-
-
The following history of St. Theresa Catholic Church was written by Cathy Phillips Shipp, member of St. Theresa's and a great-granddaughter of Ophelia Moore Fallwell. Prior to a Catholic church building in the Union Grove/Gladewater area, Masses for the two neighboring Catholic families (O'Brynes & Fallwells) were said at the home of Ophelia Fallwell. The history of St. Theresa's begins before 1900.
-
Early Years of our parish began in Union GroveThe history of the Catholic Church in this area is an interesting one. In the following paragraphs, you will read a brief historical account borrowed from the book The O’Byrne Mill, Digging for Facts and Fantasies, written by Cecelia Christina (Tina) O’Byrne Tuttle. The book was published in 1970 and was a personal memoir of Tina Tuttle, twelfth child of John and Eva (Moore) O’Byrne. It is her story of growing up in this area as an O’Byrne and a Catholic at the turn of the twentieth century that gives the reader insight, facts and dates of the history of our parish church.
Tina O’Byrne Tuttle was born on July 31, 1895. Her memory takes you back to a time when in this area of East Texas, there were only two Catholic families – The Fallwells and the O’Byrnes. Tina’s mother, Mrs. John (Eva Moore) O’Byrne and Mrs. William (Ophelia Moore) Fallwell were sisters. The Fallwell family lived on property near the O’Byrne “Big House”. There was no church and the families relied on priests from other areas to occasionally visit and say Mass. These Masses were said at the home of Ophelia & William Fallwell.
In Tina’s words, “ a priest used to come out once or twice a year to say Mass, baptize the new babies and bring us the sacraments. Father Grainger from Marshall was the first.” The visiting priest would write that he was planning a visit to the families and the date that he was to arrive by train at the Gladewater station. He would be met and brought out to the Union Grove area to say Mass. “ We would make an improvised altar in Auntie’s (Ophelia Fallwell’s) spare bedroom. An altar height table near one window covered with a white linen tablecloth and two smaller cloths to make the required three cloths and we had an altar stone….Also had the altar cards and vestments, chalice for wine, and ciborium for the altar bread. The priest usually brought the hosts, but I remember one time, he had forgotten to bring the altar bread and Auntie mixed water and flour and cooked it between two hot smoothing irons…After Mass, the things were carefully put away in a dresser drawer for the next time." -
St. Bridget's Dedication, Union Grove
Many years later (sometime before 1929 when Mr. O’Byrne passed away and during Father Meyer’s pastorate at St. Anthony’s in Longview) a church was built on the O’Bryne property. Mr. O’Byrne donated two acres of land and the lumber to build the church. The church was named St. Bridget’s (after Mr. O’Byrne’s mother). “ Bishop Lynch from Dallas, came for the dedication, and came again for confirmation at a later date.” Father Meyer became the first pastor of St. Bridget’s.
-
1936, A New Church is built in Gladewater
St. Bridget’s, Union Grove to St. Theresa’s, Gladewater: Mr. O’Byrne had passed away in 1929. Due to the oil boom in 1931, many more Catholics moved into this part of the country, especially the Gladewater area. At the time, the priest at St. Bridget’s was Father Callahan and it was decided that it was inconvenient for so many to come out so far, so Father Callahan started saying Mass in Gladewater at the American Legion Hall for a time. In 1936, St. Theresa’s Catholic Church was built in Gladewater at the corner of Cotton and Melba. A few years later, “ when Father McNamara and Father Gilbert were here, we moved the old church to Gladewater and made a rectory out of it” next door to St. Theresa’s. Tina states “ So, St. Bridget’s is still serving God.”
-
1945, Founding of Parish as St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus
Bishop Lynch, Diocese of Dallas, established St. Theresa’s as a parish in 1945 and entrusted it to the care of the Missionaries of Our Lady of LaSalette. In the year 2000, Our Lady of LaSalette Mission returned the care of St. Theresa’s to the Diocese of Tyler.
-
1986, St. Theresa relocates to Union Grove
In the 1980’s, St. Theresa’s was in need of a newer church building, a building on property large enough for the church to continue to expand and especially property large enough to provide a paved parking area. The priest at this time was Father John Rohrman. Father Rohrman and the building committee met many times to discuss and study a new location. Since St. Theresa’s, during this time, was not only the parish for Gladewater Catholics, but for Catholics living in Gilmer and other nearby communities, a decision was finally made to purchase available land in the Union Grove area, not too far from the O’Byrne’s crossroads and St. Bridget’s, the original Catholic Church in this area. This is the present location of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church today - 10138 Union Grove Road, Gladewater, TX. Built in 1986, the first Mass was said on the 41st Anniversary of the founding of the Parish under the title of St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus. At the time of its completion, Most Reverend Thomas Tschoepe, DD, was Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas and Reverend Henry J. Lenz, Missionary of Our Lady of LaSalette, was Pastor.
Tina O’Byrne Tuttle did not live to see the church return to the Union Grove area. However, many of the descendents of both the O’Bryne and Fallwell families still attend church at St. Theresa’s in the community of Union Grove.
-