St. Paul, Wilmington

At the time of the diocese's establishment, the city of Wilmington had three churches: the Cathedral of Saint Peter, Saint Joseph On the Brandywine, and Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception. To provide for the city's growing Catholic population, the Most Reverend Thomas A. Becker established a parish, dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle. This was the first parish started after the diocese was formed, and Father Matthew X. Fallon, the first priest ordained for the diocese, would be its first pastor. The parish extended southwest to Stanton and Newport, six miles away, and served about 60 families.

Ground breaking for the original church took place on May 24, 1869, and the cornerstone was laid on June 6, 1869. Bishop Becker dedicated the church on December 20, 1869. The original school building was dedicated on September 2, 1887. The school was staffed by the Franciscan Sisters of Philadelphia, until 1993 when they left the parish.

The present-day church was begun in 1913 and dedicated on May 3, 1914. A rectory was built in 1930 that became a convent in 1955. It became a Friary for the Franciscan Friars in 1983 and remains such today. A new school was constructed in 1955. Sadly, Saint Paul's School closed after 124 years in 2011. A new rectory was built in 1957.

The parish experienced radical change in the 1960s when Interstate-95 was built and 500 families were displaced. The Parish became divided, and many of the families left the city for the suburbs. At the same time, other began to move in, bringing both energy and hope. New African American families and an increasing number of Puerto Rican families, mostly Catholic, became the core groups of Saint Paul's neighborhood. Initially, a Spanish Mass was added to the schedule and celebrated in the lower church starting in the 1960s. Later, in the 1980s, here was a great influx of Mexican families into the parish.

Originally formed to serve Catholics of mainly Irish and Italian descent, today Saint Paul's is approximately 99% Hispanic. Parishioners come from many countries in Latin America, and there are just a few Irish American, Italian, and African American families. Current parish membership: 60% Puerto Rican, 30% Mexican, 6% Dominican, 2% Other Latin American, 1% Anglo and African American.