About Us
The History of St. Paul Parish in Arcadia, FL
Who We Are, Where We Came From, and Where We’re Headed
The first recorded Baptism in Desoto County was performed by Father P. J. Lynch at Fort Ogden, just south of Arcadia, in 1882. The first recorded Baptism in Arcadia was performed by Father Charles Peterman at a family home in 1884.
In early 1890, a Jesuit priest named Father John Quinlan, traveling 70 miles on horseback, celebrated the first Mass in Arcadia for six Catholic families at the home of the James McBride family. That year, Jesuit priests established the mission there and began to regularly visit Arcadia to say Mass in the homes of the parishioners.
In 1910, when Father Alfred Latiolais, S.J., was assigned by the Jesuits as the first permanent priest to Saint Paul Mission in Arcadia, the number of Catholics in the area had greatly increased. Through the help of James McBride, John W. Smith, and a donation from the Catholic Extension Society, Father Latiolais was able to start construction of a mission church in Arcadia at what is today the corner of North Monroe Avenue and Whidden Street. Saint Paul Church was completed in late 1915 and dedicated by Bishop Michael Curley of Saint Augustine.
Father William J. Carroll was appointed to the Mission of St. Paul on October 14, 1929, to minister to the congregation of twenty-five families. Father Carroll oversaw the completion of the first rectory in 1930. On July 25, 1958, St. Paul Mission was canonically erected as a parish by Archbishop Joseph P. Hurley, Archdiocese of Saint Augustine.
With the help of a donation from the Catholic Extension Society and the donation of property by the Leonard family, groundbreaking for a new church took place in 1967, which was dedicated on February 17, 1968, by Bishop Coleman F. Carroll on Miami. The original 1915 church, which was eventually sold, is still standing today.
On October 31, 1982, the new parish center, which included four classrooms, a large hall, and a kitchen, was completed and dedicated. Another rectory was purchased in 1982. On October 13, 1991, the Social Service Center of Catholic Charities was dedicated by Bishop Nevins. The center includes a chapel at one end and the beautiful Sacred Heart Grotto