Catholic Church at Panna Maria
Last Saturday, we stopped in Panna Maria to look at the beautiful church there. Here are some pictures.
Here is some information about the church from the Panna Maria website:
"Panna Maria (meaning Virgin Mary) is the oldest Polish settlement in the United States. Panna Maria was founded by Father Leopold Moczygemba and about 100 Silesian families from Pluznica, and surrounding villages of Silesia, Poland.
They left Poland and after a nine-week voyage at sea, they reached the Port of Galveston. They hired carts to carry their belongings and walked to the junction of the San Antonio River and the Cibolo Creek where they celebrated their first Mass on December 24, 1854 under an oak tree.
In 1855 they built their first church next to the oak tree and dedicated it to the Virgin Mother. The first church was destroyed by lightning in 1875. The present church was completed in 1877 and was enlarged in 1937. During a recent renovation, it was discovered that the church has a painted ceiling. The ceiling has been restored and is very beautiful.
The Polish immigrants wanted to ensure that their children were properly educated. They held school in various buildings in Panna Maria as early as 1855. In 1868 they built St. Joseph School - the first Polish private school in the United States. The children were taught English and Polish.".
Here is some information about the church from the Panna Maria website:
"Panna Maria (meaning Virgin Mary) is the oldest Polish settlement in the United States. Panna Maria was founded by Father Leopold Moczygemba and about 100 Silesian families from Pluznica, and surrounding villages of Silesia, Poland.
They left Poland and after a nine-week voyage at sea, they reached the Port of Galveston. They hired carts to carry their belongings and walked to the junction of the San Antonio River and the Cibolo Creek where they celebrated their first Mass on December 24, 1854 under an oak tree.
In 1855 they built their first church next to the oak tree and dedicated it to the Virgin Mother. The first church was destroyed by lightning in 1875. The present church was completed in 1877 and was enlarged in 1937. During a recent renovation, it was discovered that the church has a painted ceiling. The ceiling has been restored and is very beautiful.
The Polish immigrants wanted to ensure that their children were properly educated. They held school in various buildings in Panna Maria as early as 1855. In 1868 they built St. Joseph School - the first Polish private school in the United States. The children were taught English and Polish.".
Beautiful.. Very interesting architecture. Thanks for sharing.
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