• St. Mary Catholic Church

  Catholicism in Young County dates back to the early 1850’s when Catholic army chaplains were assigned to the old Fort Belknap area near Graham. Fort Belknap was one of a chain of forts stretching from the Red River to the Rio Grande. The fort was founded in 1851, and in 1856 the chaplain, Fr. Michael Sheehan, celebrated the second wedding recorded in the county.
  

  After Fr. Sheehan had left the area, a coal miner, Joseph Novakowski, built an altar for his home out of old cracker boxes so Catholic miners could have Mass in his home whenever a priest passed through. In the years that followed, priests from Strawn and Seymour came occasionally by horse and buggy or on foot to celebrate Mass in the area. The altar, built by Mr. Novakowski, is now in the Fort Belknap Museum donated by his daughter, Mrs. Bertha Lowlin.

  During the years that followed after the abandonment of Fort Belknap, the Catholics in the area met in homes and in a theater building for Mass. Early in 1921, a group met in the home of C.A. Graves on Plum Street, and a priest from Fort Worth celebrated the first Mass in Graham. This group organized and made plans for a church building which was completed in 1922 and was located on Cherry Street. Records indicate that James P. Nash of Austin was instrumental in building this church and helped finance it. Others on the roll at that time were Paul Boaz, Charles Walsh, George Paull, Miss Janie Stafford, Ray Smith, Worms, and Dr. Maud Gruby who served as organist for many years. This church, of frame construction with a bell tower and bell, was used for many years as a mission church with priests coming from Breckenridge for Mass.*
  

  The present church was completed in 1965 and dedicated by Bishop Thomas Gorman of Dallas. In 1970 Graham was assigned its first resident priest, Fr. Paul Laub S.A.C. A tiny room at the entrance to the church served as Fr. Laub’s bedroom during his first year at St. Mary’s. It is now used as the cry room!
  

  In 1972 a small apartment was built onto the church which served as the priest’s quarters until 1986 when the rectory and the grounds on which it stood adjacent to the church property were purchased . The “old” rectory is now used as the church office and administration center.
  

  St. Mary Parish became part of the newly formed Diocese of Fort Worth in 1969, and was then established as a canonical parish. In 1980 a parish hall and paved parking lot were added which has served until today. But over the years the parish has steadily grown. In 2006 a new and larger classroom building for religious education and was built and Bishop Kevin Vann dedicated it in 2007.
  

  St. Mary Parish today has a membership of 250 families, of whom half are Spanish speaking.
  
  *reprinted with permission by:
  CENTENNIAL 1872 - 1972: GRAHAM, TEXAS
  100 Years of Progress From Salt Works to Space Age
  Copyright 1972, Young County Historical Commission.
  Graham, Texas