HISTORY OF CHRIST OUR LIGHT CATHOLIC CHURCH
Under the patronage of St. Patrick and Our Lady of Guadalupe
Navasota, Texas
The Catholic Community of Navasota dates back to the Civil War times. Although no formal church house had yet been constructed, priests from the Diocese of (then) Galveston would come to Navasota for the celebration of Mass and the other sacraments whenever they were able to do so. In the late 1860s, the land was donated to the Catholic Diocese of Galveston by the Central Railroad Company for the construction of a church building. Captain P.A. Smith was awarded the contract for building the church in 1870. There was some misunderstanding between the contractor and the building committee concerning the windows in the church, and it was not accepted by the congregation until sometime in 1871. This church was located on Farquhar Street in the block where the City Hall now stands. The church building burned. However, the Catholics of Navasota did not allow this to keep them from practicing their faith. During the time in which there was no church building, the congregation would meet in the home of Joseph Holly. However, this was very intermittent due to transportation difficulties.
In 1896, the property was purchased out of the I.M. Camp Survey from S.B. Rucker for the three hundred and seventy-five dollars ($375.00) on which a new church building would be built. It was to be known as St. Patrick's Church and was served by the pastor of St. Mary's in Plantersville, Rev. Joseph J. Klein. Services were held once a month in the church. The trustees at the time were Joseph Holly, C.P. Spann, and R.A. Patout. We still have the cornerstone of this church which notes the date, pastor, and trustees.
Rev. J.J. Gallagher lived in Navasota for a year and a half. Others who served were Rev. George Apel and Rev. Robert Schirtz. In 1930, the jurisdiction of this mission changed from Plansterville to Hempstead under the pastorship of the Rev. M.J. O'Reagan. Later, under the pastorship of Rev. A.J. Nicholson, quite a bit of repair was done to the church, particularly in enlarging the sanctuary.
In the 1930s, the Basilian Fathers from Rosenberg began to serve the Mexican community in the area around Navasota, including Allen Farm and Courtney. In 1946, Bishop C.E. Byrne allowed two sisters from Incarnate Word Academy in Houston to come to Navasota to teach Christian Doctrine Classes to the children.
The congregation in time became too large for the little church. Late in December of 1945, a large group met with the approval of Rev. H.J. Vincent, pastor of St. Mary's in Hempstead and overseer of the mission, to discuss ideas for building a new church. A building committee composed of Lou Hertenberger, R.A. Patout Jr., Lee Denena, Gerald Fahey, Mike Joswiak, and Joe Batts was formed.
Families pledged for a three-year period and the vision of a new church was becoming realized. On February 14, 1946, the Diocese purchased two lots on Church Street from Herbert Youens for a sum of two thousand dollars ($2,000.00).
In 1947, Rev. T.A. Ryan was appointed pastor of the Hempstead and Navasota churches and through him and friends of the Catholic Church, Congressmen were urged to assist in purchasing an army chapel located in Laredo.
Through the generosity of members and friends donating labor and means of transportation, the chapel was dismantled, brought here, and rebuilt. Mr. Norton of Bryan was the consulting architect and Herbert Youens was the contractor. The cornerstone was laid in 1949 by Co-Adjutor Bishop W.J.Nold for Bishop C.E. Byrne.
Due to ill health, Father Ryan was transferred. For almost a year, Rev. Norbert Ruth, C.S.B. of St. Thomas High School in Houston, served the Catholic Community of Navasota. Rev. H.T. Schroeder was made pastor of the Hempstead parish in 1949.
The old church building was abandoned. In 1951, Msgr. Urbanovsky began to renew the old church for worship by the Mexican Community. When the renovations were completed, the Basilian Fathers of Rosenberg continued serving the community, offering the first services in September of the same year. The name of the church was changed to Our Lady of Guadalupe on April 8, 1951.
In 1953, a small house was built where the Fathers from Rosenberg stayed during their weekend ministry in Navasota. On December 20, 1952, additional property was acquired from Ben and Lilly Torres to accommodate growth. The Basilians also supervised the construction of a parish hall in 1955. Old St. Patrick's Church was also razed and construction began on another building for Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.
In 1958, the new church of Our Lady of Guadalupe was dedicated. The Basilian Fathers served the parish until 1960 when they left the area and a Columbian Father, Fr. Eugene Spencer, arrived to be director of the mission church. Father Spencer remained in Navasota serving the community until 1971.
The Anglo community constructed a parish hall and CCE building under the direction of Fr. A.W. Raye in 1959. Included in the building were living quarters for the priest who traveled between Hempstead and Navasota.
On December 28, 1966, the house on the corner of Church and Teague was purchased for a sum of $22,500.00 from Dr. Herbert Schulze to be used for a residence and offices of the pastor.
On June 28, 1969, Bishop John L. Morkovsky issued a Decree of Erection elevating St. Patrick's Church, Navasota, to parish status with Our Lady of Guadalupe as its mission. At the same time, Fr. Thomas J. Pendergast was appointed the pastor.
In 1970, Fr. Pendergast completely renovated the interior of the third St. Patrick's Church. From 1972 to 1982, Msgr. George Rhein served the community as a pastor. Fr. G. Patrick Dougherty was appointed pastor on July 4, 1982, upon Msgr. Rhein's retirement.
In October of 1981, Fr. Fernando Guzman from Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico began as priest-in-charge of Our Lady of Guadalupe with it maintaining its mission status under St. Patrick's Church. A larger church was soon to be needed and on September 19, 1982, the newly renovated and expanded Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission was re-dedicated by Rev. Dan Scheel, Chancellor of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston. The community of Guadalupe continued to be served by other priests, Fr. Benigno Gonzales and Fr. Carlos Ferguson.