Lavaca Co., TX - Church of the Ascension Moravia, TX
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Don R. Brownlee <dbrownlee@csun.edu>

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History of the Church of the Ascension, Moravia, Texas

This small rural parish, mostly of Czech descent, is situated ten miles
southwest of Schulenburg and twelve miles north of Hallettsville. The
first settlers came to this area in the year 1872. They attended church at
Praha, 12 miles away.

In 1881 James Holub and Ignac Jalufka built a store at the junction of three
roads and called it Moravia in memory of their native country. Four of the
families of these early settlers had in all a total of fifty-four children. In
later years the Rev. Fred Neubert, pastor of St. John, under whose care this
community was placed, visited the public school and taught catechism.

In 1911 Rev. Emil Schindler became pastor of St. John and its mission
Moravia. By his encouragement and guidance a church was built in 1912-13
on land donated by Ignac Julufka. On the 4th of February 1913 the church
was blessed privately by Fr. Schindler and dedicated to the Ascension of
Our Lord. Mass was offered on the second and fourth Sunday and the second
Friday of each month. From April 19th to 26th of that year a mission was given
by Rev. F. X. Lepsa, C.Ss.R., and was well attended. The bells were blessed
by Fr. Schindler on June 8, 1913 and dedicated to St. Joseph and St. Ignatius.

Rev. Alfons Raska became pastor of St. John and Moravia in August 1913. On
the 25th of September of that year, the Most Rev. John William Shaw, D.D.,
bishop of San Antonio, blessed the church and administered the sacrament of
confirmation.

On the 29th of June 1916, Rev. F. J. Pokluda, (now Monsignor and Vicar
General of the diocese of Amarillo) celebrated his first Solemn Mass at
Moravia.

Since that time the Mission Church at Moravia has been regularly attended from
the parish church at St. John with the same priests in charge whose names it
is
not necessary to repeat.

The Moravia parish hall was built during the pastorate of Fr. Hildebrand.

[from Robert E. Lucey, Archdiocese of San Antonio 1874-1949, published
1949, page 170]
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