DUANE
Get the App
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about St. Thomas Catholic Church in Big Spring, Howard County. Now settle in, because this story starts with a name that didn't stick, and ends with walls that did.
Back in 1883, under the leadership of Reverend H. A. Boniface, the first Catholic parish in Big Spring was organized.
They called it St. Mary's. Services went out in English, German, and Spanish, all under one small frame roof.
Three languages in one sanctuary. That right there tells you something about who was putting down roots in this part of Texas. But roots grow, and congregations grow with them.
That little frame building couldn't hold what Big Spring was becoming. The need for a larger place of worship called for something more substantial, something meant to last. And so they built it.
Completed in 1911, under the direction of J. M. Morgan, the new building was dedicated to St.
Thomas. Now here's where the story earns its keep. This is native stone we're talking about.
Quarried from the land itself. The structure rises with an extended center entry tower, Gothic arched windows catching the West Texas light, side buttresses bracing against whatever time and weather care to throw at it, and corner limestone quoins giving those walls a finished dignity. It is a building that says: we are here, and we intend to stay.
From St. Mary's in a frame chapel to St. Thomas in native stone.
From 1883 to 1911. That's not just construction. That's a community building itself into permanence.
What the marker says
Organized in 1883 under the leadership of The Rev. H. A. Boniface, the first Catholic parish in Big Spring was named St. Mary's. A small frame sanctuary was built and early services were conducted in English, German, and Spanish. The need for a larger place of worship resulted in the construction of this building. Completed in 1911 under the direction of J. M. Morgan, it was dedicated to St. Thomas, the native stone structure features an extended center entry tower, Gothic arched windows, side buttresses, and corner limestone quoins. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1988.