Denison
Daily Herald
Wednesday, July 27, 1938 CATHOLIC CHURCH FOUNDED HERE IN CITY'S FIRST YEAR While Texas was still a sparsely settled prairie and Denison was in her swaddling clothes, St. Patrick's Catholic Church was established in 1872 by Bishop O. M. Dehois of the Galveston Diocese with Father Martieniere, a missionary, as the first pastor. In the spring of 1873 the first church building was erected and in 187_, the second edifice was constructed during the pastorate of Rev. Francis Derue. Early successors of Father Martieniere were Fathers Thion V. Quinon, A. M. Truchard Guyot and Francis Derue. Later pastors were Fathers Buford Logon, Joseph Blum, Thomas K. Crowley, F. P. Maginn, Haas, Donahue and the incumbent, B. J. Deecey. The first burial was recorded in 1873 when John Perry, born in 1845, was interred in Oakwood Cemetery. The second was that of T. D. Moriarty, 23, a Federal veteran of the Civil War. The first recorded baptism occurred on Jan. 25, 1874, when Charlotte Eliza Brady was baptized by Rev. C. M. Thion. The first recorded marriage was on Jan. 4, 1874, when Peter Fay and Theresa Wilson of Sherman were united by Father Quinon officiating.  Calvary Cemetery, two miles north of Denison, was established in 1883. The plot contains 40 acres, and the first records on monuments are July 1883, Bernard Finn and Jan. 14, 1884, Cornelius Corcoran. In 1889, Rev. Timothy K. Crowley became pastor and served until his death in 1906. A church was completed in 1898 at a cost of about $125,000. Its size was 60 by 142 and 140 feet high of gothic stone and brick and tile roof. The structure was destroyed by fire in 1911 and rebuilt according to original plans in 1912. There are no debts against the parish. Promoters of the city gave free to each church applying for a location. Originally the northwest corner of Sears and Rusk was assigned to the Presbyterians who relinquished the plot to the Catholics to accept their present property at Gandy and Burnett. The Catholics received the lot where St. Xavier is now located. Reference is made to the Issue of The Denison Herald of Dec. 8, 1898, carrying a story of the dedication of the new church which was to take place Dec. 11, 1898. The dedicatory service was conducted by the Dallas Diocese. The Herald, according to George Huey, who complied data for this history, at that time was Volume 10 and gave a complete account of the growth and accomplishments of the Catholic congregation here. Special credit for services toward the new building was given in the article to J. D. Quinn, Col. J. B. McDougall, Timothy J. Murphy and Tom Fox. During the years of 1874 and 1875, Fathers Thion, Guyot, Deisen and Quinon were reporting baptisms at Fort Griffin and Fort Richardson in Texas, and at points in the Indian Territory where they drove wagons or rode on horseback, often being away from Denison a month or more at a time. They covered distances of over 150 miles from Denison. The St. Patrick's Altar Society was established over 50 years ago. Mrs. M. J. Sweeney, 119 West Gandy, is the oldest living member. Mrs. John Corcoran, 312 West Sears, is the second oldest member. Both have served several years as president. Mrs. E. L. O'Connell, 600 West Sears St., is the incumbent. Rev. Deeney, present pastor, was born in Lycurgus, Iowa, Oct. 17, 1876. He attended Dubuque College, Columbia University and Kendrick Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. He was ordained to the priesthood at Kendrick by Archbishop Kain, June 4, 1902. He served the churches in Paris, Texarkana, Waxahachie, Celburne, Irish Ridge, Mineral Wells and Gainesville before coming to Denison in the fall of 1912.  St. Patrick's Catholic Church History Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson CountyTXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |
