Holy Cross Catholic Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker at Holy Cross Catholic Church has to say — and friend, this one's got roots that run deep. It starts, as so many Texas stories do, with people who came a long, long way. Polish families first arrived in Texas in the 1850s, settling in a place called Panna Maria.

But settlers move, communities shift, and some of those families migrated further — into DeWitt County, into the land around Meyersville and Yorktown. There, a group of Polish Catholics found themselves worshipping alongside a primarily German Catholic congregation in Meyersville. Now, no marker is going to spell out every detail of that arrangement, but what we do know is that at some point, that group made a decision — they split from the Meyersville church and joined the Catholic congregation in Yorktown instead.

By 1867, there were thirteen Polish households counted among the Yorktown congregation. Thirteen families. And thirteen families, it turns out, is enough to look around and say: it's time we build something of our own.

That same year — 1867 — Anton and Lucyia Koszielsky deeded land right here at this site to the church. The building that went up on that land was dedicated to St. Mary.

A church built by immigrant hands, on land given by immigrant neighbors, rooted in faith carried all the way from Poland. Now, here's where the story takes a turn. In 1915, that building burned.

Just like that — gone. But a parish with roots that deep doesn't fold. They hired an architect named F.

B. Gaenslen to design a new building. Falbo Contractors of San Antonio oversaw the construction work, though much of the labor — much of the sweat and effort — was supplied by the parishioners themselves.

The congregation built their own church. And completed in 1916, Gaenslen's design was carried out in red brick, with polychrome brick detailing on the tower. He gave it a simplified Romanesque style — you can see it in the semi-circular arched windows, in the corbelled parapet, in that tower rising up against the South Texas sky.

And they saved something from the fire. Out of everything that was lost when the old building burned, the cross from the steeple survived. They took that cross and they placed it on the new church — and that, right there, is how this place came to be called Holy Cross.

Since 1916, Holy Cross Catholic Church has served Catholics in Yorktown and the surrounding area. The ministries of worship, education, and outreach continue inside those red brick walls to this day. Architectural landmark, living congregation — a church that carries both the cross it saved and the story of everyone who brought it here.

What the marker says

Holy Cross Catholic Church This church was established by Polish families who first came to Texas in the 1850s and settled in Panna Maria, then migrated to this area. A group of Polish Catholics split from the primarily German Catholic Church in Meyersville and joined the Catholic Church in Yorktown. By 1867, there were 13 Polish households as members of the Yorktown congregation, and the time had come to build a new church facility. In 1867, Anton and Lucyia Koszielsky deeded land at this site to the church, and the building that was constructed was dedicated to St. Mary. After it burned in 1915, the parish hired architect F. B. Gaenslen to design their new building. Completed in 1916, the building utilized the cross from the steeple on the former church and thus came to be called Holy Cross. Construction work was overseen by Falbo Contractors of San Antonio, with much of the labor supplied by parishioners. Gaenslen's design for a simplified Romanesque style church was carried out in red brick, with polychrome brick detailing on the tower. Its Romanesque features are evident in its tower, semi-circular arched windows and corbelled parapet. Since 1916, Holy Cross Catholic Church has served Catholics in Yorktown and the surrounding area. The building stands as an architectural landmark in the region, as it houses the parish's ongoing ministries of worship, education and outreach. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2001