First MassJanuary 1839
| Location | Houston |
|---|---|
| State/Territory | Texas |
| County | Harris |
| Modern Diocese | Galveston-Houston |
| Historical Diocese | Prefecture Apostolic of Texas |
| Date | January 1839 |
| Priest | John Timon, C.M. (Vincentian missionary priest and Prefect Apostolic of Texas) |
| Religious Order | Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) |
| Rite | Roman (Latin) Rite |
| Confidence | confirmed |
| Submitted by | @ecofire2 |
Documentation
Notes
Father John Timon arrived in the young, muddy capital city of Houston in December 1838 and celebrated the county's first formalized Masses in early 1839 inside a private residence. By 1842, the booming Catholic population constructed St. Vincent’s Church—a modest frame building on Franklin Avenue. Following the Civil War, the congregation grew so rapidly that they built a grander replacement structure nearby. To build this new sanctuary (the Church of the Annunciation), parishioners purchased and recycled the bricks from the old, dismantled Harris County Courthouse.
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