News From St Mary and St Joseph Catholic Church

St. Mary's Restoration

History of St. Mary's Church Building - Plantersville, Texas
August 2005

Many have asked questions about the church and have requested a written description and explanation of the church building and its interior. The information following is what I have gathered and surmised during my brief time as pastor of St. Mary/St. Joseph.

The present church structure of 1917 replaces the original church building of 1894 which was destroyed by lightening hitting the bell tower. The 1894 structure faced a trail which is now County Road 205, the road running along side of the church. This trail may have been part of the old Montgomery Trace winding through Montgomery, Dobin, and to Washington-on-the-Brazos. When the 1894 church burned in July of 1917, construction on a new church was begun immediately. The church would face toward a road which was now a more principal thoroughfare than the old trail had been: FM 1774. This explains why, when entering the church grounds, a cemetery is on the highway, with the church building in the back.

>>>continue reading

And Now A Word About St. Mary's Organ...
August 2005

On August 15 a representative of Wicks Organ Company will be here to begin the installation of a five rank pipe organ in the choir loft of St. Mary. This is not the organ originally envisioned and planned by St. Mary's Music Ministry Committee a year or so ago. We had entered into the planning and eventually building of an eleven rank, manually operated pipe organ by Mr. Peter Visser of nearby Magnolia.

>>>continue reading

So...What's The Latest OnThe Restoration Of St.Mary?
August 2005
As of the publishing of this bulletin, the restoration of St.Mary is progressing on schedule. It is still in plan the we will be in the church and the hall available for Bingo on the day of St. Mary's Bazaar, September 4th.

Some of the concern as to the date of finishing developed because of the unforeseen discovery of the writing in the foyer and on the board on the facing of the choir loft. The uncovering of the writing and determining how best to preserve it took the artist's time away from the planned project. However, she and her crew have been scrambling to be as near to completion as possible by Bazaar time. There may have to be some minor touch-ups, but they will all be on the lower levels not requiring the scaffold. The upper level bays are completed. The lower bays are completed, except for the artist's paintings, which go into the diamond pattern.

>>>continue reading

Visitors Guide To Our Church
August 2005

The full title of this church is 'The Church of the Nativity of Mary' as seen on the outside corner stone at the right as one ascends the steps to the entrance. The church was rededicated in 1917 on September 8th, the Feast of the Nativity of Mary. For this reason, the annual church festival was originally celebrated on that day, regardless of the day of the week on which it fell. Eventually, after World War II, the festival/homecoming was moved to the Sunday of the Labor Day weekend, where it remains to this day.

The first Catholic congregation of Plantersville was started at the request of some large landowners who brought laborers over from Poland to help in the fields after the War Between the States. This practice was not unusual. The Polish population of Chappell Hill, near Brenham, Texas originated in the same way. The first services were held in a home and in 1873 a small (20x50 ft) church was built within Plantersville. It is said that the cross on the church was placed by the Minister of the Baptist Church, showing a remarkable ecumenical spirit for the times.

>>>continue reading

St. Mary Restoration Continues
July 2005

...with a surprising discovery!

On Sunday, May 15th 2005, at approximately 12:30pm, a crew of devoted parishioners entered St. Mary Church and started unbolting the pews from the floor. Another crew was in the church hall putting away all the chairs and tables, awaiting the arrival of those same pews to form the temporary meeting place of the community for `the duration'. In addition to removal of all the pews, all other church furnishings `not nailed down' were also transferred to the hall to give a sense of familiarity and make way for Ms. Donnel Hill and her crew of restoratioists who would be arriving the next day.

>>>continue reading

And Now A Word From Your Pastor....
December 2004

The question has been asked, “Now What?” “Where do we go from here?” “What’s going to happen next?” Sometimes I take the question to refer to what I am up to now, what I am going to do next. Like I am always up to something, which I probably am. But, in this case, the questions refer to the progress of the restoration of St. Mary Church.

>>>continue reading

And Now A Word From Your Pastor....
September 2004

This afternoon [August 18, 2004] a parishioner brought in a copy of the Bryan-College Station Eagle with its Grimes County insert featuring our church of St. Mary. The article, with a large picture of the main altar, focused on the history of the church and the restoration that has been undertaken and the restoration planned. Often I am asked how the restoration of both of our churches is progressing. The question more frequently comes up in regards to St. Mary, but inquiries are also made about the status of St. Joseph. Some wonder if St. Joseph’s restoration is finished yet. Many wonder if the restoration of St. Mary will ever be finished. Here’s the scoop.

>>>continue reading

New Cross To Top St. Mary’s Steeple!
May 2004

When painting St. Mary Church, it was noticed that the cross on the steeple was badly deteriorated and in need of repair or replacement. It was decided that replacing the cross with a new one was what needed to be done, since the old one had obviously done its duty and was badly damaged.

A new, aluminum cross, modeled after the original, was fabricated by Bobby Kerr, a parishioner, and will replace the present cross when the weather clears. The original cross will be put in our archives and will become part of the display of historical memoriabilia when our museum area is put together.

Many thanks to Richard Davis who has coordinated the project. Thanks also to all who filled out messages for future generations that will be put into a time capsule in the Cross.

The inscription on the new cross reads:

For The Honor And Glory of God
The Church Of The Nativity of Mary
April 2004
Fr. Edward C. Kucera, Jr.

Made by: Bobby Kerr, a parishioner

And Now A Word From Your Pastor....
August 2003

With the revelation of the original painted curtains surrounding the interior of the Sanctuary, St. Mary Church entered into a new era of appreciation of the rich heritage that is ours to preserve for future generations. The revealing of the original stenciling forming the backdrop of St. Joseph’s altar and the re-creation of the same backdrop at Mary’s altar has brought us back in time to the original decorative concept of the church when first constructed.

>>>continue reading

Treasures Being Discovered At St. Mary
April 2003

Ms. Donell Hill and her assistants have been diligently at work uncovering and recreating the stenciling originally surrounding the side altars of Mary and Joseph. Several weeks were spent scraping away the layers of paint of many years to reveal the riginal colors and the location of the stencil. The 1935 photo by Fr. Elmendorf served as a guide, but gave no indication of the vibrant olors used by the original artist. With the discovery of the colors and the mapping of the stencil itself, recreating the artwork with the same sense and intensity of the original color was the challenge undertaken by Donell and her crew.

>>>continue reading

Restoration in Progress At St. Mary
March 2003

Recently the restoration of the stenciling surrounding the side-altars of the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph was begun. Extensive research is being done to make it an authentic restoration, not merely a re-interpretation or guessing at what was back there. It may be a surprise to many as to how vibrant the original coloring in the church of 1917 was. These areas of the side-altars provide a wonderful example of the uniqueness of St. Mary Church in relation to other painted churches of Central Texas. Stay tuned as the restoration unfolds….

And Now A Word From Your Pastor....
September 2002

On September 8th, the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, our Catholic Community of the Church of the Nativity of Mary in Plantersville will dedicate the historical marker making it a Texas Registered Landmark. Many thanks to Mrs. Pam Poole for all her time and effort in researching and putting together the history of the church and working with the Texas Historical Society to make this momentous event a reality. We’ve all been aware of and have appreciated the uniqueness and historical character of St. Mary Church. To have it recognized and appreciated by all of Texas is an honor and a dream come true.

>>>continue reading

Main News Page