St. Mary's Catholic Church - Clarendon, TX
N 34° 55.899 W 100° 53.199
14S E 327686 N 3867088
Built in 1892, St. Mary's Catholic Church is at 815 S McClelland St, Clarendon, TX. Sunday mass is at 11 AM. This is the oldest Catholic church in the Texas Panhandle and the "Shrine of Our Lady of the Panhandle."
Waymark Code: WM113AE
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/08/2019
Views: 7
The church's website notes that they currently meet in the parish hall, just across the parking lot, as the 1892 sanctuary has sustained damage, probably from storms. Photos in the gallery show boarded-up windows, but there is no suggestion that the old building has been permanently retired. A 1996 Texas Historical Marker in front of the sanctuary provides some history:
The community of Clarendon was established in 1878 as a Protestant community by Methodist minister Lewis Henry Carhart. The construction of the Fort Worth-Denver Railway in the Panhandle in 1887, and the selection of Clarendon as a division point on the rail line to Denver, brought an increase in population to the area. The newcomers included Irish and German immigrants, many of whom were Catholic.
Priests periodically conducted Catholic worship services in public buildings or homes, traveling great distances around the Panhandle. In March 1892 a church site was purchased by Bishop Thomas Francis Brennan in Clarendon from R.E. Montgomery. The one-story wooden frame church building, completed in July 1892 and named St. Mary's Catholic Church, served a wide area.
St. Mary's Academy, a two-story Catholic school was constructed here in 1898. Day and boarding students attended the school until its closure in 1911. St. Mary's Church sanctuary fell into disrepair as membership declined in the 1930s and 1940s due to depressed economic conditions. Catholics of this region restored the building. The first Catholic church in the Panhandle, the church was designated in 1951 as the Shrine of Our Lady of the Panhandle.
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The St. Mary's Academy was just across the street to the west, and those with a good eye will catch a glimpse of a sign there that simply mentions the academy and features an old photo.
Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 07/01/1892
Age of Church building determined by?: Cornerstone or plaque
If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Catholic
If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday
Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 11:00 AM
Street address of Church:
815 S McClelland St
Clarendon, TX USA
79226
Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link]
If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed
Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: Not listed
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