St. Joseph Catholic Church
Bryan, Brazos County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Although Catholic worship services were celebrated in Bryan by 1869, this church traces its history to the early 1870s. The first church building was erected about 1871 for a small active parish. The Reverend John Moore is considered to be the first full-time pastor of St. Joseph Church of Bryan. Fire destroyed the church structure in 1876. The congregation held worship services in temporary quarters in a local store building until a new location was established. In 1883 the Masonic schoolhouse was purchased for $500 and converted into a church at a cost of about $1,200. In 1904 a new frame edifice replaced the converted schoolhouse. Another structure was built at East 26th and Preston Streets as the congregation grew. A new church building was dedicated here in 1960. Programs have been provided for church members and the community for decades, including traditional spiritual activites and social outreach support. St. Joseph Church has grown from a frontier mission with a few members to a large urban parish with more than 1600 family members. The church continues to have a strong presence in Bryan as it has for more than a century. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Catholic worship reached Bryan by 1869, and by the early 1870s a small parish had raised its first church building. Fire destroyed that structure in 1876, and the congregation worshiped in a store until 1883, when it bought and converted the Masonic schoolhouse. Through a succession of ever-larger buildings, St. Joseph grew from a frontier mission of a few families into a large urban parish of more than 1,600.
Why it matters
The parish's growth from frontier mission to major congregation traces the deepening Catholic presence in a fast-growing Central Texas railroad town.
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Related people
- · John Moore
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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