St. Therese Catholic Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about St. Therese Catholic Church in Orange. Now, every great congregation has to start somewhere.

And this one started small. Real small. Three families.

The year was 1924, and a Josephite priest named Father Alexis la Plante, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church over in Beaumont, made his way to Orange. He said mass for three African-American families there, and when he was done, he sent word back that Orange looked like a promising place for the formal establishment of a black Catholic mission. Three families.

That was the seed. For the next twelve years, priests from Blessed Sacrament and from Our Mother of Mercy, both in Beaumont, kept coming. They held worship services for a growing congregation in private homes, in rented spaces, in borrowed spaces.

No building to call their own, but the congregation kept growing just the same. Twelve years of that. Twelve years of showing up.

Then, in 1936, something unexpected arrived. A priest from Boston, Massachusetts, donated funds for the construction of a church building right there in Orange. When that building was dedicated, it was honored with the name of St.

Therese, the patron saint of Catholic mission work. Fitting, when you think about all those years of mission-minded folks keeping this congregation alive. The parish kept building.

In 1941, a rectory was acquired, and Father Michael McCormack came on as the first resident pastor. Then the war came, and with it, something else entirely. Orange became a center for shipbuilding during World War II, and the town's population boomed.

St. Therese felt that boom too. The membership grew right along with the city.

In 1943, a national street preaching institute was begun at the parish. And in 1945, a school and a parish hall were constructed to serve the congregation. From three families in somebody's front room to a school, a parish hall, and a national ministry.

That is not a small thing. The marker tells us that St. Therese is the second oldest Catholic congregation in the city of Orange, and that throughout their history, its members have gathered to worship together and to provide assistance to those in need.

Started with three families and a priest who thought it looked promising. Turned out he was right.

What the marker says

With roots in the missionary work of the Roman Catholic society of St. Joseph, this parish first gathered for worship in 1924. In that year, Father Alexis la Plante, Josephite pastor of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Beaumont, said mass for three African-American families in Orange and reported it as a promising place for the formal establishment of a black Catholic mission. For the next 12 years, priests from Blessed Sacrament and from Our Mother of Mercy in Beaumont held worship services for the growing congregation in private homes and other rented or borrowed spaces. In 1936, a Boston, Massachusetts, priest donated funds for the construction of a church building in Orange, and it was dedicated in honor of St. Therese, the patron saint of Catholic mission work. Father Michael McCormack served as first resident pastor when a rectory was acquired in 1941. As a result of Orange's booming economy as a center for shipbuilding during World War II, the town's population increased as did the membership at St. Therese. A national street preaching institute was begun in 1943, and in 1945 a school and parish hall were constructed to serve the congregation. Throughout their history, the members of St. Therese church, the second oldest Catholic congregation in the city, have gathered as a community to worship together and to provide assistance to those in need. The parish stands as a significant part of Orange's heritage. (2001)