About Our Parish

In early 1973, a 400 year old stained glass window depicting the "Presentation of Jesus in the Temple" was found in Spain and bought and donated to the church by Mr. & Mrs. Minor Culli. Father Charles Doherty was remembered as saying, "Now all we need is a church to go with the window."

History of the Mission Church in Ingleside

In the summer of 1951, Father Poralis, a missionary priest from Mexico, visited the Ingleside area and found that most of the Catholic residents were either traveling to Aransas Pass or Gregory to attend mass. Those that did not have vehicles did not have an opportunity to attend church. It was decided that there were enough people to form a congregation. The parishioners decided to collect twenty-five cents per week per family to go towards a building that they could use for their own church. With family donations, fundraisers and a donation from Bob Welder of Sinton, enough money was raised to purchase land between Ave. F and G for a future mission church. In 1952 many of Reynolds Metal Company's temporary buildings were being sold to be moved. The church members voted to purchase one of the small wooden frame buildings for their new mission chapel. Again with the help of Mr. Welder and additional donations, the money was raised. Acquiring the new building was just the beginning. Now came the remodeling. Many hours of donated time from the parishioners was needed to build an altar, put up partitions, communion rails, refinish pews and paint the building inside and out. After the church was remodeled, a rectory was built. Later a hall was added in order to have bingo inside the building instead of outside. The many talents of the parishioners were utilized. Their long hours of working together toward their own church afforded them the opportunity to become a very close group of people. This newly formed congregation became the mission church to Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Aransas Pass, Texas. Father Damien Hayes was the first pastor and named the new mission church Our Lady of the Assumption.

The New Hall and Classrooms

In the gospels we read that the Eucharist was instituted at the Last Supper. This is the fulfillment of the covenants in the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Last Supper narratives, Jesus took, broke and gave bread and wine to his disciples. In the blessing of the cup of wine, Jesus calls it “the blood of the covenant” (Matthew and Mark) and the “new covenant in my blood” (Luke).

This reminds us of the blood ritual with which the covenant was ratified at Sinai (Ex 24) -- the sprinkled the blood of sacrificed animals united God and Israel in one relationship, so now the shed blood of Jesus on the cross is the bond of union between new covenant partners -- God the Father, Jesus and the Christian Church. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, all the baptized are in relationship with God.

The Catechism teaches that all Catholics who have received their First Holy Communion are welcome to receive Eucharist at Mass unless sin a state of mortal sin.

The Construction

Pat King and Father Doherty staked the location of the new church at the corner of 8th Street and Hwy 1069. John Kaler, Sr., an architectural designer from Corpus Christi, Texas, was called upon to design the church around the pews. Mr. Kaler had the plans drawn up in twenty minutes and in the mail to Father Doherty the same day. After the forms for the walls were built, the re-bar set into place and before the concrete was poured, large rocks were placed in the forms first, a heavy plastic was placed on the larger rocks to get a bubble effect. By the end of January, 1974, Father Doherty had gotten bids from several contractors to put up the walls. Most of the contractors did not want to take the job; they said it could not be done. So Father hired a 60 ton crane from TM Gunn Construction in Aransas Pass. The church walls went up in six days. The boards that hide the joints of the walls are finished with Johnson Wax and dry concrete powder. The mixture was rubbed onto the surface of the wood for preservation and shine. The dimensions of the church are 104 feet by 60 feet with 68 pews with a capacity to seat 640 people. The large cross outside the church facing Hwy 1069 (Main Street) was located with the help of Father Doherty's sister. Father prayed to his deceased sister to assist him in finding a cross for the outside of the church and she did. The cross was struck by lightening in the 80's and had to be taken down. Thanks to Adan and Jesse Adame and others, a second cross was constructed by Perry Construction. The light fixtures were designed by Dick and Jo Ann Ehmann. Sal Hahn and Alvin Untermeyer built the Altar. The pedestal of the Altar was created by Gladys Noll and her friend. The rocks surrounding the cross came from Jerusalem. Frank Sbrusch came to Father Doherty and said he would build the front entrance doors. The paneling and framing for the stained glass window behind the Altar was completed by Sal Hahn, Sharon and Leonard Unterm