Holy Cross Catholic Parish
East Bernard, Wharton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Many Catholic Czechoslovakian immigrants settled in the prairies near East Bernard in the 1880s. Visiting priests served their religious needs. In 1900 the settlers began the establishment of a parish by purchasing cemetery property in East Bernard. The first Holy Cross Church, a small frame structure, was built in 1905 by Valentine Kozelsky on two acres of land donated by Jan and Anna Vacek. A rectory was built in 1921 for the first permanent resident pastor, the Rev. Joseph C. Kunc. The Holy Cross Catholic school was organized in 1922. A new church building was constructed in 1925 by R. H. Reese of Eagle Lake. Houston architect M. J. Sullivan designed the Spanish Colonial revival structure. It featured a 70-foot belfry and imported Czechoslovakian adornments including statues, painted copper wall hangings, and 10 large, unique stained glass windows of Roundel design. A new school and convent were built in 1928 in the same architectural style. The school operated until 1967. The Pioneer Chapel, a model of the original church, was built in 1994. Holy Cross Catholic Church is now the oldest Catholic church in continuous use in Wharton County. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Catholic immigrants from the Czech lands settled the prairies near East Bernard in the 1880s, served at first only by visiting priests. They began building a parish in 1900, raising a small frame church in 1905 on donated land, and by 1925 replaced it with a striking Spanish Colonial Revival sanctuary designed by a Houston architect, complete with a 70-foot belfry and imported Czech statues and stained glass. A school and convent followed in the same style, and Holy Cross endures as the oldest Catholic church in continuous use in Wharton County.
Why it matters
It shows how Czech Catholic immigrants planted lasting institutions on the Texas prairie, weaving Old World faith and craftsmanship into their new home.
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Related people
- · Joseph C. Kunc
- · M. J. Sullivan
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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