St. Paul Catholic Church
Established 1925
After purchasing ten acres of scrub pine and swamp in 1922, Bishop Barry of St. Augustine directed the pastor of St. Mary’s in downtown to begin construction of a school building on this not-so-promising site. Construction began in 1925 and Sunday mass was celebrated regularly in the school auditorium by 1926. In 1929, St. Paul’s became its own parish with the appointment of the first pastor, Fr. James Enright. A year later, the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany arrived and opened the parochial school, the oldest in Pinellas County. During the next 25 years the parish experienced a building boom as a convent, rectory, permanent church, cafeteria and high school building were built. This expansion coincided with the Post-War “Baby-Boom” and explosion of development in Florida.
Marker can be reached from 12th Street North near 18th Avenue North.
Courtesy hmdb.org
