Oldest Catholic church in Bryan-College Station celebrates 150th anniversary

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) -St. Joseph Catholic Church, the oldest Catholic Parish in Bryan-College Station, celebrated a significant milestone Sunday – its 150th anniversary.

More than 1,000 people packed the pews and overflow rooms to commemorate the occasion.

The church’s 150th-anniversary celebration highlighted the many cultures that make up the congregation and the dedication and determination of its faithful parishioners.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott also recognized the church’s milestone and sesquicentennial by sending a resolution.

Only three years older than Texas A&M University, St. Joseph Catholic Church has championed the Catholic faith, and education, for thousands.

According to documented church history, St. Joseph Catholic Church has a long and storied history that began in the 1860s when traveling priests from the Diocese of Galveston began visiting Brazos County to hold Mass in private homes.

Bishop David Konderla who now serves as the fourth Bishop of Tulsa was Sunday’s featured speaker. Konderla was among many of the individuals who returned to the church to celebrate. He grew up in Bryan and attended St. Joseph Catholic Church and the St. Joseph Catholic School.

“My family and I have been part of the congregation since my birth. My parents began here, we’re now in our fourth generation of members who have belonged to this Parish,” says Konderla.

Konderla says St. Joseph’s longevity and its ability to bring together people of diverse cultures and shared faith is a testament to its role as a unifying force in the community.

“People of the Parrish have been faithful members and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ for all these 150 years. Serving each other, serving the community, and worshiping God,” Konderla says.

Lydia Mousner, a fifth-generation member, and 150th-anniversary chairperson expressed her excitement at the event. Her great-great-grandfather and his family emigrated from what is now Czechia in the 1870′s and eventually settled in the Brazos Valley.

“It’s [St. Joseph] a part of history. It’s exciting to see so many people here and to know that my family has been part of it for so many years,” says Mousner.

St. Joseph’s Parish has a history of educating the local Catholic community. The first school was established in 1894, and the Villa Maria Academy was moved to Bryan in 1901. Today, the school has expanded to accommodate over 1,800 registered families.

Over the years, the church has also established several missions and sister parishes, including St. Anthony’s, St. Mary’s, St. Theresa Church, Immaculate Conception Church, and St. Thomas Aquinas Parish.

“St. Joseph. It’s the mother church so it’s awesome to see how much, how important it is to our community, to have so many different cultures that started here but then ventured out,” says Mousner.

Sunday’s celebration featured an interactive history wall, a photo booth with one of the original pews, an exhibit with the original altar, live music, and cultural booths.