and intellectually, becoming professor of Greek and Modern languages at neighboring Antioch College.

In 1856 the Christian Church had built a church at the corner of Elm and Phillips Streets. It became available and as parish needs increased, buying this building presented a satisfactory solution. It was purchased for $2,500, and improved by the addition of two sacristies, steam heat, main altar (a gift of Father Quinn in memory of his father, John Quinn), and stained glass in all the main windows. The pastor's residence was moved to the new location (on Elm Street), and on October 25, 1908, the converted church was solemnly blessed by the Dean of the Dayton Deanery. In 1912 Father Quinn was succeeded by Rev. William J. Egan (1912-16), during whose service the present Stations of the Cross, the gift of P.J. Shouvlin of Springfield were installed.

The second native of the parish to receive Holy Orders was Francis J. Heider, who was ordained on June 14, 1924, in Cincinnati, and celebrated his first Mass the following day in St. Paul's. Always a friend and visitor, he assisted at the many special observances conducted during the parish's long life.

Building of the present rectory was begun July 1, 1929, and was ready for occupancy on March 1, 1930, at a cost of $16,850. The old rectory was sold and moved to North Winter Street.

The next vocational milestone in parish history was reached by Florence McCurdy, who professed her final vows in 1938 with the Sisters of Charity and took the name of Sister Jean Andre.

In the following decade Eileen Alexander answered the call to a spiritual life, joining the Maryknoll Sisters in 1945. She is presently ministering in El Salvador.

In 1955 the undercroft of the church was remodeled, adding restrooms and a kitchen. One hundred thirty families were registered in the parish at the time the Centennial Celebration took place in August 1956, during the pastorate of Rev. Richard Redman. New gold vestments, the gift of Sister Jean Andre McCurdy in memory of her parents, were used.

The Archdiocese observed an illustrious year in 1976 when its first class of permanent deacons were ordained on September 25th. Paul E. Richardson, a member of St. Paul's since 1967, was among those ordained, and he has since assisted the pastors and sustained a steady influence on the spiritual development of fellow parishioners and of the community.

The growth of parish families was paced by a steady program of major improvements in church and rectory to maintain or modernize buildings and equipment, resulting in the functional and decorative parish structures of which we can be proud today.

In 1959 of a 14-foot limestone cross with five foot corpus, the gift of the Clayton Powell and Walter Cummings families, was installed above the entrance door.

In 1959 and 1961, respectively, the shuttered ground level windows on the front were converted to arched niches to receive statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary, and double plate glass doors were installed, with the niche above the doorway bricked in and the limestone nameplate inserted.

In 1964 a large crucifix was affixed to the wall behind the central altar, and the Van Loo painting was transferred to the choir loft. Ten years later the interior received a new Blessed Sacrament altar, along with several other improvements. The kitchen was redone, and a small separate chapel was arranged in the undercroft in 1975.

In 1981, the year of the 125th Anniversary, the church interior, Stations of the Cross, and the undercroft all received new coats of paint. Unfortunately, the bell had to be removed from the church belfry because of the weakening of the structure.

The tradition of religious vocations was carried on by Paul Del Staigers who was ordained June 5, 1987. He currently teaches homiletics at the Athenaeum of Ohio.

An addition was built on the rear of the church in 1988 to house an elevator. Its installation was welcomed with joy by the local funeral directors who until this time had to maneuver the coffins up the stairways for funeral Masses.

Years and weather had finally weakened the belfry to the point it had to be removed in 1997. In 1998 the church exterior was repaired, painted and sealed and the interior again painted.

Today the congregation of St. Paul Catholic Church numbers 316 families. It remains an important contributor to the life of Yellow Springs and the surrounding communities.