The Church of the Annunciation -- also known as "Annunciation Catholic Church" or simply "Annunciation Church" -- is the second oldest Catholic Church in Houston, Texas and one of the few remaining that still provide mass in both English and Latin. It is an outgrowth of the original St. Vincent’s Catholic Church which was established in 1839 and closed in 1878, a few years after completion of the Annunciation Church.
Its parish -- now known as Annunciation Parish -- was founded in 1842 under the original name of "St. Vincent de Paul". Annunciation Parish is Houston's oldest extant Catholic congregation in Houston, although its membership has been in continuous decline ever since the end of World War II when factories and office buildings (and eventually highways) slowly encroached upon its residential population. Currently the parish serves just 75 families, but the church continues to function as an urban church providing mass for both travelers and office/factory workers as well as hosting ceremonial functions.
Construction on the Annunciation Church began in March 1869 from plans drawn up in France, with its cornerstone laid on April 25, 1869. The original church was dedicated on September 10, 1871 and considered 'completed' by 1874 but was later remodeled and embellished in 1884 by Nicholas Clayton, Texas' first professional architect.
Architecturally speaking, the church is a brick basilica featuring extensive Romanesque details: these include impressive stained-glass memorial windows, frescoes, and gothic arches reminiscent of a cathedral in Rome. Its most salient feature is an extremely detailed and ornate central western tower spire which rises to a height of 175 feet. Completed in 1871, the tower has to be reconstructed in 1901 after the original collapsed during the hurricane of 1900.
Annunciation Church was dedicated as a Texas historic landmark in 1969 and was added to the list of the National Register of Historic places in 1975.
Below is more detailed history of the Church, per the Texas State Historical Association's website: (
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"In 1866 the bishop of Galveston, Claude M. Dubuis, and Father Joseph Querat realized that a church larger than St. Vincent's, the first Catholic church in Houston, was needed for the increasing number of Catholics. For the new church the bishop purchased from Peter W. Gray the half block at Texas and Crawford streets for $2,000; the brick to be used in the construction was purchased from the old courthouse. Nicholas J. Clayton designed the structure, using the Gothic forms of European cathedrals suggested by Father Querat. In March 1869 Querat presented the plans to the parishioners, who chose the name Church of the Annunciation. The cornerstone was laid the following month, and two years later, on September 10, 1871, the church was dedicated. In 1878 St. Vincent's Church closed.
After the building of the new church, Father Querat purchased the other half of the block for a school, on January 3, 1873. At first only boys attended Annunciation School, but by September 1914 the school was coeducational. The school was closed in 1983, since most of its students came by that time from outside the parish.
The church was enhanced with a bell tower in 1871, and smaller twin towers were added in 1884. After the exterior of the church was refinished in 1916, other additions followed: a Pilcer pipe organ in 1924, air-conditioning in 1937, a marble shrine to Our Lady, Help of Christians, in 1945, and guards for stained-glass windows and a public address system in the 1950s. Five parishes were formed from Annunciation: St. Joseph (1879), St. Patrick (1880), St. Nicholas (1887), Sacred Heart (1897), and Blessed Sacrament (1910).
When the Galveston hurricane of 1900 destroyed St. Joseph's Church, among the ruins of the belfry was found the original bell of old St. Vincent's Church. This bell was transported to Annunciation and later burnished for the diamond jubilee of the parish; it was put on display in the vestibule of the church. In 1953 the church provided the setting for the induction ceremonies of thirty-seven lay men and women into the Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, with James Cardinal McIntyre of Los Angeles as celebrant. Blanche Foley, a major donor to the church, was one of those honored. Among the pastors who have served Annunciation parish were George T. Walsh, Houston's first monsignor, and Anton J. Frank, the first native Houstonian ordained for the Diocese of Galveston; Frank was ordained in Annunciation Church and served his entire priestly ministry there. A state historical marker was placed at Annunciation in 1969, the centennial year of the parish. Annunciation Church is listed in the National Register of Historic Places."