Father Leopold Moczygemba - Panna Maria TX - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com

Panna Maria (meaning Virgin Mary) is the oldest Polish settlement in the United States.

Panna Maria was founded by Father Leopold Moczygemba, who was born in the Silesian area of Poland. He came to TX in 1852 as a priest assigned to the German colony of New Braunfels. He was struck by how similar the land in Texas was to that of his homeland. He wrote letters back home encouraging his friends and family to leave the dire economic conditions and oppression by the Prussian goverment to start new lives of prosperity and freedom in Texas, as he had seen the German emigrants in New Braunfels do.

Several hundred emigrants, including four of Fr. Moczygemba's brothers, sold everything and made the long journey to Texas. They arrived by boat in Galveston, then had to make their way by ox-cart to San Antonio. Fr. Moczygemba met them there and brought them to the place he had picked out for the settlement in newly-organized Karnes County TX. He named the settlement Panna Maria, which means "Virgin Mary" in Polish.

The emigrants arrived in Panna Maria in late December. They celebrated the first Mass in the community, the Vigil of Christmas, on 24 Dec 1854 under a giant Live Oak tree that still stands today on the church grounds. Several other groups of Polish immigrants from Silesia arrived over the next few years, and the colony began to grow.

Life on the frontier was very hard, though. The emigrants grew angry with Fr. Moczygemba, who they felt had exaggerated the positive attributes of the land and climate. In 1857, Fr. Moczygemba was forced out of Panna Maria. He moved to Detroit Michigan, where he established a Polish Catholic Seminary. He died in Dearborn Michigan in 1891, and was buried on the seminary grounds.

By 1974 the hard feelings against Fr. Moczygemba had cooled. After a succesful campaign of reconciliation and bureaucrtic wrangling, Fr. Moczygemba's body was exhumed from his grave in Michigan and reinterred at Panna Maria, under the very Live Oak where he said his first Mass there.

A respectful grey granite monument graces Fr. Moczygemba's grave. It reads as follows:

"Reverend Father Leopold Bonaventura Maria Moczygemba
Pioneered settlement of Polish immigrants to the United States.
He founded Panna Maria, first Polish colony in America, December 24, 1854. Established in this community America’s first Polish Church, and served as pastor until October 1856.
He continued his work as Pioneer Missionary – Educator & Leader

December 8, 1976

Born on October 28, 1824 in Wietka Ploznica, Silesia Poland
Son of Leopold and Eva Krawecki Moczygemba
Ordained Order of Friars Minor Conventual July 25, 1847, Pesaro Italy
Upon invitation of Bishop J. N. Odin, First bishop of Texas, came to Texas in 1852 as a missionary to Catholics in new Braunfels and Castroville
Founded Panna Maria, oldest Polish Colony in America, December 24, 1854
Established America’s First Polish church here and served as pastor until October 1856
Superior of the Conventual Franciscan Missionaries in Texas 1856-1858
First Commissary General of the Conventual Franciscan Missionaries 1858-1860. Founded first Novitiate and Seminary of the Order in the United States, Syracuse New York
Apostolic Confessor at the First Vatican Council in Rome 1869
Opened first Polish parochial school 1868, St. Stanislaus Parish, Milwaukee Wisconsin
Chairman of first Polish Roman Catholic Union Convention in the United States, 1873, and served as President 1875-1879
Entered Resurrectionist Congregation in Rome January 23, 1880
With approval of Pope Leo XIII 1879 founded Sts. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Detroit Michigan 1884
Joined the Detroit Archdiocese May 15, 1888
Died February 23 1891 in Detroit Michigan and was buried February 25, 1891 in Detroit’s Mount Eliot Cemetery
Reinterred in Panna Maria October 13, 1974
Father Leopold Bonaventura Maria Moczygemba, Patriarch of American Polonia, established parishes, founded schools, and served as pastor in ten states, and performed his ministry in Latin, Polish, German, Italian, English, Czech, and Spanish."

URL of the statue: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   09/01/2012 Benchmark Blasterz visited it