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PASTORS
Rev. Msgr. Joseph A. Farrell 1923-1930
Rev. Robert M. Gibson 1930-1938
Rev. Edward J. Tobin 1938-1941
Rev. William B. Duggan 1941-1943
Rev. Daniel J. Downing 1943-1952
Rev. Francis X. Doyle 1952-1962
Rt. Rev. Msgr. Michael O'Donnell 1962-1966
Rt. Rev. Florence D. Cohalan 1966-1983
Rev. Thomas J. Darby 1983-1989
Msgr. Jeffrey P. Conway 1989-1994
Msgr. Vincent Bartley 1994-2007
Rev. Michael Cichon 2007-2021
Rev. Louis Jerome 2020-


Excerpts from St. Paul's Memory Book 1924 - 2007

"Fr. Michael is a young, pleasant and energetic priest. Im sure that he will be sensitive to your needs and your hopes for the future. I believe that he will be a wonderful leader for us into the future. I assured him that he will be warmly received by the parishioners of St. Paul's and I offered to help in any way possible to ensure a smooth transition. As a parish family we have a lot to offer to the combined parishes. With the incredible growth of our Spanish speaking community in just one year there will be new life and vibrancy in the realigned parishes. With faith in the good Lord and with a spirit of generosity and good will all around we can look forward to a bright future." - Msgr. Vincent Bartley

St. Paul's was originally built as a chapel for St. Peter's parish. It stood facing Franklin Avenue, with Cassidy Place at its side. Its exterior was designed in the style of a Spanish mission church, ostensibly the kind that Msgr. Cassidy, then-pastor of St. Peter's, had seen during his travels around the world.

Pioneers
In the beginning the children who lived in the neighborhood around St. Pauls traveled to St. Peter's School to attend classes. They walked along Richmond Terrace or rode the trolley car, if they were lucky. After St. Paul's Church opened in 1923, many of us started to attend classes in the new church itself. At first, there were just five grades-after the fifth grade, students again traveled to St. Peters. The Presentation nuns who were assigned to teach at St. Paul's came to New Brighton every morning from St. Michael's Home in Greenridge, and returned there every night. We sat on the kneelers in the church, and used the seats of the pews as our desks. One class was held in the middle of the church. Two were placed toward the front, one to the left of the main altar, the other to the right. The remaining classes occupied the rear of the church, one on each side. When there was a funeral Mass, the start of the school day was delayed until the funeral was over. We looked forward to funerals and became very adept at praying for the dead.

In the early 1930s the Parish bought a three-story, rambling old Victorian mansion on the corner of Cassidy Place and Clinton Avenue. It became the first real St. Paul's School. The nuns moved into the third floor and used it as a residence, sparing them the tedious cross-Island commute. We were thrilled that we no longer had to take our books home every night, as we had to do when classes were held in the church. Even our new responsibilities stoking the coal furnace, for example were carried out with pleasure.

One big happy family
The story of St. Paul's, or any parish for that matter, goes beyond the history of the buildings. The story is about families. St. Paul's has a glorious history of large families. In fact, there are over 30 families who have had at least 6 children graduate from St. Paul's School. And several more had children graduating from St. Paul's in the 1930s following their older brothers and sisters who started at St. Paul's but finished at St. Peters. As if by divine intervention, Father Doyle's new school filled quickly.

From the fifties...
The St. Paul's R.C. Church on Franklin Ave, New Brighton, which has not been used since last December is being demolished. The building was constructed in the early 1920s as a chapel of the nearby St. Peter's Church. A building near the church which had served as a rectory was sold by the church about two months ago and is now a private home. Thus all the buildings of St. Paul's are now at Clinton Ave. and Cassidy Pl, New Brighton. The Church and rectory were vacated last December with the completion of the parishs new auditorium, convent, rectory and lunchroom. The auditorium is an all-purpose structure used for masses and for social and recreational functions. The Right Rev. Msgr. Michael F. O'Donnell, Pastor of St. Paul's said there are no plans at present for the property being cleared. - Staten Island Advance, October 23, 1963.