St. Peter's Catholic Church

The first Mass in Blessing was said on July 12, 1912, in John Roach's house for 27 people. Alfred Foisy paid most of the cost of the wooden Mission-style church, dedicated on April 20, 1915, where ten adults and ten Mexican children were confirmed. After World War II the parish bought an Army chapel from Camp Hulen in Palacios, moved it to Blessing and remodeled it, and Archbishop Lucey dedicated it on December 19, 1948. The 1915 church became the parish hall.

What the plaque says

St. Peter's Catholic Church Though Catholic settlers initially arrived in this area in the 1800s, it was in 1912, just five years after the founding of blessing, that a mass was held in the community. At first, mass was held in the homes of blessing residents, whenever traveling priests were available. In 1914, the Townsite Company, owned by city founder Jonathan Edwards Pierce, donated land for use as a church. Catholic residents completed construction on a building on the property in 1915. It was placed under the patronage of Saint Peter. At first, St. Peter's Catholic Church was a mission parish attended on occasion by priests from Victoria, Port Lavaca and other surrounding communities. In 1930, the Rev. A.J. Weber became the church's first resident priest. The church has moved twice in its long history. In 1947, members purchased this property, opening a remodeled army chapel here the next year. That structure was replaced by the current one, which was dedicated in 1976. The congregation of St. Peter's Catholic Church has a long history of helping residents of the Blessing Community. They have provided regular meals to senior citizens, and have given food and other donations to the needy. The congregation has also organized area social events, including an annual fall festival which has become a community tradition. Today, St. Peter's Catholic Church continues to be a beacon of light in the blessing community, serving the needs of area residents. (2008)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Half Moon Reef Lighthouse and Linnville — 29 mi
  The last screw-pile lighthouse of the Texas coast, brought ashore at Port Lavaca, a town founded by refugees from Linnville, the port Buffalo Hump's Comanches burned in August 1840.
• Indianola — 29 mi
  The site of Texas's second port, where Morgan's steamships, Army freight and the first refrigerated beef passed until the hurricanes of 1875 and 1886, now mostly under Matagorda Bay.

More markers nearby

• Blessing Library Association — steps away
• Old Hawley Cemetery — 2.9 mi
• Deming's Bridge Community — 3.1 mi
• William Walter "Pudge" Heffelfinger — 3.1 mi