Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of the official marker for Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Falls County, Texas. Now settle in, because this one starts small, real small, and grows into something worth knowing. In the early twentieth century, seven German Catholic families were living around Lott, Texas, and if they wanted to attend Mass, they had to wait.

Wait for the Rev. B.C. Pfiffner to make the twelve-mile trip northeast from Marlin.

Once a month, that was it. Once a month, a priest on the road, seven families watching the calendar. But that arrangement wasn't going to hold forever.

In May of 1905, the parish acquired land right here, at this very site, for what would become Lott's first Catholic church. The following year, members formally dedicated the new sanctuary and began worshipping there as Sacred Heart Catholic Church, with Rev. Pfiffner himself serving as the first pastor.

Now, a congregation that starts moving doesn't stop easy. By 1907, they had a rectory and a school standing on the grounds. J.H.

Pels came on as the first schoolteacher. That same year, the congregation established a cemetery northeast of town. The first person buried there was Mary Niering, who died in October of 1908.

You remember names like that. You should. The parish kept growing, new families arriving, new roots going down into Falls County soil.

Then came April of 1909, when Rev. Pfiffner led the first Communion and Confirmation service. Twenty-nine children, gathered together, a whole generation stepping forward.

Twenty-nine. That's not a small number for a congregation that started with seven families just a few years before. The school served the community until 1928, when it was discontinued.

And then, in 1951, the congregation dedicated a larger sanctuary, built right at the same place as the original building. They didn't just tear the old one down and walk away from it. Materials from the earlier sanctuary and school went into the new structure.

The past was built into the walls, literally. Parishioners and friends donated furnishings to fill the new house of worship. Between 1906 and 1967, Sacred Heart supported a full-time priest.

Then in 1969, the church became a mission out of nearby Westphalia, and in 1982 it became a mission out of Marlin, the same town that sent Rev. Pfiffner riding down the road all those years before. Through all of it, the congregation stayed woven into the life of Lott, involved in community programs and civic life.

And over a century after those founding families first gathered to wait and watch and worship, Sacred Heart church is still here, still serving, still holding onto the heritage those seven families built from the ground up.

What the marker says

In the early twentieth century, the Rev. B.C. Pfiffner came from Marlin (12 mi. NE) once a month to hold Mass for seven local German Catholic families. In May 1905, the parish acquired land at this site for the locaion of Lott's first Catholic church. The following year, members formally dedicated the new sanctuary and began worshipping here as Sacred Heart Catholic Church, with the Rev. Pfiffner as the first pastor. The parish had a rectory and a school by 1907; J.H. Pels served as the first schoolteacher. That same year, the congregation also established a cemetery northeast of town. Mary Niering, who died in October 1908, was the first to be buried there. The church continued to grow with the addition of new families, and the first Communion and Confirmation service, led by Pfiffner in April 1909, included 29 children. In 1951, the congregation dedicated a larger sanctuary, which was built at the same place as the original building. The new structure incorporated materials from the earlier sanctuary and school, which had been discontinued in 1928. Parishioners and friends donated furnishings for the new house of worship. Between 1906 and 1967, the congregation supported a full-time priest. In 1969, Sacred Heart church became a mission out of nearby Westphalia. In 1982, it became a mission out of Marlin. Throughout the congregation's history, parishioners have been active in Lott through community programs and civic involvement. Over a century after the founding families first gathered to worship, Sacred Heart church continues to serve its members and community through worship and faith, and through an appreciation of its rich heritage. (2005)