First MassOctober 1868
| Location | New Waverly |
|---|---|
| State/Territory | Texas |
| County | Walker |
| Modern Diocese | Galveston-Houston |
| Historical Diocese | Galveston |
| Date | October 1868 |
| Priest | Fr. Felix Orzechowski |
| Religious Order | Diocesan / Secular clergy |
| Rite | Roman (Latin) Rite |
| Confidence | confirmed |
| Submitted by | @ecofire2 |
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Documentation
Notes
First recorded Mass in Walker County. Following the Civil War, New Waverly in Walker County became the first major Polish settlement in East Texas. Father Orzechowski arrived to minister to these newly arrived immigrants scattered across regional farms. Long before the community bought land from the Texas Land Company to lay down a physical parish footprint, these primitive outdoor/home Masses served as the emotional and spiritual anchor for Polish settlers in the region.
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