About Us

In the fullness of time our Catholic Christian faith was brought to the shores of Lavaca Bay with the coming of the Spanish and French explorers. They were accompanied by the Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries who ministered to the native Indians in the 16^th and 17^th centuries.

In the mid-18^th century priests from Victoria came to serve the growing

congregation of Irish, French, Italian, and German settlers in these environs. The

first Mass was offered in 1857 at the R. D. Blossman home, Father Augustine

Gardet, pastor of St. Mary’s in Victoria, presided.

The Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Father and Brothers, built a summer

residence for their seminarians on the outskirts of the town in 1910. They

assisted the priests of the parish when needed.

On September 2, 1913, Our Lady of the Gulf was officially established under

the first resident pastor, Father Francis Pallanche. He moved the building

north on Guadalupe Street to the corner ofCenter Street. Later Fathers Peter Baquit and David Buckley extended their services to the outlying missions.

On July 4, 1942, Archbishop Robert E. Lucey of San Antonio entrusted Our Lady of the Gulf Parish to the Oblate Fathers. Reverend A Taillon, OMI, served as the pastor with an assistant. The war years and its aftermath brought an influx of people to the area. A new church was needed. Under the direction of Father Frank Deckert, OMI, a new church was built, with the capacity of 450 members on the corner of San Antonio and Seadrift Highway. The structure was completed and dedicated on July 19, 1953.

With the appointment of Father Vincent Verderame, OMI, as pastor, the Oblates continued to expand the parish. A catechetical center and convent was built during the 1959-1964. The Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence were the first religious women to reside there. These capable and dedicated religion teachers were followed by the Sisters of Divine Providence and the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacramenta.

In 1982 Victoria was established as a new diocese in Texas. The area included all ofCalhoun County as well as other counties of the coastal area.

After 86 years of dedicated service the Oblates of Mary Immaculate had to withdraw their members to meet more urgent missionary efforts elsewhere. They departed with the undying gratitude of the people of Texas mid-coast.

On June 4, 1995, Bishop David E. Fellhauer, the second Bishop of Victoria, appointed Father Dan Morales as pastor of Our Lady of the Gulf in Port Lavaca and its missions of St. Joseph in Port O’Connor, St. Ann in Point Comfort, and St. Patrick in Seadrift.

Father Morales lost no time in establishing Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic School since he was able to obtain the services of the School Sisters of St. Francis from Panhandle, Texas. Bishop David Fellhauer formally dedicated and blessed the elementary school on its first day of operation, August 14, 1996.

With the assistance of an associate pastor Father Morales also opened a Day Care Center in 1999. More recently, the newly acquired St. Jude Hall, (the former U. S. Post Office) was added to the church property.

“In the fullness of time God sent his Son, born of a woman….” The parish of Our Lady of the Gulf on the shores of Lavaca Bay continues to bring the fullness of Christian life as it enters the new millennium. May its members continue to grow like Christ in wisdom, age, and grace with God and others!

The first church building was erected in 1865 on South Guadalupe Street. It was

destroyed by storm in 1886 and rebuilt in 1894. Father W. G. Henderson was on

hand to bless this edifice under the title of “Our Lady of the Gulf.”

In 1874 the jurisdiction of this area was transferred from the diocese of Galveston

to the newly established Diocese of San Antonio (later to become an Archdiocese

in 1924).

2005

1897

circa 1953

circa 1880s

Oblate Villa 1909/1910

Historical (B&W) Photos provided by Spoonbill Gallery