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60 Years of History
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Our Six Bishops
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Our History
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Our Parishes
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Our Lady of La Salette Mission, Kirbyville
Despite the years of difficulty of being members of a minority religion, the congregation of Our Lady of La Salette had grown to become the second largest in Kirbyville by 1988. Located in the Bible belt area of East Texas, where the religion is predominantly Protestant, the few Catholic families of Kirbyville had a tough time practicing and following their Catholic faith. One of the earliest Catholic families would travel to Beaumont and Silsbee for Mass during the 1930s. Though it was difficult to acquire land and raise funds to build a church, Our Lady of La Salette was dedicated in 1948 and was the first Catholic church building in Jasper County. The Catholic population continued to grow and in the 1960s, three acres of land were acquired. The frame building was moved to this new property, and an addition was built onto the church structure.
One of the customs of Our Lady of La Salette is the Tridium for September 19, the feast of Our Lady of La Salette. It involves special Masses, prayers, and events.
The pastor of Our Lady of La Salette is Father Rejimon George, CMI.
For more information, visit stmichaelsjasper.com.
Our Lady of the Pines, Woodville
Even into the 1940s, Catholics who lived in and around Woodville had to travel to Jasper, Lufkin, or another town to go to Mass. Occasionally Mass would be celebrated in the homes of the few Catholic families in the area when Father Walter Fraher, MS, and Father Thomas Nolan, MS, would visit once a month to minister to the scattered Catholics in the area. To establish a mission church, funds began to be solicited from Catholics and non-Catholics in Woodville, as well as in Port Arthur. After three and a half years, funds were raised and property was donated. The new St. Lawrence Church was dedicated in 1950 on the feast day of St. Lawrence, the patron saint of cooks and poor people. St. Lawrence Church opened its doors to refugees when Hurricane Carla struck in 1961. Years went by and the population continued to grow. At times Masses would be so crowded that people sat in the confessionals with the curtains tied back or on the steps outside with the door open. Expansion continued when seven and a half acres of land was acquired. Parishioners once again began fundraising efforts. The new church building was dedicated and blessed on April 12, 1970, and renamed Our Lady of the Pines. The name was chosen in honor of the Blessed Mother and in keeping with the surroundings of the piney woods. Three pine poles, each with an anodized aluminum cross, stand in front of the church.
The pastor of Our Lady of the Pines is Father Rejimon George, CMI.
For more information, visit stmichaelsjasper.com.
St. Joseph, Livingston
When the Diocese of Beaumont was established in 1966, Livingston was the largest city in the new diocese with no Catholic visibility. The former Catholic structure of St. Lawrence Mission in Woodville was moved to Livingston in 1970 after a new church was constructed in Woodville. The building was then renamed St. Joseph Church and was dedicated by Bishop Vincent Harris on September 13, 1970. At that time, parishioners numbered twelve families. As the population increased, a hall, kitchen, and overnight quarters for priests were added. A rectory was built in 1981, and the Family Life Building was dedicated in 1987. It The Franciscan Sisters came to the area in 1980s to serve as pastoral associates. The community of St. Joseph supports the whole parish and people reach out to support each other, start prayer chains, and take care of each other. The parish also reaches out to others in the community and provides a food pantry for the needy in Livingston.
The pastor at St. Joseph in Livingston is Father Paul Kahan, SVD.
For more information on St. Joseph in Livingston, visit stjoseph-livingston-tx.org.
St. Martin de Porres, Corrigan
The beginning of St. Martin de Porres was in 1980 with the work of Sister Ramona Johnson, OSF. In visiting Corrigan, Sister Ramona found about fifty families sending their children to Sunday School at the local Baptist church for religious education because there was no Catholic church in town. Sister Ramona was able to find a closed school building that could be rented for $25 a month. Families worked together in raising funds and preparing the building. Bishop Ganter blessed and dedicated the Catholic Center on May 10, 1980. A home was donated to the mission in the summer of 1985. That home was cut into two parts and moved onto ten acres on Highway 287. Twenty feet were added on, and it became the church. The other part of the house was moved next to the church and became classrooms for religious education, meeting rooms, a kitchen, and Sister Ramona's office.
St. Martin de Porres’ feast day is celebrated each year in November.
The pastor at St. Martin de Porres is Father Paul Kahan, SVD.
For more information, visit stjoseph-livingston-tx.org/st-martin-de-porres.
St. Michael, Jasper
In rural East Texas, Catholics had to wait until a “saddlebag” priest would travel through their area to celebrate Mass. For the Catholics in Jasper, the first Mass was celebrated in 1929. In the late 1930s, Catholics would attend Mass once a month at the Civilian Conservations Corps camp around Second and Verna Streets. For a while, Father Walter Fraher, MS, celebrated Mass in a home once a month. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Mass was celebrated in the Jasper Community House. Funds were raised and the first church building was constructed in 1952 with the first Mass celebrated on December 2, 1952. In 1955, Father Fred Julien, MS, worked to raise the mission of St. Michael to parish status. Expansion continued as a parish hall was moved onto the property in 1963. As the community continued to grow, a new church building had to be constructed to accommodate more people. Ground was broken in May 1989 for the new church building for St. Michael. Bishop Ganter dedicated and blessed the church in 1990.
The pastor of St. Michael is Father Rejimon George, CMI.
For more information, visit stmichaelsjasper.com.
St. Raymond, Sam Rayburn
In the late 1960s, the area around Lake Sam Rayburn, known as Rayburn Country, was in its infancy. Father Richard Donahue, MS, was pastor at St. Michael in Jasper, only 15 miles away. Father Donahue had a vision to build a church and a retreat property for the La Salette Fathers. After approaching Bishop Vincent Harris about it, construction began in early 1970. Construction used materials native to the area and in addition to the church, small hall was also built. It was the first church of any denomination to be built in Rayburn Country. Bishop Harris blessed and dedicated the new church on July 19, 1970, with Father Donahue concelebrating. After Mass, an open house and a barbecue were held. The mission was named for St. Raymond of Peñafort, the patron of vacationers and boaters.
The pastor at St. Raymond is Father Rejimon George, CMI.
For more information on St. Raymond, visit stmichaelsjasper.com.
Toledo Village Station, Toledo Village
A need for Masses to be celebrated in Toledo Bend arose as people spend time at the lake during summer months and vacations. Originally, Mass was celebrated in an outdoor park but eventually moved indoors to the Toledo Bend Community Center. Masses are most popular during long weekends like Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Fourth of July.
The pastor at Toledo Village Station is Father Rejimon George, CMI.
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Immaculate Conception- St. Peter the Apostle, Groves
In December 1928, the first Mass was said in the home of Mr. and Mrs. John C. DeVillier with about fifteen families attending. Construction of the first church began in 1929 and continued for seven years. The mission church was elevated to a parish, and the first pastor was appointed in 1937. However, disaster struck in 1939 when the church was destroyed by fire. A new church was constructed and dedicated in 1940. A rectory was also built at this time. The area of Pecan Groves was incorporated in the City of Groves in 1953. Growth continued, as did renovations, and in 1971, Bishop Boudreaux officiated a groundbreaking and blessing. After the Second Vatican Council, a major change took place and St. Peter the Apostle Church was established in southeast Groves. However, after several hurricanes and damage, St. Peter the Apostle Church merged with Immaculate Conception in 2016.
The pastor of Immaculate Conception is Father Valentine Mayaka, FMH.
For more information, visit ic-spparish.com.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Port Arthur
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish was founded in 1927 by Fr. Marcelino Ruiz from Mexico. Originally established as a parish to assist the Mexican American families in the area, it now houses many nationalities. In 1931, Fr. Juan Arana became the first Augustinian pastor, and since then, the Augustinian Fathers from Spain have overseen the parish. The first church was located at the corner of Houston Avenue and 15th Street, when a framed building was acquired on the 200 block of 16th Street. In 1936, Fr. Arana built the steel and brick Church at 134 15th Street that served the faithful for 40 years. In 1966, Fr. Porfirio Fernandez purchased the land at 61st Street and 9th Avenue. Ten years later, the present Church with a capacity of 600 was built. In October 1976, the statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe was carried in procession on the shoulders of the parishioners to the new location. Within the next ten years, the Rectory, the Parish Hall and the CCD Center were also built.
The pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe is Father Xavier Sibi, OSA.
For more information, visit olg-pa.org.
Queen of Vietnam, Port Arthur
The Vietnamese immigrants who arrived in Southeast Texas in the mid-1970s came as a result of much suffering and pain. Bishop Warren Boudreaux announced in 1976 that a national parish would be established for the Vietnamese in Port Arthur, the first national parish in the United States. The announcement became official in 1977 when Queen of Vietnamese Martyrs Church was established. Its name changed to Queen of Vietnam on August 15, 1983. A Presbyterian Church at 801 Ninth Avenue was purchased for the Vietnamese community in November 1978. A simple blessing was given by Bishop Ganter on Christmas in 1979. The church building was officially dedicated on May 18, 1980, by Cardinal John Cody of the Archdiocese of Chicago. It is the only parish church in the diocese to be dedicated by a cardinal. The outdoor shrine to Our Lady, Queen of Peace was dedicated by Bishop Ganter on October 9, 1983. A twenty-foot statue modeled after a statue of Our Lady of Fatima was designed by artist Pham Thang and constructed with cement over iron bars covered by a wire screen. Queen of Peace Park is the site of the annual diocesan celebration in October marking it as the month dedicated to the rosary. Each decade is recited in a different language.
The pastor at Queen of Vietnam is Father Paul Nuyen, CRM.
Sacred Heart, Port Arthur
Sacred Heart, the second oldest church in Port Arthur, was born in a hurricane. Father Alexis LaPlante, SSJ, had intended to come to Port Arthur to build a parish. He arrived in Southeast Texas at the same time as the great 1915 Hurricane. Though nature challenged the original plan, Father LaPlante persisted. While he lived in Beaumont, he would travel to Port Arthur to serve the community there. He offered Mass in Longshoremen’s Hall and in 1926, a combination church and school opened. The school was staffed by members of the Blessed Sacrament Sisters. The founder of the Blessed Sacrament Sisters was St. Katharine Drexel, who was instrumental in founding the parish and used some of her personal fortune to purchase land for the African Americans who were not allowed to live within the city limits.
The pastor of Sacred Heart is Father Michael Eninlejie, MSP.
For more information, visit sacredheartpa.org.
St. Catherine of Siena, Port Arthur
St. Catherine of Siena was established on July 24, 1952, to serve the Griffing Park and Pear Ridge communities which were independent towns until annexed by Port Arthur in the late 1970s. It was carved out of St. James Parish and has the distinction of being pastored by two priests who were members of the first class to be ordained in the Diocese of Beaumont and who both served as chancellor of the diocese, Father Bennie Patillo and Monsignor Kenneth Greig. The original church and school were built by Father Frank Schanzer, founding pastor. The church was dedicated in 1953, and a brick rectory was built in 1967. The church was remodeled twice, and a chapel was built in honor of Father Schanzer.
The pastor of St. Catherine of Siena is Father Joseph Sigur.
For more information, visit stccpa.com.
St. Charles Borromeo, Nederland
St. Charles began in 1923 as a mission of St. Elizabeth Parish. The small community grew and is now one of the largest in the diocese. Under Father Fred Hardy, the construction of the first official church began in 1924. It closed for lack of support in 1926. Ten years later a new structure was built but burned down in 1941. A similar building was constructed on the same site, and it also burned in 1953. A third church was built and dedicated in 1954. By the mid-1960s the parish had outgrown the building and a new church and rectory on a ten-acre plot was dedicated in 1968 by Bishop Harris. Renovations and additions continued as the parish grew and in 1988, under Father Joseph Daleo, a parish center was completed and dedicated by Bishop Ganter. This project also included a covered drive, a new bell tower, and an enlarged foyer which included a baptismal pool that was the first of its kind in the diocese.
The pastor St. Charles Borromeo is Father John Hughes.
For more information, visit stcharlesnederland.org.
St. Elizabeth, Port Neches
In the early twentieth century, Catholic living in Port Neches had a challenging time practicing their faith. Traveling to Beaumont or Port Arthur for Mass took several hours on dirt roads. By the early 1920s, Father Fred Hardy arrived and began celebrating Mass in the Liberty Theatre. In 1922, ten lots were purchased and construction began. Many materials were donated or salvages. There were setbacks during construction, one of which was a pile of lumber that caught fire, presumably set by members of the Ku Klux Klan. From then on, parishioners stood guard at night. The church was completed and received its second pastor, Father Cornellius Sullivan in 1939. The community continued to grow. In 1957, five acres were donated to construct a new, larger building. David Cargill, a local artist, did much of the art and carvings in the church. It was dedicated in 1957. More renovations and expansion continued, and a blessing and rededication ceremony was held in 1990 with Bishop Ganter.
The pastor at St. Elizabeth is Father Jim McClintock.
For more information, visit stepncatholic.org.
St. James, Port Arthur
St. James Parish was established October 12, 1929, the third in Port Arthur. Father James M. Kirwin, a young 32-year-old priest was named its first pastor. The initial property was three and a half acres. The church was dedicated by Bishop Byrne in 1930. The parish was named in honor of St. James the Greater, one of the Apostles. The present church building a St. James is a copy of All Saints Church in St. Louis, Missouri, and was dedicated in the fall of 1939. St. James was the first octagon-shaped structure to be built in this area. The octagon represents the Beatitudes. The five circular windows depict five religious themes: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth of Christ, the Assumption, and the Baptism of Jesus. A rectory was built in 1960, and a parish hall was built in 1977 and was named in honor of Monsignor Kirwin.
The pastor at St. James is Father Joseph Sigur.
For more information, visit stjosephportarthur.org.
St. Joseph, Port Arthur
St. Joseph was officially started on September 10, 1951, by Bishop WJ Nold. It was the first parish in south country after World War II. Mass was celebrated in the building that had housed Boudreaux’s Grocery Store. Squares of carpet were sold to use as kneelers. Ground was broken for a church building on the feast of St. Joseph in 1952. The first Mass was held at the Procter Street location in an unfinished church. The building was formally dedicated in 1953. Much of the rectory, church, convent, and school were built by parishioners and supervised by Father John Cody. After Father Cody took permanent sick leave, Father Martin Enderle became the second pastor. He was also moderator of Bishop Byrne High School and supervised the construction of the new school building in 1965. Father Salvador Culotta was named pastor in 1970 and began planning a new church building. Ground was broken in 1971 by Bishop Boudreaux.
The pastor of St. Joseph is Father Joseph Sigur.
For more information, visit stjosephportarthur.org.
St. Therese, the Little Flower of Jesus, Port Arthur
St. Therese is the only Catholic institution in Jefferson County with a patron that reflects the French culture that is evident in the county. St. Therese was a Carmelite cloistered nun in France was also considered the patron of foreign missions. This parish was established by Father Fred Hardy, who had a reputation of being spontaneous. He built the first church in 1928, and it was blessed and dedicated in 1929 by Bishop Byrne. At that time, the people were mostly Cajuns who spoke little or no English. Father Hardy recruited Father Emile Landry from Canada to serve as pastor, and he was able to give religious instruction in both French and English. In 1950 more land was acquired and a building program began. The construction was completed in 1958. More land was donated in 1967 and in 1971 and expansion continued. A special shrine to St. Therese, the Little Flower of Jesus was built on the front lawn of the church in 1988.
The pastor of St. Therese, the Little Flower of Jesus is Father Eugen Nkardzedze.
For more information, visit littleflowerpa.org.
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Blessed Sacrament, Beaumont
In the early 1900s, the African American population of Southeast Texas was growing. Many Catholics had migrated to Texas from Louisiana. Father Alexis LaPlante, SSJ, was sent by his superior in 1915 to start a mission. Father LaPlante celebrated his first Mass in his temporary rectory on Irving Street. He then secured the use of Odd Fellow’s Hall with only a few people in attendance, but word spread. Soon the hall was filled with worshippers. He purchased a property on Porter Street, and a combination of church and school were constructed within the year. The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament came from Philadelphia to conduct the school in 1917. Blessed Mother Katharine Drexel, founder of the Blessed Sacrament Sisters, furnished the money to build the convent. During that time, St. Katharine Drexel visited the parish periodically. In 1919, the number of Catholics had grown so much that a mission of Blessed Sacrament was opened in Pear Orchard. This mission – Our Mother of Mercy – later became its own established parish.
The pastor at Blessed Sacrament is Father Joseph Ibiwoye, MSP.
Cristo Rey, Beaumont
On April 19, 1952, a parish for Mexican American Catholics was founded in Beaumont. This date marked the founding of the parish, but missionaries from Mexico went to Beaumont to care for the Mexican Catholics in 1927. Father Francisco Urbanowvsky contacted the Augustinian Fathers in Port Arthur about establishing a church for the Mexican congregation in Beaumont. Father Luis Urriza, OSA, was sent in the early 1950s, and he was appointed in 1951. In those days, Father Urriza was an associate at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Port Arthur and would travel back and forth to Beaumont. The first Mass for Cristo Rey was celebrated in 1952 in the home of Willie and Dolores Pantoja. After the membership grew too large, Masses were celebrated in St. Joseph’s parish hall. Beaumont churches helped the young parish in its beginnings – St. Anne, St. Anthony, and St. Joseph. Parishioners worked hard to raise the money to build a church and on Christmas Day 1953, the first Mass was said in Cristo Rey Church.
The pastor of Cristo Rey is Father Michael Minifie.
For more information, visit cristoreybeaumont.org
Holy Spirit, Kountze
The Catholic Church joined the ministry to the Big Thicket when it established the Holy Spirit Mission in 1986. It was the only Catholic church that was administered by a woman, Sister Bernita Hessling, OP, a Sinsinawa Dominican. When Sister Hessling arrived in the Diocese of Beaumont in 1985, she and Sister Denise Landers, OP, worked out of Silsbee. They traveled the backroads of Hardin County conducting a census to locate Catholic families in the area. Sister Hessling approached Bishop Ganter and the two chose Kountze as the area to do parish work. As plans were developed, Sister Hessling wrote down names for the mission, and as she was typing the list, she realized there was no name for the Trinity, so she added Holy Spirit. Cards were mailed to parishioners and people chose the name of Holy Spirit overwhelmingly. Bishop Ganter announced the name on June 18, 1986. A house was established as a mission center in November of 1986 and weekly Mass began. As numbers grew, the house became too small and First Methodist Church in Kountze offered the use of its building for weekend liturgies beginning in June 1987. In 1990, the Diocese donated six and half acres on FM 326 and a multi-purpose building was constructed. It was dedicated on March 24, 1991, with Bishop Ganter officiating.
The pastor of Holy Spirit is Father Constantino Barrera.
Infant Jesus, Lumberton
The organization of a Catholic Church in Lumberton came about because of Father Herman J. Vincent. In 1947, Father Vincent was stationed at St. Therese Hospital in Beaumont. From there he served All Soul’s Church (now St. Mark the Evangelist) in Silsbee. As Father Vincent drove down roads in Loeb, Lumberton, Chance, Voth, and Stonetown, he visited families and found that many were Catholics “on the verge of falling away” from the faith. He organized fifty-seven Catholic families and in 1948 Infant Jesus began. Bishop Byrne gave permission for a church and hall to be built. An old military building in Louisiana was bought and moved to the property and became the parish hall. The church building had once housed a liquor store. An old school bus was purchased to pick up parishioners for Sunday Mass. As the community continued to grow, a new church building was approved in May 1967, and the first Mass was offered in September 1967 after the building was blessed. Bishop Harris dedicated the building in November. From 1971 until 1975, Infant Jesus was a mission of the Catholic Church in Silsbee. Then in 1975, Bishop Boudreaux designated Infant Jesus as an independent parish.
The pastor at Infant Jesus is Father Constatino Barrera.
For more information, visit infantjesuscclumberton.com.
Our Lady of the Assumption, Beaumont
Our Lady of the Assumption was established in 1951 by Bishop Nold of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston with Father Jack Davis as its founding pastor. It was formed from part of St. Anthony Parish. As there was no church building, Mass was celebrated in a vacant store in the former Lamar Theater complex. Attendance grew and the Mass moved into the theater. A seven-acre plot was transferred to Our Lady of the Assumption at Avenue A and Virginia Street. A house was donated and men of the parish, headed by Father Davis, tore down the house and hauled the materials to the parish property to construct parish buildings. Materials from the original Crosby Hotel were also used in construction. The first structure built was a garage where Father Davis could both live and work. The parish hall, church building, and rectory followed. In 1952 thirty feet of space was added to the church and in 1955 a parish school opened and was staffed by Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament. The crucifix in the convent was made form wood taken out of a roller-skating rink. A new church building was constructed in 1982. The windows of the church are based on various titles of Mary, such as, A Lily Among Thorns, Tower of David, Star of the Sea, Rose of Sharon, A Spring of Running Water, Beautiful as the Moon, and Queen Summoned into Heaven.
The pastor at Our Lady of the Assumption is Father Kevin Badeaux.
For more information, visit assumptionbmt.org.
Our Mother of Mercy, Beaumont
In the early part of the twentieth century, Beaumont was rapidly growing as was the Pear Orchard area in the south of Beaumont. Father Alexis LaPlante, SSJ, pastor of Blessed Sacrament in Beaumont, saw the need for a Catholic church in the Pear Orchard area. In 1926 a church was built on Broussard Street, across from Blessed Sacrament cemetery. Father Francis Tighe, SSJ, was appointed first resident pastor in 1937. Ten acres were purchased in the late 1950s for a new parish plant. Construction began in 1962. The cornerstone was blessed on September 23, 1962, and contains chips of marble from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The church was completed in 1963. A parish hall was added, and a new rectory was constructed. It was dedicated and blessed by Bishop Boudreaux in 1974. The parish plant also had three streets named Faith, Hope, and Charity. In the summer of 1982, the church was renovated and a new baptismal font, statue of St. Joseph, and new confessional were added. Four more acres were also purchased. A memorial outside is dedicated to former pastors.
The pastor at Our Mother of Mercy is Father Joseph Ibiwoye, MSP.
For more information, visit omomchurchbmt.com.
St. Anne, Beaumont
St. Anne Church was established on November 16, 1936. Through the rest of the United States was caught in the grips of the Great Depression, there was an oil boom going in in the Amelia Oil Field west of Beaumont. Father Elias Holub was chosen by Bishop Byrne to establish a new parish on land at Calder and Eleventh Streets. Father Holub has a love of Texas history and suggested that the church building be styled after the San Jose mission in San Antonio. Leo Dielmann, one of the most prestigious architects in the state, was chosen to design the church building. A school was also built and designed by Leo Babin. The church was enlarged in 1956. Air conditioning and a parish library were added. The pieta statue was placed in front of the parish during this time. The school was enlarged in 1961. A parish hall was built and named Holub Hall in honor of the founding pastor.
The pastor at St. Anne is Father Andy Moore.
For more information, visit stannebmt.org.
St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica, Beaumont
In 1966, the Diocese of Beaumont was formed, and Bishop Vincent M. Harris was the first Bishop of Beaumont. St. Anthony Church was designated St. Anthony Cathedral but was not formally consecrated and dedicated until April 28, 1974. Repairs on the historic 100-year-old building began in spring 2001. In 2002 the Bishop Curtis J. Guillory, fifth Bishop of Beaumont, initiated plans to renovate the interior worship space. Repairs and renovation took four years. It was rededicated on October 17, 2004. In July of 2006, St. Anthony Cathedral was named a Minor Basilica. St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica is one of 4 Basilicas in Texas and one of 12 Cathedral Basilicas in the United States.
The rector for St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica is Father Shane Baxter.
For more information on St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica, visit stanthonycathedral.org.
St. Joseph, Beaumont
In the early part of the 20th century, immigrants from all over the world came to the United States to settle. Included in this immigration were Italians from Sicily who arrived in the United States through the port of New Orleans and settled in Beaumont. Many were Catholic and even though there was only one Catholic church in Beaumont (St. Anthony), Father William Lee celebrated Mass in their native language in a classroom in the school building. Father Lee encouraged the Italian people to establish another Catholic church. In the spring of 1905, a national parish, St. Joseph, was established by Bishop Nicholas Gallagher to serve the Italians in Beaumont. Property was purchased on the corner of Orange and Milam, just a few blocks from St. Anthony Church. Organizations like the San Salvatore Society, the League of the Sacred Heart, and the St. Joseph Altar Society all grew from this parish. In August of 1915, the church was destroyed by a hurricane. The cornerstone of the new brick church building was laid in late 1915. After being established as a national parish for Italians and serving the community for many years, St. Joseph became a parish for a different nationality. During the immigration of Vietnamese, Masses began being celebrated in English and Vietnamese. St. Joseph Parish is home of several firsts in the Diocese. The first person born in the Diocese of Beaumont to be ordained a priest was Frank Liberto, one of the founders of the parish. The first Beaumont resident ordained for the diocesan priesthood was John Tortorice, ordained December 17, 1938. The first woman to enter a religious order from Beaumont was Mary Quartararo who took the name Sister Acquin. The first native of the Diocese of Beaumont to become a bishop was Joseph Fiorenza, who was ordained a bishop in 1979 for the Diocese of San Angelo and then became bishop of the Galveston-Houston in December 1984.
The pastor for St. Joseph in Beaumont is Father Khue Bui.
St. Jude Thaddeus, Beaumont
One of the newer and larger parishes in the diocese, St. Jude Thaddeus was established on June 15, 1978. The first Mass for parishioners of St. Jude was celebrated on June 17 at Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School, where the Masses continued to be held until the dedication of the church. Bishop Ganter presided over the groundbreaking on the ten acres of the parish property on January 28, 1979. The new buildings for St. Jude Thaddeus were dedicated and blessed in July 1980 by Bishop Ganter. Afte the parish was established, the population grew rapidly, as did the ministries. All of the statuary at St. Jude were designed and executed by David Cargill, Beaumont artist.
The pastor at St. Jude is Father Steven Leger.
For more information, visit stjudebmt.org.
St. Mark the Evangelist, Silsbee
The Catholics in Silsbee were first visited in 1917 by Father RC Frei from St. Mary Church in Orange. In 1932 the priests of St. Anthony in Beaumont took over the responsibility for the Silsbee Catholic community. At that time, Mass was being celebrated in private homes. Property was purchased in 1938 on North Seventh Street, and the first Catholic church was dedicated on July 2, 1940, with Bishop Byrne present. The Catholic community was originally named All Souls. Silsbee had the unusual record of having eight pastors in nine years. When St. Francis of Assisi in Buna returned to mission status in 1978, it was attached to All Souls, during the pastorate of Father Golasinski. This continued until St. Maurice Mission was raised to parish status in 1988, and the Buna mission was attached to it. Father Ronald Bollich supervised the building of the new church. Ground was broken for the 6,000-foot structure on September 14, 1980, sixty-three years after the first priest began visiting Silsbee. It was at this time that Bishop Ganter announced that the name of the parish was changed from All Souls to St. Mark the Evangelist. The building was dedicated by Bishop Ganter in 1982.
The pastor of St. Mark the Evangelist is Father Constantino Barrera.
St. Martin de Porres, Cheek
Just as many other towns in the Diocese of Beaumont, long before there was an organized parish or mission, Catholics gathered to keep the faith. The same was true in Cheek. The official beginning of St. Martin de Porres in Cheek was in 1972, but Catholics have been practicing their faith as long as they had been living there. In preparation for building a Catholic church in Cheek, Bishop Harris purchased two acres of land from Hamshire-Fannett Independent School District in 1968. It wasn’t until St. Mary Church in Fannett became a parish in 1972 that a mission church was canonically begun in Cheek by Bishop Boudreaux. When St. Mary became a parish, St. Martin de Porres was attached as a mission. Mass was celebrated in the old school building which had been remodeled to serve as the church until 1984 when Mass was celebrated for the first time in the new church. The building was dedicated in 1984 by Bishop Ganter.
The pastor at St. Martin de Porres is Father Eathan Oakes.
For more information, visit stmaryandstmartin.com.
St. Mary, Fannett
The story of St. Mary in Fannett includes the Catholic communities in Hamshire and Taylor’s Bayou. Hamshire’s St. Mary Church, the oldest Catholic church building in use in Jefferson County at the time, burned on Easter Sunday 1960. Because there was a larger Catholic community in Fannett and because the parish needed more property, it was decided to build the present St. Mary Church there. In the nineteenth century, this area was known as Taylor’s Bayou and Mass was celebrated in the homes of Catholics from the earliest days of the Galveston diocese. A church building was constructed in 1899. The railroad ran through the area making it easy for a priest to come from Houston to visit Liberty, Beaumont, and Orange. To get to Taylor’s Bayou area, the priest would have to rent a horse and buggy. Father John Gallagher arrived in 1898 and said Masses in the Lovan Hamshire home, from whom the town took its name. Once the church building was completed, he named it St. Mary. After Father Gallagher’s health failed, St. Mary was assigned to Father E.A. Kelly, after whom Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School is named. Father Kelly would ride his bicycle from Port Arthur to Hamshire to care for the mission. The fire that destroyed the church broke out on Easter Sunday, 1960. Father George Rabroker lifted Fireman Sandy Kole through the window who was able to rescue the tabernacle, but everything else was destroyed. A new church was built on a thirteen-acre site at the corner of Interstate 10 and FM 365. The church was dedicated on March 25, 1965. The cornerstone included relics of the burned church.
The pastor at St. Mary is Father Eathan Oakes.
For more information, visit stmaryandstmartin.com.
St. Pius X, Beaumont
In 1952, planning for an additional Catholic church in Beaumont began with the purchase of land on Bigner Road. Two years later, Bishop Nold established St. Pius X Church with Father Nicholas Perusina as founding pastor. While construction began on the church, Mass was celebrated in the auditorium of James Bowie Junior High School. In November 1955 the first Mass was celebrated in the new church building. The interior of the church was modified in 1964 to follow the new guidelines of the Second Vatican Council and in 1980 a new church was built. It was dedicated and blessed by Bishop Ganter. The new church was built in modified mission Spanish architecture. The main focal point is the massive, three-ton marble “Table of the Lord” executed by Dolfi and Simoncini Studio of Pietra Santa, Italy. In a description written by Father John DiStefano, the racial blending of the parish is represented by the faceted stained-glass windows. On the wall behind the altar is a mosaic of the Risen Christ, the largest mosaic west of the Mississippi River at that time. It contains millions of tiles in 360 sections and was designed by Louis Tango. It was installed in 1983 by two Italian mosaicists.
The pastor at St. Pius X is Father Gnanavoli Arulsamy, SVD.
For more information, visit stpiusxbmt.net.
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Holy Trinity, Mont Belvieu
Holy Trinity is a growing Catholic community. It recently expanded to accommodate its increasing congregation. The new church building was dedicated on April 28, 2019, by Bishop Curtis Guillory. The parish is involved in various organizations to serve the community such as the Altar Society, Catholic Daughters of America, Knights of Columbus, and many more.
The pastor at Holy Trinity is Father Khanh Ho.
For more information, visit htcc-mb.org.
Immaculate Conception, Liberty
This parish church building has four cornerstones. The earliest one bears the name of Bishop Claude Dubuis, second bishop of Galveston under whom the first church was repaired after it was damaged by a fire. The second has Father Ben Pfiffner, the local pastor who built the second church. The third has the name of Bishop Christopher Byrne of the Galveston diocese, under whom the third church was built. The final cornerstone carries the name of the first bishop of Beaumont, Bishop Vincent Harris. The history of this parish can be told just by describing the story behind each cornerstone. Father Peter LaCour became the first resident priest in 1853. During his pastorate the first Catholic church building was constructed, and the first cornerstone was added in 1880 when the church was repaired after fire. In 1897, work on the second church structure began. In 1924, E.W. Pickett, Sr., formed a company to drill for oil in Liberty. He vowed to build a new church if oil was found, and on December 31, 1924, the well came in. The new church was dedicated by Bishop Byrne in 1927. Father Richard DiStefano was named associate in 1964, and he supervised the construction of a new church building. This new church was built on the same site as the other three. It had an Italian marble altar and was the first altar to be consecrated on June 21, 1968, by Bishop Harris in the new Diocese of Beaumont.
The pastor at Immaculate Conception is Father Bartlomiej Jasilek, SVD.
Our Lady of Light, Anahuac
The area of Anahuac is the site of the earliest establishment of Catholicism in the Diocese of Beaumont. Nuestra Señora de La Luz, Our Lady of Light, was established by the Spanish in 1756 at the mouth of the Trinity River. The mission survived until 1771. In the years up until the 1930s, Catholics in the area were often without spiritual ministry. For some time, Spanish missionaries, Father Francis Maynes and Father Jose Antonio Diaz de Leon, traveled from Nacogdoches and San Augustine to care for the Catholics. At other times, people would attend Mass in Liberty or Hamshire. During the 1930s, Father Michael Hurley began serving the community of Immaculate Conception in Liberty. Our Lady of Light remained a mission of Immaculate Conception until 1975. There was no church building to celebrate Mass, so services were held in the Sherman Hotel from 1932 to 1936. The present church property was purchased in 1959. After more than two hundred years of Catholic existence, Our Lady of Light became a parish in 1975.
The pastor of Our Lady of Light in Vidor is Father Phillip Tran.
For more information about Our Lady of Light, visit slcc-olol.org.
Our Lady of Sorrows, China
The beginnings of Our Lady of Sorrows in China dates to 1914 when J.E. Broussard wrote a letter to Bishop Gallagher of Galveston requesting a French-speaking priest to come to China and celebrate the Sacraments. Broussard, a Catholic who was a large landowner in the China area and manager of Beaumont Rice Mills, was concerned about the religious needs tot the Catholic families in the area. The first priest that visited China was Father Lawrence Sampson. He celebrated Mass in area homes and had to ride a horse or buggy to make the trip. The poor road conditions limited the visits to China to only once every two or three months. Again, Broussard wrote to the bishop, this time in 1919. Bishop Byrne agreed to a church in China. China obtained lumber from a storm-damaged church building in Fannett. They dismantled the old church, hauled the materials back to China, and then reassembled the church. Thie church was dedicated as St. Anne Catholic Church of China. Father Collins was then assigned, and he announced plans for a new church to accommodate the growing population. At that time, the United States was caught in the grips of the Great Depression, however, Father Collins began a novena to Our Lady of Victory, and his prayers were answered. The John H. Phelan family in Beaumont gave a donation large enough to begin construction. A closed sawmill in Grayburg was purchased and once again, men traveled to the site, dismantled the building, and brought back the usable wood and brick. The new church was dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. There are seven windows on the north side of the church and over the entryway, places for seven bells to be hung, representing the seven sorrows of the Blessed Mother. It was dedicated on June 2, 1935.by Bishop Byrne.
The pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows is Father Polycarp Otieno, FMH.
For more information, visit ourladyofsorrowschina.com.
Our Lady of Victory, Sour Lake
In the late nineteenth century, much of Southeast Texas was served by priests who rode the train and served the communities along the railroad. Sour Lake was a resort area to which people traveled to bathe in the lake containing “sour water” which was rich in mineral content. Father Michael Crowe was assigned to Immaculate Conception Church in Liberty in 1901 and had the community of Sour Lake as a mission. Local people refereed to the Sour Lake mission as “Saint Peter’s Motor Chapel” in reference to the priest traveling to Sour Lake and celebrating Mass out of his vehicle. In 1903, land was donated and construction of a Catholic Church began. St. Peter Church was finished and dedicated in 1903. In the first few years of the twentieth century, oil was discovered in Sour Lake and the population exploded. In 1916, the community received a grant to build a new church building across the street from the original building. The Ku Kux Klan were very active in Sour Lake and the first resident pastor, Father Martin Collins, received threats. However, a new church building was constructed and completed, despite the threats. Bishop Byrne dedicated the red-brick church building on February 28, 1926, and authorized the name change from St. Peter to Our Lady of Victory.
The pastor at Our Lady of Victory is Father Polycarp Otieno, FMH.
For more information, visit olovcatholic.com.
Our Mother of Mercy, Ames
Catholicism in Ames dates back more to 1890 when Catholic settlers from Louisiana stopped on their way back from Mexico. They learned of reasonably priced land and decided to settle in Ames. News of their settling spread and soon others followed. There was no church in Ames so Catholic families attended Mass in Liberty. Travel was difficult and the four Catholic families in Ames decided to pool their money to purchase lumber and build a chapel in town. Before they could begin, the lumber and barn where lumber was stored burned. Finally in 1910 they built a chapel, Sacred Heart, and Josephite priests from St. Nicholas Parish in Houston traveled to take care of the people’s religious needs. Father Michael Gumbleton, SSJ, was appointed the first resident pastor of Our Mother of Mercy in 1912. A church building was built in 1913. In 1919, two missions were attached, one at Raywood and one at Dayton. Both mission churches became parishes. In 1929 the present church building was constructed and dedicated to Our Mother of Mercy.
The pastor at Our Mother of Mercy is Father Francis Anozie, MSP.
For more information, visit ourmotherofmercyames.org.
Sacred Heart, Raywood
In the late 1880s, a few families left Louisiana and settled in the small community of Raywood in Liberty County. Shortly after they moved there, others decided to move their families to the small rural community. When these families came to Raywood, they brought their French culture and their love for their Catholic religion. They became successful farmers and purchased land. Because there was no Catholic church in Raywood, the families had to travel to Ames to attend Our Mother of Mercy. They went to church in wagons, horseback, Model T Fords, or walked. They were determined to keep their faith and dreamed of the day when they would have their own church. Ames was the mother church, because it was there that received their sacraments. Regardless of the lack of a priest, the people loved their church and made many improvements, such as a cemetery, a hall, and a rectory for a priest. These were built by members of the mission community. The first resident priest, Father James Faherty, SSJ, was assigned in 1952. As the community grew, the church needed to expand and construction began in 1976. Groundbreaking included Bishop Boudreaux wearing a hardhat and operating a backhoe. The current church and hall were dedicated on November 24, 1977, by Father Joseph Bertrand.
The pastor at Sacred Heart is Father Francis Anozie, MSP.
For more information, visit sacredheartraywoodtx.org.
St. Anne, Eastgate
A few years after the community of Eastgate began, several Catholic Czech families moved to the area. Several families were concerned about their lack of sacraments. Mr. and Mrs. M.F. Janacek made a request for a priest and Father Mosler from Bomarton came and offered the first Mass in their home in 1915. After several years, land was donated to become a church property. The building was begun in 1918 and a 58 by 28-foot frame building was built. The pews and other furnishings were donated by parishioners. Bishop Byrne dedicated St. Anne Church on July 26, 1921. In 1948, the community decided to build a larger church. Parishioners worked to raise money, and the church was completed in 1949. It was dedicated by Bishop Byrne in 1949. St. Anne is one of the “newest” missions in the diocese. It was added to the Diocese of Beaumont when the boundary between the Dioceses of Galveston-Houston and Beaumont were changed to follow the county lines instead of the Trinity River.
The pastor at St. Anne is Father Peter Nguyen, SVD.
For more information, visit stjosephdaytontx.com.
St. Joseph the Worker, Dayton
In the mid-1800s, Dayton was within the parish bounds of Immaculate Conception Church in Liberty. After St. Anne Church in Eastgate was constructed, some of the Catholic families in Dayton would travel there to attend Mass and receive the sacraments. The first Mass celebrated in Dayton since the days of the saddle-bag missionaries was in 1919 when Father Edward I. Casserly, S.S.J., traveled there to celebrate Mass. Father Casserly traveled to Dayton and celebrated Mass in the Louis St. Julian home for several years. In 1938, Father Michael McCormack, S.S.J., bought one acre of land just north of the city limits for the first church site for the Dayton area. Construction began immediately on the small frame church. St. Joseph Church was completed in 1939. In 1966 when the Diocese of Beaumont was formed from the eastern portion of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, Immaculate Conception Church in Liberty was across the diocesan boundaries. Bishop John L. Morkovsky sent word to the Catholics in Dayton that they would be under the care of Sacred Heart Church in Crosby. Preparations for a newer church in Dayton began. Finally, in mid-June, the first resident pastor for the 150 families of St. Joseph the Worker Church, Father Paul Fee, arrived. Construction then began on a multi-purpose building. The altar was made of native stone. The first Mass was celebrated in the new building on March 3, 1968, and dedication was held on May 26, 1968, with Bishop John L. Morkovsky principal celebrant.
The pastor at St. Joseph the Worker is Father Peter Nguyen, SVD.
For more information, visit stjosephdaytontx.com.
St. Louis, Winnie
On August 11, 1947, about five hundred Catholics from Winnie, Stowell, Hamshire, and Fannett met with Bishop Byrne to discuss the need for a church. Bishop Byrne agreed and told the people to begin planning a church community. Eight days later, land was donated on the west side of Highway 124 between Winnie and Stowell. The new parish’s first pastor, Father N.P. Denis, SSJ, arrived on September 3, 1947. With no rectory, Father Denis moved into the Kahla Hotel in Stowell, saying daily Mass there and Sunday Mass in the school auditorium. Father Denis suggested the name St. Louis. Funds were raised with a parish bazaar. After Father Denis’ health failed, the second pastor, Father J. Kirwin Reybaud, arrived in December and construction began in January 1948. Father Reybaud was transferred to Houston and Father George Rabroker was assigned pastor. As the community continued to grow, Father Rabroker petitioned for a larger church. Bishop Nold agreed but said they had to have one half of the funds secured before construction could begin. Though the original plan included land on Highway 124, the Highway Department informed Father Rabroker that it would be taking 72 feet of the church property to widen the highway. A twenty-acre site southwest of the old church was purchased and after two years, construction began. The church was dedicated on November 22, 1959. In addition to the parish growing, the bazaar also grew and has now evolved into a community festival – the annual Winnie Rice Festival.
The pastor at St. Louis is Father Phillip Tran.
For more information, visit slcc-olol.org.
St. Mary, Cleveland
In 1945, Catholics from Cleveland traveled to Liberty for Mass or went without. Many began going to Sacred Heart Church in Conroe in the late 1940s with Father Thomas Cemon. Bessie Sims Austin of Cleveland said that her foster mother had begun a bank account to begin a Catholic parish in Cleveland, and a group of Catholics found the account with $500 in it. With encouragement from Bessie Austin, the group of Catholics began working harder for their own church building. Father Cemon began traveling to Cleveland to celebrate Mass in Austin’s home. In 1950, an anonymous donor who requested that the church be named St. Mary gave the money to begin construction. Construction on the Swedish-design church began in January 1951. In 1954, the Catholics purchased a lot with a home next to the parish plant. The house was renovated and St. Mary received its first full-time pastor. Father James Conway, OMI, was appointed pastor in 1965. The community continued to grow and was renovated and enlarged in 1983 and again in 1990. A new altar was also installed. It was handmade by Steve Nixon of Shepherd who sculpts using a chainsaw. He used a chainsaw to design the altar.
The pastor at St. Mary is Father Tarsisius Puling, SVD.
For more information, visit stmarysclevelandtexas.com.
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Our Lady of Lourdes, Vidor
In 1937, two acres of land were purchased in downtown Vidor, and 25 Catholic families began gathering for Sunday Mass, first in a high school auditorium and then in a sub-courthouse hall. Father Joseph Berberich, from St. Mary in Orange, attended the mission community and then sought funds for a church building. The mission style church was completed in 1938 and dedicated by Bishop Christopher Byrne. The mission community grew, and by 1948, Bishop Byrne raised Our Lady of Lourdes to parish status. Growth continued as a rectory, parish hall, grotto, and catechetical center were added. Expansion continued until 1978. Mother’s Day 1980 holds a special meaning to the parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes as it is the day the note was burned on their new church, two years and three months after dedication.
The pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes is Father Ross Waggoner.
For more information on Our Lady of Lourdes, visit olol.weconnect.com.
St. Francis of Assisi, Orange
The Christian Community of St. Francis of Assisi, under the leadership of its founding pastor, Monsignor Francis H Burlton, was established June 1, 1978, in Orange from territory previously served by the parishes of St. Mary and St. Therese. A meeting of parishioners was held on June 4, 1978, and the people decided on the patron saint and the name of their parish to be St. Francis of Assisi. The first weekend Mass was celebrated June 10, 1978, at the Knights of Columbus Hall where Masses continued to be celebrated while the church was being built. The small chapel was used for weekday Masses and St. Mary Chuch was used for large weddings and funerals. The new church building was dedicated by Bishop Ganter on Easter Sunday 1981. The great front stained-glass window shows St. Francis of Assisi kneeling before the Holy Family and was installed in September 1981. A parish hall was completed in 1987.
The pastor at St. Francis of Assisi is Father Sinclair Oubre.
For more information, visit stfrancisorangetx.org.
St. Helen, Orangefield
Father Joe Berberich became associate pastor of St. Mary Chuch in Orange in 1937. He traveled throughout Orange County celebrating Mass in several communities and was instrumental in beginning three missions, in Orangefield, Vidor, and Bridge City. The first Masses celebrated in Orangefield were held in an oil shed. Father Berberich supervised the building of the mission church of St. Helen, and the first Mass was celebrated on September 8, 1938. September 8 is a significant date in Southeast Texas. It was the date of the first Mass within the bounds of the original Beaumont Diocese in 1691. It was the date of the Battle of Sabine Pass, the Great Galveston Hurricane in 1900, and the liturgical feast of the Holy Name of Mary. Also, on the same day as the first Mass was celebrated in St. Helen Church, the Rainbow Bridge spanning the Neches River on Texas 87 to join Orange and Jefferson Counties, was dedicated. Bishop Byrne dedicated the church building in 1939. St. Helen was a mission of St. Mary until 1946. Father Timothy Cronin became resident pastor of St. Henry in Bridge City and took over responsibility of St. Helen at that time. Father Herman Vincent later became pastor of St. Henry and assumed responsibility for St. Helen. The church building was remodeled in 1967 and rededicated by Bishop Harris. In the late 1980s, it was decided to move the church to a larger property site. On August 18, 1990, parishioners celebrated their last Eucharist in the old church building on FM 105 and the next day, the entire community gathered for a dedication ceremony of the new building and parish site with Bishop Ganter dedicating.
The pastor of St. Helen is Father Michael Strother.
For more information, visit sthelenorangefield.org.
St. Henry, Bridge City
In 1937, Father Joseph Berberich arrived at St. Mary Chuch in Orange to help his brother Father George Berberich minister to Catholics there. At that time there were few churches in Orange County. Father Joe saw the need for other communities to have their own church. In 1937, Father Joe celebrated his first Mass in Bridge City. Land for the future St. Henry Church was obtained in spring of 1944. The first church building was dedicated in 1946 with Father T. Cronin named as the first resident pastor of the new church. Father Herman Vincent was named second pastor in 1951. He kept busy with many projects but his most extensive was the construction of a new church building completed in 1964. Father Vincent designed the building which was octagonal with four main entrances- north, south, east, and west. The sanctuary was located in the center with a twin altar arrangement. It was the only church in the round that was ever constructed in the diocese. It was during Father Patrick Hickey’s pastorate in 1983 that extensive remodeling took place in the church. The building was gutted and one of the main arches of the octagon shaped church had to be removed and a wall was extended. It was rededicated in late 1983.
The pastor at St. Henry is Father Ernie Carpio.
For more information, visit sthenrybctx.org.
St. Mary, Orange
St. Mary Church in Orange is the third-oldest parish within the bounds of the Diocese of Beaumont. The first recorded visit of a priest to the Orange area was that of Father Pierre Parisot, OMI, who visited Southeast Texas in 1852-1853. Father Vital Quinon was a great missionary from France who began visiting Orange in 1879. A church, named in honor of St. Vital, was dedicated in 1880 and was destroyed by a storm in 1886. Father Robert Frei became pastor in 1908 and purchased the property at Ninth Street and Cherry. The church there was destroyed by fire in 1911. A new church was built in 1912, and it is presumed that this is the time when the name changed to St. Mary.
The pastor at St. Mary is Father Antony Paulose, CMI.
For more information on St. Mary Church in Orange, visit stmaryorange.org.
St. Maurice, Mauriceville
The church of St. Maurice is the only parish in the diocese that began organizing under one diocese and had its church dedicated under another, all within less than one year. The organizational meeting of the Catholics in Mauriceville was held on March 31, 1966, while Southeast Texas was still part of the mother diocese of the state, Galveston-Houston. By the time the church was dedicated in December, the Diocese of Beaumont had been established. A tract of property was purchased on Texas 61 for the church and St. Maurice Church was dedicated by Bishop Harris in 1966. The church building was remodeled in 1970 and then an extensive remodeling project took place when Father Enrique Martinez, OSA, was pastor of the mission community. Two wings were added onto the building and the sanctuary was enlarged. Bishop Boudreaux blessed the remodeled building in 1976. The date of March 1, 1989, is an important one in the history of St. Maurice. On this day, the status of St. Maurice Church changed from mission to parish with the assignment of a resident pastor, Father Jude Brunnert, MS.
The pastor of St. Maurice is Father Michael Strother.
St. Therese, Orange
St. Therese Church in Orange has the distinction of being a parish organized to serve the Black Catholics at the very time that the Ku Klux Klan was at its strongest in Southeast Texas. These pressures did not deter people from forming their community. In the early nineteenth century, the area of Orange was where the pirate Jean Lafitte and James Bowie engaged in slave trading. For many years, Mass was celebrated in people’s homes or borrowed and rented facilities. In 1936 the church was constructed. It was dedicated on November 1, 1936. On that day, parishioners served dinner and refreshments and were able to raise enough money to purchase the pews. Father Michael McCormack, SSJ, became the first resident priest in 1941. St. Therese of Orange was instrumental in settling Vietnamese families in 1975. The patron of the church is the Little Flower, the French Carmelite religious sister who has been declared the patron of the missions.
The pastor of St. Therese is Father Antony Paulose, CMI.
For more information, visit stthereseorangetx.org.
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