Conversion of St. Paul Church (Vermont)

In 1893, the Conversion of St. Paul Roman Catholic Church was founded in Barton, Vermont, USA. The parish is under the guidance of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington. The church is usually called St. Paul's by parishioners.

Rev. Joseph Turcot was the first resident pastor. He built a new church which was completed on May 24, 1903. Bishop John Michaud blessed the church, whose membership included 60 families and an average Sunday attendance of 300 people.

In 1962, a parishioner erected a statue of Jesus overlooking Crystal Lake.

In 2004, the church was merged into a parish with St. Teresa's in Orleans and St. John Vianney in Irasburg. The reconfigured parish was known as "Trinity Parish."

IN 2006 Fr. Rupp entered a demolition derby as part of fundraising activity to help send parish teachers on a trip to Rome. A clip of the race was televised throughout the state on the evening news.

The first Mass was said in Barton in 1851. After 1854, priests from Stanstead and St. Johnsbury alternated saying mass in the area.

Barton was a mission church of Newport after their parish was established in 1873. Mass was said in the Barton Academy hall until 1878. The parish bought a church from the Congregationalists who had built a new one. Because the church had been converted to Catholic use, the official name the "Conversion of St. Paul" was thought appropriate.

Just before their first priest arrived, the railroad came through. The company moved the church to East Street.

The parish's first priest also said mass in Greensboro Bend twice a month for several years.

From 1918-2005, the pastor was mission pastor for St. John of the Cross in East Albany.

About 2002, the parish priest became responsible for two more parishes, St. Teresa's in Orleans and St. John Vianney in Irasburg.

Fr. Turcot established the parochial elementary school. The school opened in 1896 in a private home on May Pond Road.

In 1896, the parish purchased an old store building to use as a school. This was moved near the church.

Fr. Eugene Leblanc contracted with the Sisters of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Nicolet, Quebec to teach at the parochial school in 1907. Sister St. Benjamin arrived with three other nuns. School population was around 100 until 1917 when a fire destroyed the tub factory, forcing their employees to move elsewhere for work. The number of pupils plummeted to 55.

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