Extraordinary Minister Schedule
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
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History 1870 - 2004 |
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ST. PATRICK CHURCH
Based on In the
Hollow of His Hand, A History of St. Patrick Church, Galveston, Texas 1871-2000.
Copies of the
184 page book are available from the Church office.
In
the 1870’s, Galveston, Texas became a haven for immigrants from Europe looking
for a better life in a new world. When the decision was made to erect a second
catholic church and parish on the western side of the Galveston Island a
two-story frame structure was built
at 35th Street
and Broadway. The
parish was named after the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, and had nine
families as members.
Storms and Reconstruction
In 1871 Father Laurence Glynn was appointed as the first pastor. However, the night before he arrived the church was completely demolished by a storm. Father Glynn immediately organized a salvage operation and began a reconstruction project to construct a small wooden building that was used as the temporary St. Patrick Church for six years. Father Glynn traveled throughout the state raising funds for a new church. On November 18, 1877 the new St. Patrick Church, designed by Nicholas Clayton, was dedicated. Father Glynn died on Good Friday, 1880 and his body was buried in a crypt beneath the altar of St. Patrick Church as he requested. Father Jean Louis Bussant succeeded Father Glynn and the congregation grew under his leadership.
Father Bernard Lee, pastor from 1890 to 1897, was a man of a very genial disposition and endeared himself to his parishioners. It was during his seven years in Galveston that side altars were placed in the church and construction of the Menard Tower began. Funds for construction of the tower were donated in memory of Michel B. Menard, a founder of the City of Galveston.
In 1898 Rev. Clement Lowrey undertook the duties of pastor of the growing parish. He was known for the kindly manner in which he counseled those who came to him in distress. As the parish grew the Irish spirit was kept alive by the annual St. Patrick Day celebration though many of the parishioners were not of Irish descent.
On September 8, 1900 the Great Storm of 1900 swept over the island leaving tremendous Island destruction in its wake. The huge Menard tower of St. Patrick Church fell crushing the church and undoing the work of almost thirty years. All that remained were four small stained glass windows, two altars and the statues. St. Patrick’s lost 200 of its members. Father Lowery with the assistance of his parishioners, their friends and the citizens of Galveston worked to rebuild the church. Nicholas Clayton assisted with the plans for reconstruction and the church was re-dedicated on February 2, 1902.
Focus on Education
In addition to working diligently with parishioners, Father Murphy was active in civic activities such as the Red Cross, United Charities and was a strong advocate for the new ferry service between Galveston and Bolivar. Perhaps his greatest legacy was the development of St. Patrick School and his devotion to the children of the parish. Not content with just a grammar school, Father Murphy pushed the movement to establish Kirwin High School and was one of its founders.
St. Patrick’s parish now comprised the territory of the entire island west of 28th Street, except those Catholics of German extraction affiliated with St. Joseph Church. Fr. Murphy published a booklet, “the Quarterly” to keep his people informed about the financial condition of St. Patrick’s, the building plans and fund raising for the school, accounts of religious ceremonies and other parish news.
Father Murphy was invested as a Monsignor in 1940 and on December 9, 1941 his Golden Jubilee as a priest began with the celebration of a High Mass at St. Patrick. Upon his death on January 1, 1945 he had served St Patrick Church for 39 years.
After the death of Fr. Murphy, Father John J. Ruddy was made the administrator of the parish and in 1960 was made pastor. Fr. Ruddy taught Latin at Kirwin High School, and in 1943 organized the Patrician Club, one of the first Catholic youth groups in the diocese. Father Ruddy was a past district spiritual moderator of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, a member of the Knights of Columbus and a former chaplain. He was also interested in the Newman Club Alumni group, attended their monthly meetings and served as moderator for about 15 years. Fr. Ruddy continued to raise funds and make plans for an addition to the school building. The “West Wing” was erected in 1960 and joined to the old building.
Adapting to Change
It was during Fr. Ruddy’s term as pastor that the sanctuary area of the church was remodeled to conform to the instructions of the Vatican II document. Interior remodeling began in 1964 with the change in the placement of the altar. Later that year the communion rails, main and side altars, and marble steps were removed to “place the clergy on a level with and closer to the congregation.” Many other changes followed - to the physical structure, to the liturgy and to the parish boundaries.
In 1964 a new parish, St. Peter’s, was created in Galveston. It would extend westward from 61st Street. On August 30, 1966 the boundary lines of St. Patrick’s parish were changed again with the designation for a new parish to be called Our Lady of Guadalupe located primarily between 40th and 61st Streets from the Gulf of Mexico to Galveston Bay. These changes resulted in a significant decrease in the membership and revenue of St. Patrick’s.
Christian Unity Week in January, 1967, was observed by the clergy and congregations of St. Patrick’s and Grace Episcopal Churches. The two pastors engaged in a friendly discussion of the differences of the two faiths. Msgr. Ruddy expressed the hope that eventually, “we will all be just Christians, not Catholics and Episcopalians as we are now. On October 17, 1969 Msgr. Ruddy was transferred from St Patrick’s. After his death on November 17, 1969, the Senate of the 62nd Legislature of the State of Texas paid tribute to Rt. Rev. Msgr. Ruddy as one of the greatest humanitarian and spiritual leaders of the State of Texas.
Fr. Thomas A Donovan succeeded Fr. Ruddy as pastor in 1970. Even though the territorial boundaries had been significantly changed with the creation of two new parishes, St. Patrick’s still had a large membership. The one hundred-year anniversary of St. Patrick’s was celebrated from March 14 through March 20, 1971 with Masses, historical pageant, dinner, bazaar, dance, and a concert. The annual celebration of St. Patrick’s Day continued to be a dinner and bazaar for members of the parish and guests. In June of 1973, the first local members of the permanent deaconate were ordained and the first lay distributors of Holy Communion were installed.
Fr. Maurice Dho was assigned as pastor in July 1974. He was a very gentle person known for his humble and simple lifestyle. His tenure as pastor was brief but his dedication and diligent work to pay off the delinquent cathedraticum tax owed to the diocese was successful.
In
August of 1976 Fr. John DeForke was appointed pastor. He possessed an outgoing
personality leading to ease in making friends of parishioners and others. He
worked not just in his own parish community but throughout the Island. From the
admittance of women into the Ministry of Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of
the Eucharist, the implementation of a working Parish Council and intense 
preparation
for his famous “short sermons” he served the people of St. Patrick well.
In January of 1982 Fr. Tim Bucek succeeded Fr. DeForke. With his love of history and concern for the heritage and traditions of the St. Patrick community Fr. Tim began the research for the restoration of the church. During the study of the plans and sketches of the original church, the stained glass windows in the ceiling of the church, covered by plaster for many years, were discovered and would be exposed again in the restoration plans. Attempts were made to locate some of the furnishings that had been in the church previously. The original cypress doors were found and Father Tim had them restored and reinstalled during March of 1985.
In March 14, 1986 plans were announced by Bishop Fiorenza to consolidate the isle’s Catholic elementary schools. After 113 years of operation the final sixth grade class of St. Patrick School graduated on Sunday, Mary 25, 1986.
Father Walter Sheffield was assigned to St. Patrick Church the first week of July, 1987. The fund raising drive, instituted by the Preservation Committee, to complete necessary repairs to the church and to renovate the structure was in full swing. In January 1990 the first phase of the renovation began. The completely renovated church, was rededicated on July 7, 1991 with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza. During 1992 the interior decoration was completed which included the application of a patina on various carvings throughout, faux marble finishes on the columns, and gold leaf trim on columns, angel faces and other carvings.
Because of a decrease in personnel and financial resources of the diocese Bishop Fiorenza announced that as of August 1, 1992 the community of Our Lady of Guadalupe was to combine with St. Patrick Church. In July of 1992 Father Page E. Polk, former pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was named as pastor of the newly consolidated St. Patrick Church. In August 1992 the west wing of the former school building was renovated to provide parish staff offices and religious education classrooms. The cafeteria kitchen was refurbished and a children’s nursery and religious article store “The Bookshelf” were established. The building was designated “The Parish Life Center.” While serving a pastor, Father Page was very active in the operation of Galveston Catholic School and O’Connell High School working with both schools to provide appropriate liturgies for the students. He also served on the Board of Galveston Catholic Charities, St. Joseph’s Inn and the Jesse Tree.
The
last phase of the renovation project was completed with the installation of
hand-carved oak furnishings for the sanctuary. The first pieces, the altar and
ambo were installed in November of 1993.
Worship, Education and Fellowship
On March 17, 1996 St. Patrick’s 125th anniversary began with a Mass and dinner. Other events during the year included a parish picnic, a gala dinner and dance at a local hotel. After a year of celebration the anniversary closed with a Mass on March 17, 1997 followed by a reception.
The Men’s Club and Preservation Committee dedicated funds to refurbish the bell tower and bell and on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1996 the bell rang for the first time in many years.
Father Maynard Tetreault, O.F.M. served as interim pastor from February 2000 to June 30, 2000. Fr. Maynard is remembered fondly as the “light bulb pastor.” In addition to his cleric duties he was an expert handyman and made many small changes to conserve energy. Some say that he himself changed every light bulb on the premises to a more efficient one.
On Jul 1, 2000 Father John Bok, O.F.M. arrived at St. Patrick Church to begin as its new pastor. Fr. John spent 18 years at Roger Bacon High School, a Franciscan high school in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a science teacher, Assistant Principal in charge of discipline and Principal. He was the Director of St. Rita School for the Deaf in Cincinnati for 9 years from 1981-1990. He then served as Provincial Minister for the Province of St. John the Baptist in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Cincinnati province of Franciscans has staffed St. Patrick Church for the diocese since August of 1992. Fr. John’s administrative and people skills have served the parishioners of St. Patrick’s well. He has extended much effort into developing adult education workshops and presentations and has guided the implementation of “Generations of Faith,” a religious education program designed for all family members, regardless of age, to learn more about their faith together. St. Patrick’s has recently been designated an Access Parish by the diocese for the Galveston-Mainland Deanery. Fr. John’s ability to sign as he celebrates Mass has been inspiring. The daily chapel was recently renovated. Also, construction began in July 2004 to make St. Patrick’s Parish Life Center more accessible to all by the addition of a handicap restroom in the auditorium and a stairlift that will enable people with physical disabilities to get to the second floor of the building.
Fr. John plans to put more energy and parish resources into religious education for both adults and youth. He hopes to see our Sunday liturgies continue to grow and become life giving to those who come to worship here. He desires that St. Patrick’s will become known as a parish community that welcomes all people and is most considerate of those with disabilities.