“I realize that so many of you have been waiting for this day to finally come to fruition. Well, it has. Today, indeed, every one of us is called to rejoice and be glad,” Bishop Garcia told those in attendance. “Some of you have been in the forefront, assisting with fundraising and planning and carrying out the last-minute details for this day.

“Others of you have been in the background, quietly praying for the success that you have been able to achieve together. But let me remind you that each and every one of you is and has been important to this grand project. No one here is greater than the other.”

Schoenstatt Father Johnson Nellissery, pastor of St. Paul, said the new sanctuary stemmed from the fact that the existing multi-use structure was not meeting the parish’s needs. He cited, as an example, that last year they prepared 29 couples for marriage, but only 11 of them exchanged their wedding vows at St. Paul.

“The real reason for building the new church is that we need to grow,” Father Nellissery said. The previous sanctuary doubled as a parish hall and religious education center, housing eight classrooms.

The parish’s founding pastor, Father Paul McCallum, celebrated the first Sunday Mass at the Williams Elementary School Cafeteria on Sept. 3, 1989. The first parishioners included airmen and their families from Bergstrom Airforce Base, transplants to Texas, and native Austinites. The community met at Williams Elementary for nearly five years.

The Diocese of Austin then purchased 11.7 acres of land to establish a new worship center in the growing South Austin area. The tract included beautiful trees and was “teeming with wildlife, with an occasional stream flowing on its east side.” These features, however, are protected by the city’s ordinances designed to preserve wildlife habitats; while well-intended, they have been a challenge to the parish ever since.

St. Paul’s first chapel was a small building at the west end of the property, now known as Spark Hall, which is used for youth group activities. Working with the city, St. Paul has gradually developed other buildings, including Grace Hall, the present church/multipurpose center, which was dedicated on April 10, 1994, by Bishop John McCarthy. In addition to the multipurpose church building, the former rectory, now known as Casa San Pablo, is used by the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Gabriel Project, St. Paul’s pro-life initiative.

In 2022, the parish launched a fundraising effort for the new church and managed to get pledges totaling $3.5 million. The diocese provided another $1 million. In 2024, the parish broke ground for the new church designed by William Scarmardo, a retired deacon in the Diocese of Austin, and built by Navcon Builders.

With the help of assistant pastor Schoenstatt Father Hector Vega, Deacons Rey Garza and Michael Marchek, and an “energetic and faith-filled laity,” Father Nellissery hopes to continue to grow St. Paul. Among the supportive lay ministries are ACTS, Adoración Eucarística, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, Eucharistic Adoration, Extraordinary Ministers, Floral Ministry, Gabriel Project, Knights of Columbus, Lectors, Men’s Club, Society of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Welcome Ministry and Music Ministry. Parish ministries and organizations lead the Sunday rosary, coordinate the Lenten suppers and host seasonal retreats.

Parishioner Denise Gran, one of the transplants to Texas, points out that while “there is an informality with a church in a multipurpose building,” people would like a building with a “more permanent, formal interior, a church with pews, kneelers, stained glass windows, and an altar, you know, that is immovable.”

“I think St. Paul is the best-kept secret in South Austin. Down the road, I hope it will be a place to live in the sacraments, a place of peace, healing, and nurturing, a place to give thanks, a place to hear and respond to the call to serve, either in liturgical or social ministry,” Gran said.

Bishop Garcia said the Gospel tells how Jesus instructed the disciples to go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature, and he reminded those present that they, too, are called to carry on this mission. “This mandate is not only for the priests who serve this community, but to you — the living stones of this parish.”

Father Nellissery told the congregation that they were witnessing and participating in “something many who came before us longed to see. They may be looking down upon us with a smile.”

He went on to thank the diocesan building team, the Office of Worship, the Communications Office, and the Finance Office as well as his parishioners.

“I thank each one of you, my beloved parishioners, for your sacrificial waiting, your support and your sharing,” Father Nellissery continued.

“The church is a source of permanence and transcendent beauty and a place of peace and worship for current and future generations of parishioners and visitors alike,” he said.