Holy Cross Catholic Church and Community
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1936, the Reverend Francis R. Weber, CSC, met with African-American Catholics in the home of William M. Tears and celebrated the first Mass for Holy Cross Catholic Church, the first Catholic Church to serve the needs of Austin’s African-Americans. In 1928, the city of Austin laid out a “Negro District,” south of the City Cemetery (Oakwood) in East of East Avenue to encourage Austin’s black citizens to move to that area. By 1932, most African-Americans lived in East Austin. Parishioners constructed the Holy Cross Church building in 1937. In 1942, the church established Holy Family Catholic Church to serve African American Catholics in South Austin. Recognizing the lack of medical facilities to serve African-Americans, the church established Holy Cross Hospital in 1940, the first hospital in Austin to allow black physicians to practice. From a small facility on the church grounds, Holy Cross Hospital moved to a new building on 19th Street, serving the community until 1989. Sister Mary Celine Heitzman, M.D., one of the first Catholic nuns in the US to become a doctor, was the resident physician from 1940 to 1964. The church established Holy Cross Catholic School in 1941 and taught nursery through 8th grade until 1960. The church community significantly supported and guided educational, social, and political issues affecting the city and state, as many of its parishioners served in elected office, including the Texas legislature’s first black Speaker Pro Tem and Austin’s first black School Board member. (2014)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1936 Father Francis R. Weber celebrated the first Mass of Holy Cross, the first Catholic parish to serve Austin's African American community, in the home of William M. Tears—just as the city's 1928 plan pushed Black residents into East Austin. Parishioners built the church in 1937 and went on to found a second parish, a school, and Holy Cross Hospital, the first in Austin to let Black physicians practice, staffed by physician-nun Sister Mary Celine Heitzman. Its members shaped civic and political life, including the first Black speaker pro tem of the Texas Legislature.
Why it matters
Holy Cross shows how a segregated community built its own institutions of worship, healing, education, and political leadership in the face of official exclusion.
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Related people
- · Francis R. Weber
- · William M. Tears
- · Sister Mary Celine Heitzman
Related events
- · Austin's 1928 city plan and East Austin segregation
Themes & tags
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