John Cavanaugh-O’Keefe wrote a wonderful history of Saint Paul Catholic Church from its beginnings to 1993, full of wonderful interviews and personal recollections, from which the following information was obtained. The first Catholic to arrive in Damascus was Edmond Rhodes, Sr., who moved here in 1940. At that time, the area was a Methodist stronghold and there was still some lingering prejudice against Catholics. By the 1950’s, several Catholic families had moved to the area, but continued to worship in area churches, some driving up to 20 miles each way every Sunday.  In 1955, there were 40 Catholic families in the Damascus area. On April 18, 1955, a new court of the Catholic Daughters was established here to organize religious education, which was a necessary starting point for establishing a new parish. Many of the women involved in the early days who opened their homes to the children and catechists each week are still familiar names in the parish today; including Byrnes, Fisher, Auth, Brohawn, Parbouni, Day, Green, and Cavanaugh. Before long, the numerous letters to Archbishop Patrick O’Boyle were answered, when Fr. Paul Meyer from St. Martin’s who actively supported the Damascus community, brought Fr. Raymond Moriarty to Damascus to introduce him as the priest for the new parish.

Saint Paul Parish was founded in June of 1957 and Father Raymond Moriarty was our pastor. The initial Masses were celebrated in the Druid Theater (now the Rite-Aid store on Main Street). On Christmas Eve 1959 we celebrated the fi rst Mass in our own church (in what is now known as the Norris Chapel). In June of 1960, Fr. Josheph Gedra became the pastor of the quickly growing parish.

Father Gedra led Saint Paul’s through many changes, not the least of which were the changes brought about by Vatican II, which he fi rmly resisted. Despite his conservative outlook on the liturgy, the church began a number of activities, such as the parish picnic, parish dinners, the Good as New Sale, and Easter Egg hunt under the leadership of Fr. Gedra. During the 1960’s, the parishioners used a telephone chain to get signifi cant news out to everyone. Everyone had 7 people to call, and within 15 minutes, the whole parish was informed.

The marble statue of Saint Paul, which was carved in Italy, was presented to the parish by Msgr. John K. Cartwright, the rector of St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, and was dedicated in 1965. The parish was busy with bazaars, picnics, auctions, and dinners during the 60’s, and was small enough that everyone knew each other. Fr. Gedra would give the CCD children report cards and kept the altar boys on their toes. The Holy Name Society, a men’s organization, was active in fundraising and maintenance activities. Saint Paul’s parishioners also reached out to the community and worked closely with the ecumenical Damascus Ministerial Association to promote Christian unity.

After Fr. Gedra left the parish, Fr. Robert Wharton came to Saint Paul Catholic Church for a short while, instituting some of the changes decreed by the second Vatican Council, such as turning the altar around to face the congregation. He also began to initiate the formation of the parish council, which was instituted under Fr. Norris. Father Walter Norris was pastor at Saint Paul’s from 1971-1982 and was Pastor Emeritus until his death in 2002. This time saw numerous changes, with the growth of the parish and further development of the ideas put forth by Vatican II, especially with parish input on administration, in new ways to participate in the liturgy, and with the changes and growth in the music ministries. During his tenure, a fi re partially destroyed the church, and Mass was celebrated at Baker Middle School until repairs were completed. Fr. Charles Brown became pastor of Saint Paul’s in 1982. He was a convert to Catholicism, who had served in the Navy and graduated from Harvard Law School before going through the RCIA program. He entered the seminary in 1966. Fr. Brown made a point of visiting all the parishioners in their homes. He instituted the RCIA program at Saint Paul, as well as supporting the hiring of staff to run the religious education program. He was replaced by Fr. Bill Stock, who decided to save the money used to rent space at Damascus High School, by erecting a huge tent in which Mass was celebrated. The parish continued to grow, and bursting at the seams, began the long capital campaign to build a new church in the 1980’s. The fi rst step was to get permission to hook up to the sewer system, which was a long, expensive struggle.

Father Peter Sweeney came to the parish as pastor in 1989 and oversaw the building of our new church that was dedicated in April 2002. The church building is simple yet profound. The A-frame design of the church suggests the shape of a barn which honors the farming community that founded the town of Damascus. The strong roof lines pierce the sky as the church sits on the highest point in Montgomery County. The portico is topped with a Celtic cross. The Gospel of Life Garden was built in 2007 as an Eagle Scout project by David Reeves and Paul Junghans; the beautiful statue of the Holy Family was donated by the Knights of Columbus. The garden was dedicated and blessed by Bishop Donald Weurl on the occasion of the church’s 50th Jubilee Mass and celebration .

Father Kevin Kennedy was pastor of Saint Paul Catholic Church from June 2004 to June 2008. Under his leadership, the parish began a needs discernment and goal-setting process to address the needs and direction of the parish. Results included the completion of building permit requirements, establishment of new ministries for middle school students and adults, increased community-building efforts, and more frequent reporting of parish fi nances. Father Joseph Pierce became the pastor at St.Paul’s in June 2008.