Holy Cross Catholic Church History
Holy Cross Catholic Church was established as a Diocesan Parish in 1936 by the Reverend Francis R. He gathered the few already baptized and confirmed Black Catholics and met in the living room of the William M. Tears family residence at 1203 East 12th Street for the first Mass. Although this faith community was small, it was mighty, and within several months of
its establishment, a site had been obtained to build a church. The house on the site served as a chapel and living quarters for Fr. The parishioners worshipped in the rectory parlor which was equipped with a hand organ and a few benches. The original church was completed in 1937 through the labors of Fr. Among the first parishioners were Mathilde DeBlanc; Willametta Givens; Eva Marie and James E. Mosby, Jr.; Marie Smith; and Mrs. LillianPollard,
Having built the rectory and church, with a day nursery in the basement, Fr. Weber and Fr. Baxter, his assistant, planned to build a structure that would include a charity clinic with three beds for emergency operations and a grade school. After the structure was built, Fr. Weber discovered that his parish and the East Austin community had a greater need – a need for medical services. Thus, he immediately converted the new two-story building into a hospital. In 1940 Holy Cross Hospital opened its doors staffed by the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. The resident physician was Sr. Celine Heitzman, the first and only Catholic nun in the United States to serve as physician and surgeon. The Sisters devoted their time, energy, and talents to Holy Cross Hospital and it soon expanded so that a new facility was needed. The hospital moved from the location on the church grounds to a larger facility at 2600 E. 19th Street, now Martin Luther King Boulevard, in 1951. Holy Cross Hospital was assumed by the Daughters of Charity and became a part of the Seton network of hospitals. It closed in 1989, thereby eliminating a hospital facility in East Austin. In 1941, Holy Cross Catholic School was established. The school was the continuation of Fr. Weber’s dream. The school had begun as a day nursery for children whose parents were away from home all day working. After five months in operation, there were 38 pre-school and primary age children whose teacher was Mrs. K.L. Williams. A warm, noonday meal was provided for the children. They met in the basement of the church. With the addition of teaching Sisters from the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, the 2nd – 8th grades were added; however the 7th and 8th grades were at the school only a few years. The school closed in 1960 after nineteen years of service to the Austin Community. Some of the graduates of this parochial school are among the most distinguished professionals in the United States today. In 1942, Holy Family Catholic Church was established as an offshoot of Holy Cross to serve the needs of the growing number of Black Catholic families in South Austin. It closed in 1951, and its members rejoined Holy Cross Catholic Church. In 1960, the Society of the Divine Word assumed responsibility for ministering to the people of Holy Cross. In 1996, Holy Cross was once again designated as a Diocesan Parish. In 2002, the Missionaries of St. Paul, a religious order based in Nigeria, assumed responsibility for the pastoral duties at Holy Cross. In 1972, Meals on Wheels and More was founded at Holy Cross Church by eight volunteers, including parishioners, who used the kitchen facilities in the basement of the church, and the kitchen at another East Austin church to prepare and deliver meals to twenty-nine people three times a week. Today, thirty-three years later, more than 1,800 meals are served daily and hundreds more people are served through five other programs as a result of Meals on Wheels and More. Holy Cross Catholic Church has had a significant and important impact on the community and many of our parishioners have been very involved in numerous educational, social, and political issues that affect East Austin, the City of Austin, and the State of Texas. Two members of the parish have served on the Austin Independent School District School Board; two have served as state legislators (one currently), and one served as Speaker Pro-Tempore of the Texas State Legislature. One parishioner was an Austin City Councilman and also served as Mayor Pro-Tempore. Currently, the state president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a member of Holy Cross. Holy Cross has been the site of numerous forums that have been held at Holy Cross to inform church members and the community of pertinent issues, including forums which featured candidates for City Council, the School Board, Travis County, and State offices. Holy Cross was also very involved in the efforts that ultimately brought about the move of the Austin airport from the East Austin community. In the 50th Anniversary brochure, there were several congratulatory letters with comments worth quoting again. Then Bishop of Austin, Vincent Harris, said, “certainly no parish in the city has a larger percentage of parishioners who have become leaders in the civic community.” That comment is no less true today. The Provincial Superior of the Society of the Divine Word, Very Rev. Borgia Aubespin, asserted, “any organization or institution that came about by the cooperative efforts of so many people acting together could only succeed for fifty years if all were united in an effort to achieve a common purpose.” That purpose has kept us going for an additional twenty-five years, and will keep us going into the future! In conclusion, it seems appropriate to repeat once again the words from Isaiah carved into the front of our pulpit and quoted in the 50th anniversary brochure: “The Lord has breathed soul into me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to mend broken hearts, to proclaim freedom for the enslaved, to seek deliverance for the oppressed.” (Isaiah 61: 1-2) This is still our mission – “to serve as a diverse spiritual Catholic community, committed to glorifying God and serving the needs of others as Christ did. We Welcome All. We Embrace All!”. We are called to work toward this goal with great passion. We have flourished as a parish, but we cannot sit back and relax. We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors… those who built this parish. We would be remiss not to thank those who struggled to get a priest to begin a church for the African-American Catholic Community. To honor them and their hard work we will continue to develop leaders, to build buildings, to form a strong faith community, and to work together with others in the community. Let us press on together! The following 14 Pastors have served at Holy Cross Catholic Church:
1936 – 1951: Fr. Francis Weber, C.S.C.
1951 – 1952: Fr. Edwin Bauer, C.S.C.
1952 – 1960: Fr. Aloysius Dayberry
1960 – 1961: Fr. Joseph A. Francis, SVD.
1961 – 1973: Fr. Stanley Goatee, SVD
Fr. Maxim Williams, SVD
Fr. Clement Mathis, SVD
1973 – 1981: Fr. Michael Fritzen, SVD
1981 – 1982: Fr. William Feldner, SVD
1982 – 1986: Fr. Mark Figaro, SVD
1986 – 1996: Fr. George Artis, SVD
1996 – 2001: Fr. Isidore Ndagizimana
2002 – 2005: Fr. Cletus Udoh, MSP
2005 – 2011: Fr. Michael Ajewole, MSP
2011 – Present: Fr. Basil Aguzie, MSP
