Parish History
St. Paul the Apostle began in June of 1963, when Archbishop William Cousins sent a young priest, Fr. William Cox, to Racine to establish a new parish on the West side of the city. The first liturgies were held in a vacant store front at 5320 Washington Avenue.
On September 10, 1965, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee canonically established the Racine Parish of St. Paul the Apostle. On April 22, 1967, ground was broken for the new church building at 5700 Washington Avenue. The first Mass was held on June 30, 1968 and dedication of the new church took place one year later on the Feast of Pentecost.
During the next 25 years, the parish continued to grow its membership and ministries, under the leadership of Fr. Cox. In September of 1990, St. Paul the Apostle held a special Parish 25th Anniversary Celebration. One year later on August 21, 1991, Fr. Cox celebrated his 75th birthday and retired from his pastorate.
The second Pastor of St. Paul the Apostle, Fr. Paul M. Esser, was installed by Bishop Richard Slkba on September 8th, 1991. Fr. Esser inspired an emphasis on parishioner involvement in all aspects of parish life and challenged the parishioners to educate themselves in their faith.
In 1992, Mr. Willard (Bill) Widmar was ordained as a Permanent Deacon and appointed to St. Paul the Apostle. Along with his wife Joan, Deacon Bill and Fr. Esser instituted the RCIA Program at St. Paul. The foundation of this wonderful program that welcomes all to explore the Catholic faith continues to flourish at our parish today.
In 1994, a long range study committee was formed to define the needs of our growing parish. From this group emerged a plan to renovate and expand the current church facility. One year later, a capital campaign began to fund the renovation, build an addition and make the lower level handicap accessible. However, in late 1995, an unsolicited offer to purchase the 23 acres of church property was received. Informational meetings were held and after much discussion, the parishioners overwhelming approved to put the renovation project on hold and pursue the offer to purchase. Shortly there after, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee approved this new parish plan.
On November 20, 2000, the sale of the property at 5700 Washington Avenue was finalized. During this time, a 14-acre site on Spring Street and Emmertsen Road was purchased and work began to rezone and prepare the site for the building of a new church facility. Architectural Associates was hired to design the facility, which evolved into a 44,500 square foot multi-purpose facility that would house a worship space to accommodate 1,000 people, an education/meeting wing, a parish hall, library, kitchen, nursery and office wing. Seater Construction was the contractor on the project. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Sunday, October 15, 2000. With renewed faith and enthusiasm, the parish family of St. Paul the Apostle looked forward to the beginning of a new era.
On May 5, 2001, the final Mass was celebrated at 5700 Washington Avenue. The building was consecrated and liturgical items carried out in solemn procession. Fr. Cox symbolically closed the door on the church building for the very last time. During the demolition of the old church and completion of the new church, the congregation once again worshiped in a vacant storefront, near Shopko on Washington Avenue. This was a time of invitation and excitement as membership once again began to grow.
The first Eucharistic Celebrations in our new church facility were held on October 5th - 6th, 2002. A prayerful and joyous congregation was on hand to share in this happy time. The Solemn Dedication of the new church at 6400 Spring Street was held on Sunday, October 20, 2002, with newly-installed Archbishop Timothy Dolan officiating at his first church dedication as the Archbishop of Milwaukee. More than 1,200 people attended, the Mass and reception as the new church was dedicated to the Honor and Glory of God.
After serving as Pastor of St. Paul the Apostle, Fr. Paul Esser retired from his pastorate on June 30, 2005. Fr. Esser retired to his home in Nashota, Wisconsin. The image of Fr. Paul left in the hearts of the parishioners of St. Paul was that of a shepherd and teacher.
The third Pastor of St. Paul, Fr. William Dietzler, was installed by Bishop Richard Sklba on October 2, 2009. The congregation welcomed Fr. Bill, who was not stranger to St. Paul or the Racine Community. Prior to coming to St. Paul as Pastor in July of 2005, Fr. Bill served as Chaplain of All Saints St. Mary’s Hospital for 17 years and served as a Sunday help-out priest at St. Paul and St. Joseph Parish.
At the directive of Archbishop Timothy J. Dolan, Racine parishes were encouraged to work together collaboratively towards a new vision of church. St. Paul was clustered with St. Sebastian Parish in Sturtevant and began a Collaborative Christian Formation Program in 2007. During the summer of 2008, St. Rita Parish became a part of this Collaborative Program, which includes cradle to grave Christian Formation for parishioners of all three parishes.
As we enter the 21st Century, the challenges that face us center around the question, “How do we collaborative with other parishes to form the church anew?” Growing this next phase of St. Paul the Apostle Parish, we have committed to the tri-parish “Sowing the Seeds” Christian Formation Program and are beginning to explore with St. Rita and St. Sebastian Parishes further avenues of collaboration that will ultimately strengthen all three parishes. It is with faith in the Lord, who leads us that we venture into these new and challenging areas of what Church can be.
