St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church
Robstown, Nueces County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In early twentieth century Robstown, German and Moravian families migrated to this area to farm. Czech-speaking Catholics could not find any places of worship that could provide spiritual services in their native language. Father Joseph Klobouk served as the pastor of St. Boniface Parish in Corpus Christi, but for many years worship services were held in a local home or in nearby communities. A former Methodist church building on East Avenue B and Second Street was purchased in 1924, finally giving Slavic Catholics their own place of worship. It was named after St. John Nepomucene, a popular saint among Czech-speaking Catholics. It became a mission of St. Boniface Parish. Various priests served over the next decade, until 1934 when newly-ordained Father George Steven Scecina was appointed the first resident pastor of St. John’s as well as pastor of St. Frances of Rome Mission Parish in nearby Agua Dulce (where he served from 1934 to 1961). Father Scecina would remain pastor of St. John’s for the next 49 years. A new church was built and furnished on this site in 1937 for $17,504.39, with a rectory added the next year. Father Scecina had a convent and school built near the church in 1945, staffed by nuns from Indiana. By 1951, St. John’s taught classes from elementary school to high school, graduating its first senior class of thirteen students in 1955. More than 320 students graduated from high school before it closed its doors in 1970. Grades one through eight continued to be taught at the original site until 1986. Father Scecina died in 1988. St. John’s church continues to serve the Robstown area.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
As German and Moravian families settled the Robstown area to farm, Czech-speaking Catholics had no church offering worship in their native language until they bought a former Methodist building in 1924 and named it for St. John Nepomucene, a saint beloved among Czech Catholics. Under Father George Scecina, who led the parish for 49 years, it added a new church, a rectory, a convent, and a school that graduated high-school classes into the 1970s.
Why it matters
It reflects how immigrant communities preserved their language and faith by building institutions of their own on the Texas plains.
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Related people
- · Father George Steven Scecina
Themes & tags
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