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Masses are offered in English now at 9 a.m. Sunday; 5:30 p.m. Monday; 7:30 a.m. Tuesday-Friday, and 5 p.m. Saturday.
Why to go: While Texas may not have as many folks of Polish descent as other parts of the country (including our own Rockford Diocese), the settlers of Panna Maria were among the first. And the town is proud of its heritage. The parish is one of the historic highlights on its website. (Don’t be surprised that it isn’t a parish-only site, but it is the one listed by the Archdiocese of San Antonio.)
The first settlers left Upper Silesia, Poland on Sept. 26, 1854, led by Father Leopold Moczygemba. The 150 Polish immigrants arrived in Texas on Christmas Eve the same year. At the spot of what would become Panna Maria, Father Moczygemba celebrated a midnight Mass of Thanksgiving under the town’s now-famous Oak Tree. Several groups of Silesian Polish immigrants followed them in the years soon after the town was founded.
On Aug. 14, 1855, Father Moczygemba blessed the cornerstone of the church. On Sept 29, 1856, he consecrated the parish, the first permanent Polish Catholic church in the United States. The community also founded the first Polish Catholic school a few years later.
The original church burned down after being struck by lightning on Aug. 15, 1875. A new church was built within two years and remains in use today.
Special events: A Homecoming Turkey Dinner is held on the second Sunday of October every year. The turkey is cooked over open wood fires throughout the night before. Meals are served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Panna Maria Hall.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Absolutely.
Info: Address — Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Farm Road 81, Panna Maria, TX 78144
Phone — 830/780-2748
Website — http://www.pannamariatexas.com
— Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org
