St. Mary’s Church began with a handful of German immigrants in 1846 and,
since then, has been a continually growing spiritual family. The famous twin
towers of the two churches, the Marienkirche (1861) and the new St. Mary’s
(1908), have long been beacons of faith, hope and love here in Fredericksburg
and throughout the Hill Country. Our community has also been blessed with St.
Mary’s School which has educated and formed our children since 1856. Here is
our story.
OLD ST. MARY’S CHURCH
Construction of this church began in
1860.
The task of quarrying,
stonecutting, lime burning, hauling
sand and lumber, measuring and
staking the foundation, masonry,
carpentry, and plastering were
undertaken by parishioners.
Father Peter Baunach blessed the
cornerstone in June of 1861 and the
building was completed in November
1863. The total cost of the building
materials was $7,797. The labor was
a gift of love from the people.
The dedication of the church was
on November 22, 1863, presided
over by Bishop Dubois, and
concluded with the chanting of the
Te Deum and the ringing of the
church bell which legend states was
done by an Indian.
The church is built in cruciform,
typical of each Christian churches.
The two-foot thick limestone walls
and large foundation blocks were
quarried near Comfort, Texas. The
roof was composed of hand cut
rafters with cypress shingles nailed to
wood lathing that spanned the rafters.
The wood used was transported from
Bastrop, Texas.
The seventy-two foot steeple is
the
most
prominent
and
distinguishing feature of the building.
The corbel stone vaulting contributes
to the uniqueness of the structure.
Twelve Gothic arched windows
commemorating the twelve apostles
were made of cypress or cedar. The
original clear glazed glass was soon
replaced with blue cathedral glass.
The ceiling consists of beaded
board forming a vault over the nave
and intersecting vaults at the transept
crossing.
Five six-pointed stars,
from which lighting fixtures were
suspended, were attached to the
ceiling.
Part of the floor was covered with
blue-gray soapstone brought from
Willow City. The floor under the
pews was covered with wood.
The entire structure was a very
simple and honest architectural
statement.
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CHAPEL
Originally built in 1919 to serve the
Spanish speaking Catholics in the
Fredericksburg area, it offered
regular masses until the 1940’s when
the Archdiocese decided to close the
church. With the rapid growth of the
Hispanic population in the 1980’s,
Our Lady of Guadalupe was again
opened in 1983 as a mission of St.
Mary’s.
The church is located in the
northeast part of the city at the corner
of Lincoln and College Streets, one
block off Llano Highway.
NEW ST. MARY’S CHURCH
The building’s cornerstone was laid
on July 4, 1905, and is the third
church built by St. Mary’s
congregation since its founding in
1846. It is still referred to as the “the
new church” by many of our older
members.
Built of native stone quarried near
the city, it cost about $40,000
furnished.
The church is an outstanding
example of Gothic architecture. As
you can see, strong German influence
is evidenced in many of its features.
The church was completed in
1908 and was solemnly consecrated
on November 24th of that year.
A fine, old pipe organ graces the
church, and beautiful stained glass
memorial windows adorn the
sanctuary and both right and left
sides of the church. Most of these
were added in 1914 and 1915.
However, the sanctuary windows of
St. George, the two Guardian Angels,
Mary, and St. Francis were installed
earlier.
The
two
Guardian
Angel
windows, depicting a young boy and
girl with their guardian angels, were
made in Germany where craftsmen
worked from actual photographs of
these two deceased local children.
The boy is James Blum, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Robert Blum. The girl is
Erna Wagner, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Jacob Wagner.
Starting from the front of the
church, the left side stained glass
windows depict St. Margaret Mary of
Alacoque and the Sacred Heart, the
Annunciation, and the Presentation
of the Lord in the Temple.
Again, starting from the front of
the church, the right side stained
glass windows depict St. Ann with
Mary as a youth, St. Dominic with
the Blessed Mother, the Nativity with
the Magi, and the Holy Family.
The altars are of wood with the
main altar having an inset of the Last
Supper in the front panel. Paintings
of the twelve apostles appear on the
arches above the center aisle and
across the apse wall is Christ the
King. On the sanctuary wall are two
huge paintings, the right one of
Melchizedek offering bread and
wine, and the left of Christ breaking
bread with the two disciples at
Emmaus. This symbolizes Christ,
king and eternal priest (New
Testament) fulfilling the prophecy of
Melchizedek, priest and king (Old
Testament).
In 1936 the first of three major
renovations took place. At that time
all the stenciling and art work was
done. During the second renovation
in 1970 the new altar of sacrifice and
a lectern were added to the sanctuary.
During the third renovation and
restoration in 2001, the baptismal
font was moved to the sanctuary.
A ST. MARY’S TRADITION
For over one hundred years the
supply you with that prayer in the
following prayer has been said at the
hopes you will join with us in what
conclusion of each Mass. Here we
has become a very heartfelt tradition.
Oh, my Jesus, in union with all the angels and saints, I adore you in the most
holy sacrament of the altar, in which you are concealed for the love of me.
I adore you as my Lord and my God, my Creator and Redeemer. Amen.
Thank you for visiting St. Mary’s Catholic Church
At 304 West San Antonio Street.
We hope to see you again soon.
Our parish offices are located at 307 W. Main St.
Our Pastoral Staff
Msgr. Enda McKenna, Pastor
Patrick Klein, Deacon
Francisco DeLaTorre, Deacon
Gregorio Martinez, Deacon
Brian Lewis, Deacon
Weekend Mass Schedule
Saturday – 5:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. (Spanish)
Sunday – 7:30, 9:00 & 11:15 at St. Mary’s
Confessions
Saturday – 4:30 to 5:10 p.m. or by appointment
Mailing Address
307 W. Main Street
Fredericksburg, Texas 78624
Phone: (830) 997-9523
St. Mary’s School
202 South Orange Street
Fredericksburg, Texas 78624
Phone: (830) 997-3914
Principal: Mr. Billy Pahl
If you are interested in joining our community, you can visit us
at our offices, 307 W. Main, call us at 997-9523 or e-mail us at
info@stmarysmail.com.
St. Mary’s
Catholic Church
Fredericksburg, Texas
Established 1846