Padre Gustav Gollbach, O.M.I.
Rio Grande City, Starr County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(24 Septiembre de 1878 - 26 Diciembre de 1955) Nacido en Alemania, Gustav Gollbach fue ordenado sacerdote de la Orden de Oblatos de Maria Inmaculada en el veinti uno de Abril de 1906. Inmigro al Estado de Texas sirviendo iglesias en Del Rio, Castroville, Mercedes, San Benito, y Ballinger antes de llegar a Rio Grande City en 1924. Sirviendo como Parroco de la Iglesia Inmaculada Concepcion hasta el ano de 1937, construyo una replica de la Gruta de Nuestra Senora de Lourdes, Francia, usando madera petrificada y piedra nativa. Dedicada en el ano 1928, la gruta ha sido un sitio historico importante en el Valle Del Rio Grande. (1992)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Germany in 1878 and ordained a priest of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1906, Gustav Gollbach immigrated to Texas and served parishes from Del Rio to Ballinger before arriving in Rio Grande City in 1924. As pastor of Immaculate Conception Church he built a replica of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes from petrified wood and native stone, dedicated in 1928 and long a landmark of the Rio Grande Valley.
Why it matters
Gollbach's life reflects the German and European Catholic missionaries who shaped the religious landscape of South Texas, and his grotto remains a beloved devotional site in the Valley.
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The Rev. Gustav Gollbach, O.M.I.
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Born in Germany and ordained an Oblate priest in 1906, Gustav Gollbach immigrated to Texas and served parishes across the state before settling in Rio Grande City in 1924. There he built a devotional grotto modeled on the shrine at Lourdes, using petrified wood and native stone from the Roma area. Dedicated in 1928, the shrine became a landmark of the Rio Grande Valley.
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