Moye
Castroville, Medina County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Named for the Rev. John Martin Moye, founder (1762) of the Sisters of Divine Providence, religious order that opened school in Castroville in 1868, and built first part of this structure in 1873: first mother house of the order in the United States. Occupants since 1900 have been Providence Industrial School, St. Philip's Seminary, Refuge for Persecution Victims, and several other endeavors. Repurchased 1939 by Sisters of Divine Providence and used as military academy for boys. Now used as Training Center for Religious Life. 1972
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Named for Rev. John Martin Moye, the 18th-century French priest who founded the Sisters of Divine Providence, this Castroville building became the order's first mother house in the United States. The Sisters opened a school here in 1868 and raised the first part of this structure in 1873, launching generations of teaching, refuge, and religious formation. Over the decades it also served as an industrial school, seminary, refuge for the persecuted, and boys' military academy.
Why it matters
It marks the American beginnings of a Catholic teaching order whose sisters shaped education across Texas, and reflects the deep imprint of European Catholic immigrants on the state's frontier communities.
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Related people
- · Rev. John Martin Moye
Themes & tags
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