SPO – Snapshots from the past 25 years

1985

The first St. Paul’s Outreach summer households are established with 25 men at the Catholic Youth Center and 25 women in two other houses.

1989

Construction on I-35E forces the St. Paul Catholic Youth Center to close and the office of St. Paul’s Outreach to move to Brady High School in West St. Paul.

Vocations

Several vocations were nurtured during the early years. Among them are:
SPO staff member Lori Lavern became Carmelite Sister Gloria Therese.
Father Kevin Finnegan was ordained in 1996.
Father Andrew Cozzens was ordained in 1997.
Father Peter Richards was ordained in 1998.
Father Thomas Margevicius was ordained in 1999.

1990

Eight summer households, each with six to 12 members, draw participants from across the United States and Canada, who pay $200 per month rent.

Fifty people attend the annual end-of-the-year pig roast.

1992

SPO moves to new offices at 110 Crusader Ave. in West St. Paul.

1997

SPO launches the Summer Internship Program, now called the School of the New Evangelization.

2000

Father Francis Fried, then pastor at St. Dominic in Northfield, commissions SPO to be responsible for the parish ministry efforts to students at St. Olaf and Carleton colleges, also in Northfield.

2003

Gordy DeMarais and SPO are named Catholic of the Year by the Catholic Defense League.

2004-2008

SPO grows from 20 participants in 2004 to 150 in 2008, with houses on 30 university campuses in 11 states and two countries.

2006

The SPO-Ohio chapter hosts its first benefit banquet for nearly 200 guests.

2007

SPO begins working with students and potential staff members in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Kansas and Arizona.

2008

SPO begins a collaboration with the St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul to offer its missionaries an opportunity to earn a master of arts degree in pastoral ministry or religious education while serving SPO.

2011

SPO celebrates 25 years of evangelizing students on college campuses through personal invitation.