St. Paul celebrates its Centennial Sunday with a Mass of Thanksgiving
It was during the early part of the last century the spiritual building blocks to form a Catholic church in Onaway came together, and after more than 100 years as a vital part of the community, loyalty to St. Paul Catholic Church remains strong as the parish celebrates a significant milestone.
The centennial of the establishment of the parish is Sunday, when Bishop R. Cooney will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 10:30 a.m. A ticket only dinner will be served in the parish hall following the mass.
One hundred years ago Fr. Thomas W. Albin from St. Bernard Church came to serve as the first resident pastor. When the first priest was assigned to Onaway, St. Paul went from a mission to an established Catholic church.
ALONG THE way the church has survived a fire, a loss of more than half of its parishioners, the 1929 depression, and the closing of its school.
But over the decades, the venerable community church was renewed with the construction of a new church in the early 1950s, and several significant additions.
The early beginnings of the church can be traced back to Fr. Albert DeQuoy. He came to northern Michigan to spend time with his brother, who was pastor of St. Anne church of Alpena. He was sent to Cheboygan to serve as assistant, and later took charge of missions at Wolverine, Pigeon River, Mackinaw City, and Black River.
While traveling to Alpena in the winter of 1898, DeQuoy made the acquaintance of Catholic families in Onaway and began the work of organizing the first church. He was asked to return to christen a child and when he visited next, DeQuoy held the first Mass at the home of Joseph Burbey.
IN 1899, Thomas E. Shaw (a non-Catholic) donated an acre of land as the site for the first Catholic church, which was a simple 30-x-40 foot structure. It was built during 1900 and dedicated on September 8, 1901. The church was named in honor of the Apostle of the Gentiles, Paul.
During that time Onaway rapidly became a thriving community of 3,000, with numerous lumber mills. A census of the parish was taken in the fall of 1901 and it was found that more than 75 families were of Catholic faith. To accommodate a growing parish, the church was enlarged in 1906.
Further growth occurred in 1910, when Fr. Oswald T. McGinn initiated an effort to start a Catholic school. The congregation united and in fewer than two years, St. Paul School was blessed. One hundred forty pupils enrolled under the tutelage of the Dominican Sisters from Grand Rapids. In 1914, growing enrollment necessitated the need for a larger school and the building was expanded.
ON SUNDAY November 8, 1925, fire destroyed the church building at the corner of Oak and Shaw streets, but even before the parish could get settled, disaster struck again on January 14, 1926 with the fire at the Lobdell factory. The owners immediately announced that they would move to Alma.
During this time, St. Paul lost 60-percent of the parish and one half of the town?s population. By June 1927, the school no longer had enough funds to continue operation, or enough students, so the doors were closed. Mass was celebrated in the school building.
Through the Great Depression, times were tough, even for the men in charge of the parish. Monsignor John W. Westdorp, who served the church starting in the weeks after the church fire until April 1934, had to take a job at a local hardware store to earn a few dollars just to help buy food. Some parishioners also helped by sending food to the rectory.
In early 1944, Fr. Thomas W. Ryan, the assistant from St. Bernard of A
THE FIRST MASS in the new building was celebrated on April 29, 1951 and over the years many improvements were made to the interior and exterior. The new parish hall was dedicated in October 1978.
More than 20 priests have presided as pastor. Currently Fr. Thomas Dominiak resides as pastor, aided by Deacon Hal Goodhue. A Knights of Columbus chapter, along with the Altar Society and Men?s Club, provide many services to both the community and the church.
The parish remains a vital part of the community and through the distinguished service of many pastors and parishioners, St. Paul has remained a vibrant parish, and ?by the Grace of God,? they can celebrate their Centennial and look forward to the next 100 years.