Saint Vincent de Paul began in 1888 to serve Frogtown’s Irish Catholics. Its congregation has many Hmong members today.
In 1888 the local conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society opened a small mission chapel near the corner of Blair Avenue and Virginia Street. It served about 125 families, most of them Irish. Priests from Saint Luke’s served the congregation, although a priest from Saint Joseph church at Carroll Avenue and Virginia Street offered the first Mass.
Father Laurence Cosgrove was the first resident pastor, and first in a long line of Irish priests. Cosgrove is credited with fostering Saint Vincent’s growth and development. The church was dedicated in May 1888.
Cosgrove was somewhat of a legend. In addition to being pastor of Saint Vincent's, he served as chaplain of Calvary Cemetery, chaplain of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, chaplain of the State Order of Foresters, and first pastor of Saint Andrew's Parish, which was founded in 1889 as a mission of Saint Vincent's.
Saint Vincent grew to more than 800 families by the mid-20th century. The church was extensively renovated in the 1930s, with labor from men and women of the parish.
The church entrance and vestibule were renovated in the early 1950s.
The tradition of Irish priests at Saint Vincent ended in 1979, when Father Bernard C. Klein took charge. In recent years St. Vincent’s congregation became more diverse, with many members of Hmong descent. In 2012 the parish became part of the Cathedral of Saint Paul.
Saint Vincent’s teams, especially in baseball and basketball, had an illustrious history and produced many star baseball players including Saint Paul Saints and Chicago White Sox star Larry Rosenthal. School alumnus Jim McCarter made Ripley’s Believe it or Not in 1931 when he struck out all 27 batters for Saint Vincent’s in a game against Saint Andrew’s. Internationally known boxers Mike and Tommy Gibbons were also from Saint Vincent.
One interesting note is that all three of the Frogtown Catholic churches were dedicated by the legendary Archbishop John Ireland.
]]>Saint Vincent de Paul School, 643 Virginia St. The school’s groundbreaking was in November 1900. The school opened in July 1901, with 190 children. Four Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondolet, who lived at St. Joseph’s Academy, made up the first teaching staff.
One account of the school’s dedication in September 1902 describes it as “an imposing structure three stories high, [standing] in spacious grounds, large enough, after providing ample playground for the children, to afford an enclosed park prettily laid out in greensward and flower beds eight classrooms with a seating capacity of 500, an ornamental fountain in the middle of the playground." Parish histories note that Father Laurence Cosgrove was instrumental in getting the school built.
The school was extensively damaged by fire in the 1910s but was rebuilt by the parish. Father Timothy Crowley led the reconstruction efforts.
The school was extensively redecorated in 1952, with features including glass block windows and what were described as “plastic-topped desks.”
The school’s enrollment neared the 400-pupil mark in the 1920s but declined by the 1960s. Saint Vincent’s last class graduated in 1970. The school building was occupied for several years in the 1970s and 1980s by the Red School House, a school for Native American children and then by New Spirit School. It is now occupied by the upper grades of Saint Paul City School and has been enlarged in recent years.
]]>