The beginning of a new church congregation in a city is always cause for headlines in the local paper.  The small group of families that organized St. Paul's Catholic Church in Evansville were also anxious to get out the news that there would soon be a new church in the city.

A November 16, 1905 headline in the Evansville Review read, "Determined to Erect A Church." The article noted church authorities required that two-thirds of the cost of the lot and building had to be incurred before permission would be granted for a new congregation to be started.

Louis Schmidley, manager of the Pioneer Drug Store, Joe Bodenberger, John Hendricks and Dan Finnane were some of the leaders urging the Milwaukee Archdiocese to open a new parish in Evansville.  When Schmidley resigned his position at the Drug Store and accepted a position in Minneapolis, just months before the new church was complete. The others carried on the work.

The organizers were also generous with their support for the new church.  Dan Finnane and his wife contributed $400 within an eight month period towards the church building. Chris Ryan, J. McDermott, Walter Croak and John Collins, all Evansville and Albany area farmers, were also listed among the contributors.

Not everyone was happy about the new church. St. Michael's Catholic church, located in Porter township on Caledonia Road, was served by the Edgerton priest, Father James E. Harlan, and he objected strongly to the new organization. His fear was that it would take members and financial support away from St. Michaels.

There were also churches in Dayton, Oregon, Janesville, Albany and Brodhead that the few families living in Evansville attended. Father Richard Smith, of St. Patrick's in Albany, was another outspoken critic of establishing a new church in Evansville. The Croak and the Dunphy families were leaders in the Albany parish and Father Smith wanted to make sure they stayed there. Whether the priests in the other parishes also protested the start of the new church is not known.

Evansville's supporters viewed the new organization quite differently than the neighboring priests. They expected the new church to be a boon to the city as the new congregation was expected to attract many more families who would move to the area.

In March 1906, after several months of fund raising, the congregation purchased land on the southeast corner of First Street and Garfield Avenue and made plans to build a church. That same month, the Archbishop of Milwaukee, assigned Father James A. Condon as the first pastor.
Father James A. Condon

Father Condon and his new parishioners celebrated their first mass in the Evansville City Hall on Sunday April 22, 1906. More than 100 people gathered for the service.

Condon announced that the building plans, drawn by William Meggott, were completed and they were looking for estimates from building contractors. Meggott was paid $75 for the drawings.

Father Condon was also chaplain of the Edgewood Academy and lived in Madison. When he was not engaged in his other duties, Condon traveled to Evansville to canvas the city and countryside to find potential members for the church. In May 1906, Condon reported to a local newspaper reporter that he was having great success.

It took most of the summer for the preparation of the building specifications and advertising for bids on the new church. When the estimates from the builders were opened, the building committee gave the contract to J. A. Denning of Janesville in the amount of $5,750.

The ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone attracted a great crowd of people. The event was held on September 23, 1906.  Mass was said in the City Hall. Then a procession of priests, parishioners and townspeople walked to the church site, where a crowd of 2,000 people gathered to watch the visiting priests raise a huge wooden cross and lay the cornerstone. The cornerstone was donated by F. M. Schlimgen, owner of a monument company in Madison.

Before the building was completed, Father Condon became ill. Thinking that he would find conditions more favorable to his health in California, Condon resigned.  For a few months, there was no priest assigned to Evansville.

The work of the building project progressed under the leadership of the local congregation.  Contractor Denning's workers began the excavation in August. His contract required that the building be finished by March 1, 1907. The church building went up rapidly. Janesville sand lime brick was used in the construction of the building.

In October, a new priest, Father Eugene J. McCarthy, was appointed. Since there was no rectory, McCarthy and his mother rented a house on West Church Street.

Local masonry contractor T. F. Shurrum had the contract for plastering the interior of the church. He finished in December. The congregation planned to move into the new church very shortly after Shurrum completed his work, but the production of woodwork had been delayed. The people of St. Paul's waited until March 3, 1907 to occupy the building.

The first baptism was held on April 28. Mary Montgomery, daughter of John and Gertrude Montgomery, was baptized by Father McCarthy.

The building of the new church had put the congregation in debt and even though the parishioners and the community had been generous, more money was needed. Fund raising activities that include the community were an important part of church activities, usually organized and staffed by the ladies.

The congregation had not waited until they had a building before they started fund raising activities. In November 1906, the church women gave the first of their annual Thanksgiving dinners and dances. They rented two local halls for the event.  The dance was held in Magee's Hall on East Main Street and the dinner in Baker's Hall.

The following spring the ladies held a three-day bazaar at Magee's Hall. Booths were placed around the outside walls and women brought their best baked goods, candy and fancy work to sell. The women also prepared a warm lunch and music was provided by Frank Broughton graphophone.

A popular orator, Father M. J. Ward of Beloit, gave one of his famous temperance lectures in the evening . At the end of each day, a raffle was held. The event netted about eight hundred dollars, according to a news item in the Review. It was considered a success by all.

The very active congregation planned an elaborate celebration to officially open their new church. The dedication of the new church and the first confirmation ceremonies were held on May 12, 1907.

The interior of the church was described in the Evansville Review. "The interior is supported by artistically wrought hardwood rafters and has white walls and ceiling. Seats are of light hardwood. The altar and railing are white. A balcony at the rear will be occupied by the choir. The seating capacity of the church is about 300."

Because the church had not organized a choir of its own, St. Thomas Church of Beloit sent their choir for the dedication service. The Knights of Columbus of Janesville and the Total Abstinence Society of Edgerton attended the ceremonies, as did many visiting priests and the Archbishop of the Milwaukee Archdiocese.

The church was so crowded that some people had to wait outside. The Review reporter noted that this was truly a community event. The new church had broad support from many in the city. In his sermon, the Archbishop thanked the protestants of Evansville, who contributed nearly one thousand dollars toward the building fund.

The first confirmation class included five people. The Archbishop confirmed Francis Montgomery, Joseph Bodenberger, Leo Murray, Anastasia Reilly and Margaret Schliem.

Although the rent for the house on West Church Street was only $11, the congregation decided that they wanted a rectory on North First Street, just south of the church. In September 1907, the builders broke ground for a rectory. The carpenter-contractor was Arford Jones.

In April 1908, Father Eugene McCarthy was appointed Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and later that same year became a professor of Philosophy at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee. He was replaced by the young and enthusiastic Father John H. Fitzgerald.

The new priest was an athlete and he believed the parish could earn money by organizing a picnic that would also include many games of skill. In the summer of 1908, the church held their first community picnic, later to be called the Irish Picnic.

The first picnic was held in June following the planting of the spring crops. Everyone was ready for a celebration. All stores in Evansville closed and Evansville's largest employer, Baker Manufacturing Company, closed their doors so that employees could attend the festivities held at the Evansville Fair Grounds.

More than twenty-five hundred people attended the event. The day began at 9:30 a.m. with a ball game between Oregon and Footville. Oregon won the game and was scheduled to play the Evansville high school ball team in the afternoon.

The morning ball game was followed by foot races and pole vaulting. Frank Mabie took first price in the pole vaulting. Alex Richardson won the 1/2 mile foot race, with Frank Mabie coming in a close second.

The church ladies served a barbecue dinner for twenty-five cents at mid-day. The noon festivities also included a tug-of-war between Footville and Evansville.

Automobile races and horse races entertained the picnic attendees in the afternoon, followed by the ball game between Oregon and Evansville. The teams had just finished four innings when the umpire gave a decision that the Oregon team did not like. The Oregon team picked up their bats and left the field. The organizers of the event persuaded the Footville team to take Oregon's place. The Footville team agreed and went on to win the game.

The day ended with a dance at Magee's and another dinner at Baker's Hall served by the ladies of St. Paul's. The event was considered a financial success, as well as a festive day. With such a large attendance, the church members were encouraged to add this activity to the yearly events.

In 1910, Evansville's promotional publication, the Illustrated Prospective, gave a full column to the new church. The article noted that "At present St. Paul's is thriving and growing, new members are settling in its midst, attracted hither by the church in which they can worship according to their belief." Those who had predicted the new church would bring people to Evansville were gratified with the results.

Father Fitzgerald was one of the first Evansville clergymen to own a car.  In 1910, the local newspaper reported that Fitzgerald had ordered an Overland car. It was purchased through a catalog sent out by the Willys-Overland Company in Toledo, Ohio. The $1,000 Fitzgerald paid for the car included a magneto and all lamp equipment.

Although he had been a popular priest, Fitzgerald decided to pursue further education and in 1911, resigned to attend Catholic University in Washington D. C.  Father William McDermott was assigned to the parish.

McDermott settled into his new parish and also became active in the local community.   The fund raising activities were expanded under Father McDermott's administration.

In 1911, the Irish Picnic organizers had planned one of their most spectacular celebrations to date. Motorcycle races, ball games, sack, potato and three-legged races were held on the Fair Grounds. Father Ward of Beloit gave his famous temperance speech and then the crowd dispersed for the evening meal and grand ball at the Magee Opera House. Again, more than 2,000 people attended the event.

The successful fund raising activities and the generosity of the congregation allowed the church to expand its facilities in 1913. An addition was made on the south section of the church and included a new sanctuary and sacristies in a 14 x 42 feet addition. The interior of the church was frescoed and a new hand-carved altar of Gothic design was installed. Under the altar was a 4 x 11 feet panel of the Da Vinci's Last Supper.

Robert Hankinson, who lived in the house just east of the church was hired to do the carpentry work. The renovation included the replacement of the gas lamps with electric lights and Father McDermott wired the building and installed the new fixtures. To call the parishioners to worship, a six hundred pound bell was purchased from the Meneely Bell Company of Troy, New York and installed in the belfry.

This was the first of many major remodeling projects. Nearly every time a new priest was assigned to the parish, there were renovations to the church building or the rectory.

St. Paul's after tower was renovated in 1913

To accommodate the fund raising activities, the parish decided to increase the usable space in the basement of the church. In 1914, the basement was remodeled for a new parish hall and the congregation celebrated with a St. Patrick's Day Supper.

Father McDermott was a man of many talents and a great organizer. He was placed in charge of the Footville church, as well as St. Paul's in Evansville. The Chicago and Northwestern Railroad gave him the use of a handcar to make the trip from the Evansville depot to the Footville depot on Sunday mornings. By pumping the handle of the handcar, Father McDermott propelled the machine along the tracks.

Many years after he left the parish, McDermott remained famous for his unusual means of travel between the two churches. Visiting priests who substituted for Father McDermott admired his strength and courage.

When the weather was bad, Peter Garry drove Father McDermott in a horse and buggy. Father McDermott also owned an automobile. There is a least one photograph of the priest and his friend Father Michael Huston riding in the car. The automobile was decorated with pompons and crepe paper for a Fourth of July parade.

When World War I was declared in 1917, Father McDermott became the head of the local Red Cross. He asked church members to canvass the city to inform people about the meatless, wheatless, and wasteless days suggested by the United States government. Conservation of resources was extremely important as the government had made few preparations for entering the war.

With other Red Cross workers, Father McDermott went to local country schools and spoke about the work of the Red Cross. He encouraged women to save their material scraps, old table linens, and other material for making pillows, napkins and handkerchiefs for the soldiers.

McDermott was also credited with starting the first Little Theater group in Evansville. He and Miss Miller, a high school teacher, also organized the first high school musical. Proceeds from the first production, "Princess Chrysanthemum", were divided between the Red Cross and the high school.

After the war ended, McDermott continued to head the Red Cross. The emphasis changed to disaster relief for former soldiers and citizens of the war zone.

In the 1920s the congregation considered building a parochial school. Some members of the first congregation, including Dan Finnane and J. M. Bodenberger, were listed as supporters of this new enterprise. William Giblin and Thomas Keegan were also listed among the supporters. Keegan proposed raising the pew rent to finance the new school.

Coincidently, the public school was overcrowded and was also seeking funding for a new building. After some investigation, the church council decided that the cost of the land was too expensive and a decision on building a school was postponed.

The discussion for creating a school was carried on for more than 40 years. There were various proposals to purchase property and erect a building for school purposes but none were ever finalized.

In lieu of a school, Mercy Sisters from Janesville came each Saturday morning to teach catechism to the children of the parish. Members of the congregation volunteered to transport the teachers.

In March 1930, St. Paul's Catholic Church was assigned a new priest. Father Raymond Mahoney was transferred to St. Victor's parish in Monroe and he was replaced by Rev. Carlton McCollow of Monroe.

Father McCollow found the parish to be in excellent financial condition, with a balance of more than $6,000 in the treasury.

However, it was the beginning of the Depression and many people were desperate for money, desperate enough to steal from a church. In July 1930, a candelabrum and money were stolen from St. Paul's. Police Chief Fred Gillman the recovered the candelabrum from a ginseng field. The money was never found. The candelabrum had more sentimental value than monetary because it had been given in memory of Michael McCarroll.

Father McCollow was more conservative in suggesting remodeling projects than other priests had been.  During the difficult financial time of the Depression there were few physical changes to the church.

McCollow did oversee the installation of a new pipe organ that was first used during the midnight mass on Christmas Eve, December 1931. Mildred Bodenberger was the organist for the service. Evelyn Lay and Donald Wissbaum played violin and Hazel Kelly was the vocal soloist.

The new priest also maintained the successful social and fund raising activities. The Irish Picnic was held in late August and still brought thousands of people to Evansville. A crew of more than one hundred people was needed to organize and staff the event.

One new feature of the picnic was a "Jiggs" style dinner which included, boiled ham, cabbage, steamed potatoes, baked beans and relishes.  Mrs. Peter Garry was in charge of the kitchen crew that prepared meals for the Irish Picnics. Her husband brought a kitchen-on-wheels that was usually used by a cook to prepare meals for Garry's road building crew.

Serving dinner to hundreds of people from an outdoor kitchen was no easy task and also required moving appliances and kitchen utensils, as well as food to Finnane's Grove just north of Evansville. In addition to Garry's portable kitchen, the appliances for the picnic held in 1933, included nine gas stoves borrowed from the Grange store. Three wood ranges and three oil stoves furnished by local hardware stores were also needed to prepare the feast.

Elizabeth Garry requested that parishioners supply 400 chickens, 340 pies, 30 bushels of potatoes, 50 heads of cabbage, 20 quarts of pickles, 30 pounds of coffee, 35 pounds of butter, 10 gallons of milk, 10 gallons of cream, 200 pounds of ham, and assorted vegetables. The donations of these items, decreased the cost of preparing the meals and increased the profits for the church.

She divided her crews into very specific jobs, assigning some to prepare ham, others to cook potatoes, make gravy, carry dishes, serve coffee, and act as waitresses. Every detail seemed to have been organized by Mrs. Garry.

Although the picnics were great fun, during the Depression the financial hardships experienced by people were a great concern for St. Paul's congregation. The Irish Picnics had a serious side as prominent local speakers addressed the issues of the day.

The speaker for the picnic in 1933 was W. H. Doughtery, a Janesville attorney, discussed the National Recovery Act (NRA) a government program to assist those who had no work. Evansville, like the rest of the country, was feeling the affects of the Great Depression. People listened attentively to Doughtery explain the government's attempts to help its citizens.

Although the church had served more than 800 meals, the organizers had dropped the price of the meal to 35 cents. However, because there was a much smaller crowd at the 1933 event, the revenues also dropped. The following year, the price of the meal was raised to 40 cents.

Former priests were often invited back to the church as speakers. Father Stanley Dwyer was invited to tell the local parish about his trip to Ireland to attend a great Catholic congress that had been convened there. There were more than a million people in attendance at the Dublin convention. Dwyer had also traveled to other parts of Europe, visiting Rome, where he had assisted at a service in St. Peter's.

Rev. William McDermott was invited to speak at the 1934 Irish Picnic. He addressed the crowd on the issue of "Divine Guidance as a Panacea for the Solving of Our Present Difficulties". More than 2,000 people came to hear him speak and to attend the festivities and meals. The small gate fee of 15 cents and the 40 cent dinner brought proceeds for the church of only $350.

The parish once again had a new priest in January 1935. Father Francis J. Mehigan replaced Father McCollow who was assigned to St. Victor's in Monroe. The new priest had been out of the Seminary just six years. He spent the rest of his life at St. Paul's.   Mehigan led the church through the final years of the Depression and into the tragic era of World War II.

Father Mehigan, Tom Kennedy and Jerry Lynch

In 1937, the church lost one of its founders. Joseph Bodenberger died in May. He was one of the original church councilmen, as well as the first secretary and treasurer of the Church. Because Father Mehigan was not available, Father McCollow was called back from Monroe to preach the sermon. A choir from Brodhead came to sing the mass. Bodenberger's pallbearers were some of his old friends and the leading men of St. Pauls', Dan Finnane, Martin Croak, Charles Maloy, Dan Lynch, Peter Garry and John Kennedy.

In the late 1930s, the Parish picnics were moved to the grounds of St. Paul's on Garfield Avenue. The women who prepared the meal found it much easier to use the kitchen in the church basement, but they still required additional refrigeration appliances, fans and other items from the Grange Store.

For the 1939 event, Christy Ryan built a platform for the entertainment, but for the first time, he was unable to dance the Irish jig. Ryan was in poor health but he did manage to entertain the audience with a few Irish songs. The following year, he was back to his old routine of dancing.

To improve ticket sales, crews of volunteers went door-to-door in Evansville to sell dinner tickets that also included chances as prizes. Food items were popular prizes during the Depression. The chance of winning a bushel of apples, a sack of flour, ham, coffee and small cash prizes was enough incentive to purchase a dinner ticket.

The energy and enthusiasm that prompted so many to work so hard for the success of these fund raisers was due in part to the continued dream that the church would someday have its own school. In the meantime, the school-age children were taught religious classes each Saturday by nuns from the Mercy Sisters of Janesville and Father Mehigan.

The last Irish Picnic was held in 1942. World War II and the rationing of gas, tires and food brought a halt to the annual fund raiser. On June 25, 1942, Father Mehigan wrote in the church records: "We have had an Irish Picnic every year since I've been here. The year before I came they made $350. We made around $1,000 or better on my 1st Picnic and since that time we have stayed around that figure. Right now we don't know what we are going to do about the 1942 Picnic. Rubber and sugar rationing on account of the War."

The church held the 1942 picnic and more than 145 people assisted in the preparation and serving of the meal. The organizers showed their appreciation by listing the names of each helper in the August 13, 1942 Evansville Review. The noon dinner was served to 1,200 and more than 500 ate the evening meal. The crowd was estimated at 4,500.

Despite the success, the event was canceled in 1943. In 1944 and again in 1945, Father Mehigan placed a notice in the Review that there would be no Irish Picnic because of the war but "when the war is over and gas, tires and food is again plentiful, the annual Irish picnic probably will be resumed in Evansville."

When the war was over, the men's organization of the church, the Holy Name Society, put together a very successful testimonial dinner for the servicemen of the community. The parish hall was decorated in red, white, and blue. Robert Kelly sang "God Bless America", a local barber shop quartet sang, and Rev. Paul Croke, chaplain in the U.S. Navy acted as guest speaker.

There was a minute of silence in memory of the Evansville men who lost their lives. The banquet was the church's expression of gratitude and appreciation to the servicemen. Father Mehigan, who was a veteran of World War I also served as chaplain to the local American Legion.

In February 1948, a new fund raiser was organized. George Mattakat headed the Holy Name Society's first auction sale in the church basement. William Finneran was the auctioneer. Farmers brought in grain, women brought their fancy work, dressed chickens, and canned goods, and merchants donated small appliances and used articles. Charles Malony was general chairman. John Kennedy was the auction clerk and Robert Kelly was cashier.

Ironically, the auction was announced in the same issue of the Evansville Review that told of the death of another of the founders of St. Paul's. Daniel Finnane, a famous auctioneer himself, died just days before this new fund raiser was to be held.

The previous year, Finnane received a special blessing from the new Bishop of the Madison Diocese, William P. O'Connor. O'Connor had come to St. Paul's to perform his first confirmation since becoming Bishop and he also gave Daniel F. Finnane a special blessing in honor of the work he had done for St. Paul's.

Finnane had worked side-by-side with other founders of the church for more than forty years. Finnane died at his farm home north of Evansville, the site of the Irish Picnics that had raised thousands of dollars to support the parish.

In 1950, the church interior was redecorated and a new electric organ was purchased. A junior choir had been organized and Father Mehigan was making arrangements to open a parochial school in Evansville in the fall of 1951.  However, before his dream could be realized, Rev. Francis J. Mehigan died in his sleep in the rectory of St. Paul's in February 1951.

Priests from all over the area gathered for the funeral nad a priests' choir sang at the funeral. Local parishioner, Robert Kelly, sang "Ave Maria" and "Just for Today", one of Mehigan's favorite hymns.

Having perhaps a premonition of his death, Mehigan had made out a will leaving money to St. Paul's to be used for the altar and sanctuary. Although he was from Milwaukee, Mehigan was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Evansville.

After Mehigan's death, Monsignor Edward M. Kinney served as interim priest to St. Paul's from 1951 to 1952. During that time, he also served as chancellor in the Madison diocese. Kinney was responsible for organizing discussions and debates at St. Paul's.

One of the first discussions was on the topic "What can communities do to relieve emotional strain." Father Francis Doherty, then pastor of the Doylestown parish, was one of the participants in the discussion. He noted that there was too much emphasis on material values and a lack of understanding of man's purpose in life.

Others talked about having harmony in the home and placing more emphasis on the family. Some suggested that the consolidation of rural schools with city schools was causing emotional strain. J. C. McKenna, superintendent of schools, was asked to lead the discussion on this community problem.

Monsignor Kinney summarized the group discussion in a presentation at the University of Wisconsin's Farm and Home Week held in 1952. Kinney's conclusion was that building a sense of security and a felling of harmony in the home was primary in reducing emotional tension.

In April 1952, Father Francis Doherty replaced Monsignor Kinney at Saint Paul's. Kinney was named rector of St. Raphael's cathedral in Madison.

That summer Doherty began the supervision of a renovation of St. Paul's. The North First Street side entrance of the church was closed and the former vestibule of the side entrance became a small room with a large plate glass window facing the altar.

The "cry room", as the enclosure was popularly known, was a sound-proof space for mothers with small children. Those seated in the new area could hear the service, but the rest of the audience did not hear the noise of the babies and toddlers. The newly remodeled space added thirty-five additional seats.

During this remodeling, new floor coverings and new pews were installed in the sanctuary. A garage was built for the rectory and the rectory and the church were painted. There were also improvements made in the electrical wiring and insulation.

In May 1956, the church celebrated 50 years of service to the Evansville Community.   The first Sunday of the month was set aside as the date for celebrating the Golden Jubilee at St. Paul's Catholic Church. Several former pastors returned to help the congregation celebrate their 50th anniversary of service. Monsignor Edward M. Kinney, Rev. William P. McDermott, and Father Eugene McCollow.

Bishop O'Connor at 50th Anniversary Celebration of St. Paul's

An honor guard of men from the parish escorted the Madison diocese Bishop, William O'Connor, and the other priests to the high mass at the church. Special music was prepared for the celebration.

The local church choir was led by Robert Kelly and organ music was played by Mrs. Floyd Miller. Among the guests at the celebration were a number of priests, including Father Edward Erbe who was then serving a parish in Jefferson. Thirty seven years later, he was assigned as priest at St. Paul's.

A beautiful booklet with a gold cover was prepared for the congregation's special celebration. It included the history of the local church up to 1956 and pictures of the priests who had served St. Paul's during the first fifty years of its existence.

The booklet also announced the renewed hope of a school for the church: "For years the Catholics of Evansville have always realized their need of a school where a religious atmosphere predominates." There was $14,355 in the treasury to support the school and several locations had been considered, but none chosen.

Since there was no parochial school, weekly instructions were given to the grade school children by Father Doherty, women of the parish and three Dominican Sisters. The Sisters were from Mother of Consolation parish in Oregon. Volunteers drove the nuns to and from Oregon each week. During the summer they conducted a two-week religious vacation school.

In the anniversary booklet, Father Doherty noted that his parishioners were "reverent" and gave "quiet attention" during the services. They did not "rush to the door as the priest leaves the altar", as Doherty had apparently witnessed in other congregations.

The women of the parish, headed by St. Mary's Sodality president, Ann Ellis, were in charge of many fund raising and social activities. They held a get-acquainted reception for new women teachers and wives of the men teachers each fall as the public school year began. They also held Christmas parties for the children and bazaars.  Study clubs were formed so that the women could increase their knowledge of church teachings. The women also prepared and served meals for special occasions such as the Golden Jubilee.

At the time of the golden anniversary, Charles Maloy and Edward Erpenbach were trustees of the church. Together with Father Francis Doherty, they were responsible for overseeing the financial and spiritual condition of St. Paul's.

In 1957, the parish purchased the house directly east of the church rectory from George Walk. The congregation wanted the land for building a school.  However, plans for the school did not materialize and the house was sold within two years to Don and Darlene Vreeland. The home was later sold to Margaret Bong, who became the housekeeper for the local priests.

In the late 1950s, Father James Kramer was assigned to the church as its pastor. In addition to his duties in Evansville, Father Kramer was also the superintendent of schools for the Madison diocese and he was pursuing advanced studies at the University of Wisconsin.

The one near disaster reported for the church buildings occurred during Rev. Kramer's administration. One Saturday in May 1959, while Rev. Kramer was in Madison serving as a judge in a school spelling contest, the rectory furnace malfunctioned. The chimney was damaged, but fortunately, there was no fire. The house and some of its contents were damaged by smoke.

The 1960s brought many changes to the building and services of the local church. The year that the Second Vatican Council ended in 1965, Evansville's Catholic congregation made another renovation to the church to comply with the liturgical specifications of the Council.

A front-facing, light oak altar was installed so that the people and the priest faced each other during the mass. A six-foot, hand carved, light oak crucifix was suspended above the altar. The church interior and exterior walls were repainted and a new gold-toned carpeting was installed.

During the 1966 year, the parish and its priest were very busy. Father Kramer completed his doctoral degree at the University of Wisconsin in August. He majored in educational administration and minored in American history. Kramer continued to serve as the superintendent of the diocese schools and as pastor of Saint Paul's.

The Second Vatican Council had also called for more participation by the congregation in the church administration and services. The church elected its first Parish Advisory Council in 1966. The Council was to act as an executive body to represent the members of the church. They worked closely with Father Kramer to plan the administration of the church and to make arrangements for special celebrations and holy days.

In October 1966, the Saint Paul's women's society held a meeting to decide if they should involve men as well as women in their group. After a vote was taken, the women decided to develop a new organization called the Christian Family Organization. Three couples, Ralph and Angie Hall, Helen and Robert Bennett and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Nauyokas were to serve as the reorganization committee.

Rev. Kramer left St. Paul's parish in June 1968 to take on the full-time responsibilities of running the diocese schools. He had served the parish for a little more than 10 years. The congregation presented him with a memory book depicting events from his years at St. Paul's. They gave him a farewell reception and welcomed their new priest, Rev. Joseph Brechtl.

Rev. Brechtl came to Saint Paul's from St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Verona where he had helped organize the building of a new church, convent, school and rectory. He had also worked on the Dane County Planning Commission of the Diocese.

In a 1973 interview with Jane Whitmore, Father Brechtl said, "You are looking at two different people, a pre-Vatican priest of twenty years, and second, a post-Vatican priest of nearly ten years." He described the change as being hard for both the priest and the people, but he hoped together the people would find strength in unity.

In what had become a familiar pattern for priests who came to Saint Paul's, Father Brechtl and the church council began to plan for renovation and an addition for the church. It was the largest project the church had undertaken since the addition made in 1913.

A two-story addition was made to the south-east side of the church. The new space provided a side entrance on the east that led into the sanctuary, or to the basement meeting rooms. The kitchen was remodeled and a new furnace installed. While the church was being renovated, the children's catechism classes were held at the Congregational Church.

A special niche was built into the hall of the new addition to house the statue of the Last Supper that had been purchased for the church during the first renovation in 1913. Kathleen Helgesen was placed in charge of restoration of the statue.

The new addition was dedicated in November 1974. Michael Finnane, son of one of the founders of the church, spoke about the beginnings of the congregation in Evansville and his family's involvement in building the church. Robert Brennan and Ralph Hall served as lectors during the dedication service conducted by Bishop Cletus O'Donnell.

Once again, the church had increased its space and improved its facilities. There were new classrooms for catechism classes, a new kitchen for church suppers and other social activities.

New assignments of pastors usually took place in June and in 1977 a new priest was sent to St. Paul's. Rev. Thomas Lourim, came to Evansville after serving two churches, St. Rose's in Brodhead and St. Patrick's in Albany. For more than 20 years, Father Lourim had also served as chaplain for the Madison Catholic Women's Club. He was also a collector of antique furniture and art.

Lourim had been ordained in Madison in 1948 after a career as a social worker for Rock County during the last years of the depression. 1948 was also the centennial year for Wisconsin and he told a reporter that during his ordination at St. Raphael's, there was a parade going around the Capitol Square.

During Father Lourim's administration, the ecumenical spirit that had been foster by the Second Vatican Council was enhanced. Under his leadership, the people of St. Paul's participation with other area churches in services for the World Day of Prayer, Ecumenical Good Friday and Thanksgiving services and seminars planned to help families cope with a changing society.

The church was redecorated during Father Lourim's stay at St. Paul's. The walls were papered and a simple gold trim was placed around the dome of the altar area. A large crystal chandelier was hung above the altar and new Stations of the Cross, painted in Byzantine style, were hung in the seating area of the church. The altar railing was removed from the front of the church and placed in the balcony.

Taking a more active role in the community, Father Lourim was a member of the Evansville Ministers Association. He also worked with Harvey Stevens and the Evansville Historic Preservation Committee to create the slide-tape program about the Evansville Historic District.

After serving at St. Paul's for 11 years, Father Lourim retired and went to live with his sister, Lucille, in Beloit. The parish said goodbye to him at a party held at the Evansville Country Club. Before leaving the rectory, he donated his collection of art and antique books to the Eager Free Public Library.

In June 1988, Father Robert Hughes was assigned to St. Paul's. An athletic man, who loved bicycling, Father Hughes had toured the United States and Europe by bicycle. He had been a teacher and football coach at Holy Name Seminary in Madison for several years and had served as a priest in other parishes.

Father Hughes and the church council reinstated the annual picnics held at Saint Paul's, with ball games and other games of skill, bingo, and pot-luck food. While the Irish Picnics of earlier times had been fund raisers, these picnics were not intended to raise money. There were planned as a way for the members of the parish to become better acquainted with each other.

Five years later, Father Hughes became a Chaplain in the United States Navy and Father Edward Erbe came to St. Paul's Catholic Church in June 1993. He had most recently served at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Madison from 1969 to 1993. Erbe had also served a Director of Catholic Social Service Adoption Agency in Madison from 1961-1969.

Under his administration, the church was once again remodeled. A new sound system was installed and an elevator was put in to make the services accessible to people with disabilities.

A large painting of the Last Supper created by Tim and Cathy Rooney was hung behind the altar. The three section piece is based on Leonard da Vinci's portrait of Jesus and his disciples. The Rooney's painting is done in a Byzantine mosaic style.

The side entrance on First Street was once again opened and the cry-room was eliminated to make way for the elevator that could carry people from the entrance level to the main area of the church or to the basement hall for classes or social events. Members of the church who were carpenters, electricians and elevator installers were responsible for the new improvements.

More than 370 families were members of St. Paul's Church in Evansville in 1995. They participate in the St. Paul's Council of Catholic Women, Knights of Columbus, Guitar Choir, as Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, St. Paul's Choir, teachers, ushers, song leaders, and other congregational activities.

Today's church is very different from the one the 1906 congregation erected. The building has been enlarged several times. The sanctuary is simpler in design and decoration.

Services are said in English, rather than Latin and there are more members of the congregation taking part in the preparation for and participation in the mass.  The congregation participates as readers, eucharistic ministers and song leaders. The Irish picnics have been replaced with an annual parish picnic. The Knights of Columbus and the women of the parish hold fund raisers to help with church projects.

In June 1999, Father Edward Erbe retired from St. Paul's and the church was assigned a new pastor, Father Philip Krogman.  Father Krogman served one of the shortest terms in the churches history and was reassigned in September 2000 to a Green Lake, Wisconsin parish.