St. Paul Parish History

St. Paul Parish History

 taken from "Archdiocese of Dubuque 1837-2012 Jesus Alive through 175 Years" Book

 "St. Paul Parish in Traer goes back to the 1870s when priests, traveling by railroad, celebrated Mass in private homes.  In 1912, ground was broken for the building of a church and it was dedicated May 4, 1914, by Archbishop James Keane.  Throughout the following years, it was a mission of Immaculate Conception in Blessing, nine miles north of Traer.

 "In July of 1955, Archbishop Leo Binz decreed the Traer mission a parish and Rev. Francis Lana became the first resident pastor.  At that time, St. Joseph in Dysart became a mission of St. Paul.

 "In June of 1961, Rev. Richard Bohr was appointed pastor.  Due to damage to the church from a tornado, ten acres of land was purchased in September as a new building site.  Building of the new church and rectory was begun in 1964, and the cornerstone to the new church, which was designed to seat 418, was laid on April 27, 1965, with the first Mass offered on May 21, 1965.

 "With the number of vocations decreasing, many small parishes were closed.  In 1992, when St. Wenceslaus of rural Clutier was made an oratory, Immaculate Conception in Clutier and St. Mary in Vining were attached to St. Paul.  When St. Mary was made an oratory in 2003, St. Joseph, Dysart, was again attached to St. Paul.  In 2006, Immaculate Conception, Clutier, was made an oratory, and St. Joseph, Dysart, was closed.  St. Paul then helped form the Prince of Peace Cluster with St. Mary of Mt. Carmel, Eagle Center, and Sacred Heart, LaPorte City.

 "St. Paul has been blessed with three priestly vocations.  In 2002, St. Paul built a parish center with moveable interior walls for classrooms and to provide social activities with a fully functional kitchen."