St. Luke Catholic Church
Irving, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Area Catholic services date from the 1860s, when mass was held in private homes. The Mission of St. Luke was established in 1902, and met temporarily in the Lively School building northeast of original Irving. Oral tradition states that parishioners removed seats from their buggies to be used as pews on Sundays. The city of Irving was founded in December 1903 by J. O. Schulze and Otis Brown, who each gave a town lot for the Catholic Church of Christ, and Baptist churches. St. Luke's first church, a white frame structure on the corner of Jefferson and 2nd streets, was dedicated in 1904. The building was sold to the Irving School District in 1928, and a second church was erected on the corner of Iowa (now O'Connor) and 5th streets. The red brick church housed the altar that had been moved from the first church. Services were provided by priests from Sacred Heart Cathedral and the University of Dallas in Dallas. St. Luke attained parish status in 1947, and in 1948 a rectory was built and the first pastor assigned. Dedication of the third St. Luke Church and rectory was held on May 2, 1954. To the brick church was added a parish school in 1955 and a convent in 1958. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1985
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Catholic worship in this area dates to the 1860s, when Mass was said in private homes; by tradition, early parishioners even pulled the seats from their buggies to serve as Sunday pews. When Irving was founded in 1903, its developers donated a town lot for the Catholic church, and St. Luke's first frame sanctuary rose the next year. The congregation grew steadily through three churches, attaining parish status in 1947 and adding a school and convent in the 1950s.
Why it matters
The parish's century-long climb from buggy-seat pews to a full church, school, and convent mirrors the growth of Irving itself from a railroad townsite into a Dallas-area city.
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Related people
- · J. O. Schulze
- · Otis Brown
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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