Saint Mary's Catholic Church
Lampasas, Lampasas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Catholics in this area organized services in 1880 at a chapel on William Mark Wittenburg's ranch (about 23 mi. NW). In 1885 they built a church on West Fifth Street in Lampasas, dedicated to Saint Mary. Mass was celebrated once a month for a parish covering 3,200 square miles. After 1900 Father Joseph le Gardeur, chaplain at the nearby convent and school, offered weekly Mass. In 1907 he was made resident pastor of this congregation. Bishop Christopher E. Byrne (1867-1950) served briefly as acting pastor in 1921. A stone sanctuary built in 1940 on this site burned in 1970, replaced by a new building in 1972. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Catholics in the Lampasas area first gathered for Mass in 1880 at a ranch chapel, then built a church dedicated to Saint Mary in 1885 to serve a parish sprawling across 3,200 square miles. For years a priest reached them only once a month until Father Joseph le Gardeur, chaplain at a nearby convent and school, brought weekly Mass and became resident pastor in 1907. A 1940 stone sanctuary burned in 1970 and was rebuilt two years later.
Why it matters
The parish's vast early reach illustrates how frontier congregations sustained faith and community across the thinly settled expanses of the American West.
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Related people
- · Father Joseph le Gardeur
- · Bishop Christopher E. Byrne
Themes & tags
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