Mainland Mission Churches

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Back in 1869, the Diocese of Galveston looked out across the water toward the mainland and saw something missing. Roman Catholics were out there, scattered across those coastal communities, with no church to call their own.

So the Diocese set about fixing that. The following year, 1870, two mission churches came into being almost at the same moment. St.

Mary began in Hitchcock. And over in Alta Loma, a church named St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception started serving that community.

Two towns, two churches, one shared sense of purpose. Those two would later be renamed, St. Mary of Hitchcock becoming Our Lady of Lourdes, and St.

Mary of the Immaculate Conception becoming St. Elizabeth's. Then in 1948, in one of those practical moves that only makes sense when you think about it, the two churches were moved together to a single location that served both towns at once.

Now, the man at the center of all this early building was Father Jerome A. Rapp, the first priest assigned to Hitchcock and Alta Loma. And Father Rapp didn't stop at two churches.

He was instrumental in building mission churches in Dickinson, that one called St. Joseph, and in League City, another called St. Mary.

The Diocese also built a mission church in Texas City, St. Mary as well. You starting to see a pattern?

These communities were growing, and the Diocese was keeping pace, planting churches like stakes along the coastal plain. And once those churches took root, they became something bigger than just a place to worship. Bazaars, pageants, picnics, things that started out as fundraising endeavors turned into community traditions that people looked forward to year after year.

The churches opened parochial schools too, one in 1946 and another in 1963, bringing education right into the heart of those communities. Clubs formed, groups organized, whole social worlds took shape under those roofs. As the 20th century rolled on and the population along the coast kept growing, the churches built new, larger buildings and moved out of the original mission structures.

One by one, those early buildings came down or were left behind. All but one. St.

Mary of League City is the only original mission church building still standing today. Still there, still bearing witness to what those churches meant to the Catholic residents of Galveston County, and to the communities that grew up around them.

What the marker says

In 1869, the Diocese of Galveston perceived the need for a church on the mainland to serve Roman Catholics. The following year St. Mary began in Hitchcock, and a mission church also established in 1870, named St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, began serving Alta Loma. These two churches were later renamed, respectively, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Elizabeth's. In 1948, the two churches were moved together to one location that served both towns. As the area population grew, the Diocese continued to construct mission churches. Father Jerome A. Rapp, the first priest assigned to Hitchcock and Alta Loma, was also instrumental in building mission churches in Dickinson (St. Joseph) and League City (St. Mary). The Diocese also built a mission church (St. Mary) in Texas City. The churches became vital institutions within their communities. Many events that began as fundraising endeavors became community traditions, including bazaars, pageants and picnics. The churches also provided education to the area, opening parochial schools in 1946 and 1963. Additionally, a variety of clubs and groups organized within these churches. As population in the coastal area grew throughout the 20th century, the churches built new larger buildings and moved out of the original mission churches. Today, St. Mary of League City is the only mission church building left standing. It remains a testimony to the impact the mainland mission churches had on the lives of Catholic residents in Galveston County. (2006)