DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about St. Ann's Catholic Church in Wilson County. Now, picture south Texas in 1880 — sparsely settled land, the kind of country that didn't ask much of you and didn't offer much either.
Into that quiet, about sixty families of Polish descent arrived. Silesian Poles, to be precise. And when they got there, they didn't just settle — they named the place.
The town became known as Kosciuszko, after the noted Polish American hero General Thaddeus Kosciuszko himself. Right there in Wilson County, Texas. These were people who brought their whole world with them — their faith, their traditions, their language — and they set about building it all from scratch.
In 1892, they raised their first Polish Catholic school and called it St. Ann's. One room.
That's all it was. But the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word ran it, and they didn't just show up to teach and leave — they lived there, in a room attached to the school. They were all in.
Then came 1898, and the people of Kosciuszko decided it was time for something more. Under the direction of the Reverend Stanislaus Przyborowski — pastor at the time of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Czestochowa — the community gathered together and built their first Catholic church. It cost two thousand dollars, plus donations from the people who were pouring their lives into it.
The structure was small and wooden, measuring eighty feet by forty feet. Now, that might not sound like much, but let me tell you — at that time, it was one of the largest churches in all of Wilson County. They also named it St.
Ann's, carrying that name forward from the school. And on October 27, 1898, it was dedicated. For three years it served as a mission of Czestochowa.
Then in 1901, a rectory and cemetery were established. The community was putting down roots in every sense of the word. In 1918, the first convent for the Sisters of Charity was built on the grounds.
By 1933, the parish had grown to 146 families, and that wooden church — one of the largest in the county not so long before — had to be enlarged by twenty-five feet just to hold them all. A Polish choir was organized. Various societies took shape within the church over the years.
The congregation kept growing, kept building, kept holding on to the traditions they'd carried across an ocean and planted in Texas soil. In 1951, they erected a new church building entirely — modified Gothic in design, with two sacristies, a baptistry, and a large sanctuary. Something built to last.
And last it did. On October 25, 1998, St. Ann's Catholic Church celebrated its centennial.
By then the parish counted 224 families. The parishioners, the marker tells us, continue to practice the traditions of their ancestors. Sixty families showed up in a sparsely settled stretch of Texas in 1880.
They built a school, then a church, then a convent, then a new church. They sang in Polish and buried their dead and baptized their children and grew. St.
Ann's Catholic Church remains, to this day, the center of that small Polish community in Kosciuszko, Texas. Some things you build, and they just hold.
What the marker says
In 1880, about sixty families of Polish descent (Silesian Poles) bought the land in this sparsely settled area. After their arrival, the town became known as Kosciuszko, named after the noted Polish American hero, General Thaddeus Kosciuszko. In 1892 the polish settlers built their first Polish Catholic school, St. Ann's. It was a small one-room school, run by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. The Sisters lived in a room attached to the school. In 1898, under the direction of the Reverend Stanislaus Przyborowski, then pastor of nativity of the blessed Virgin Mary in Czestochowa, the people of Kosciuszko gathered together and built their first Catholic church for $2,000 plus donations. The small wooden structure measured 80 feet by 40 feet and was one of the largest churches in Wilson County at that time. Also named St. Ann's, the church was dedicated on October 27, 1898. It was a mission of Czestochowa for three years. In 1901 a rectory and cemetery were established. The first convent for the Sisters of Charity was built in 1918. By 1933 there were 146 families in the parish and the small wooden church was enlarged by 25 feet. The congregation continued to grow. A Polish choir and various societies were organized in the church over the years. In 1951 a new church building was erected. It had a modified Gothic design and included two sacristies, a baptistry and a large sanctuary. On October 25, 1998, St. Ann's Catholic Church celebrated its centennial. At that time, the parish consisted of 224 families. Parishioners continue to practice the traditions of their ancestors. St. Ann's Catholic Church remains the center of this small Polish Community. (1999)