About Nativity of Mary, Blessed Virgin Catholic Church - High Hill · Schulenburg, Texas
Nativity of Mary, Blessed Virgin Catholic Church (commonly known as St. Mary's of High Hill) is a small historic parish tucked into the rural German-Czech community of High Hill, just north of Schulenburg, Texas, in Fayette County. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Victoria and is locally celebrated as the "Queen of the Painted Churches" on the well-known Painted Churches of Texas tour, drawing hundreds of visitors every year for its ornate interior paintings, stained glass, and historic 1908 pipe organ. The parish gathers for Sunday Mass at 10:15 a.m. and Wednesday Mass at 5:30 p.m., maintains long-standing lay societies (St. Anne's and St. Joseph's), and hosts the region's beloved Labor Day weekend picnic featuring a Polka Mass and fireworks.
- Established
- 1869 (first church built); 1861 (first Mass celebrated)
- Patron
- Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Very Reverend Jasper J. Liggio, VG (Pastor of St. Rose of Lima / Vicar General of the Diocese of Victoria)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Victoria in Texas
Why belong here
St. Mary's of High Hill is one of the most beloved small Catholic parishes in Texas — a living piece of the German-Czech Catholic heritage of the Fayette County prairie, lovingly maintained by generations of the same families who built it. Worshippers join a tight-knit rural community that gathers around Sunday and Wednesday Mass, the Rosary before Mass, two long-standing lay societies (St. Anne's Society and St. Joseph's Society), a historic 1908 pipe organ still in regular use, and the parish's signature Labor Day picnic with its famous Polka Mass and fireworks. Visitors also come for the church itself — the "Queen of the Painted Churches" — recently conserved and on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mass times at Nativity of Mary, Blessed Virgin Catholic Church - High Hill
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish History
The parish traces its roots to 1861, when Father Gury celebrated the first Mass in the High Hill area in the home of Andreas Billimek, and to 1869, when Father Friedochowsky built the first frame church for the area's 36 Catholic families. The original building was blessed on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8, 1870); it was replaced in 1875 by a second, larger church and then converted into the parish's first Catholic school (taught from 1880 by Sisters of Divine Providence). The present brick church was designed by Leo M.J. Dielmann in 1906, painted in 1912 by Stockert and Kern, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Bishop David Fellhauer marked the parish's 150th anniversary with a special Mass on January 9, 2011.
- First Mass: 1861 in the Andreas Billimek home
- First church: built 1869, blessed September 8, 1870
- Second church: 1875 (original became school)
- Current brick church: 1906
- Interior painted: 1912 by Ferdinand Stockert and Hermann Kern
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places: 1983
- 150th anniversary Mass: January 9, 2011, with Bishop David Fellhauer
Queen of the Painted Churches & 2011 Conservation
The 2011 conservation and restoration project, completed with art conservator Robert Marshall of R. Alden Marshall & Associates LLC (La Grange), preserved the church's most fragile treasures. Work included conservation of the painted ceiling (oil on canvas mounted on wood) and murals on plaster, restoration of faux painting and stenciling on walls and on the wood altars and shrines, and stabilization of the plaster walls themselves. The effort also documented the historic decorative wall art for the parish's records.
- Conservation of ceiling artwork (oil on canvas on wood) and plaster murals
- Restoration of faux painting and stenciling on walls, altars, and shrines
- Restoration of all interior gilding and wood sculptures
- Stabilization of plaster walls and documentation of historic decorative wall art
- Lead conservator: Robert Marshall, R. Alden Marshall & Associates LLC, La Grange
Architecture
Architect Leo M.J. Dielmann designed the red-brick church in the Gothic Revival style; it was constructed by Frank Bohlmann in 1906. The interior is decorated with freehand designs drawn on canvas and mounted to the walls, including angels, crosses with crowns, Stars of David, and bunches of grapes.
- Architect: Leo M.J. Dielmann
- Builder: Frank Bohlmann
- Style: Gothic Revival
- Year completed: 1906
The 1908 Pipe Organ
The choir loft is graced by a historic pipe organ built by the Brown Organ Company of Wilmington, Delaware in 1908 and significantly restored by Russell Franklin in 1986. The High Hill instrument contains over 400 individual pipes and operates on pressurized air rather than speakers or amplifiers; electricity powers only the bellows and organist lights. Keys and stops are mechanically operated by a system of wooden components connected by leather straps and metal pins — when a key is pressed, air flows into the selected pipe valve to produce a sound unique to that stop. The organ remains in regular use today.
- Built 1908 by the Brown Organ Company, Wilmington, Delaware
- Contains over 400 individual pipes; no speakers or amplifiers
- Restored in 1986 by Russell Franklin
- Still in regular use
Mass & Worship Schedule
St. Mary's of High Hill keeps a deliberately simple weekly rhythm centered on Sunday Mass and a mid-week Mass, with the Rosary prayed in the church before Sunday Mass. The parish's most colorful liturgical day is the annual Polka Mass on Labor Day weekend, which kicks off the parish picnic.
- Sunday Mass: 10:15 a.m.
- Wednesday Mass: 5:30 p.m.
- Rosary: Sundays at 9:50 a.m.
- Annual Polka Mass: Labor Day Sunday (parish picnic day)
St. Anne's Society
St. Anne's Society is one of the parish's long-standing women's lay societies, continuing the tradition of fellowship, service, and fund-raising that has supported St. Mary's of High Hill for generations.
St. Joseph's Society
Founded in 1879, St. Joseph's Society is the parish's men's society and is now well into its second century of service. In 1900 the society promoted the founding of the Catholic State League — another milestone in the German-Catholic heritage of the High Hill community.
- Founded 1879
- Parish men's society
- Promoted the founding of the Catholic State League in 1900
Music Ministry
Music at St. Mary's centers on the parish choir and the historic 1908 pipe organ. Both the choir coordinator and the organist are listed as parish contacts and serve the regular Sunday and Wednesday Mass schedule.
- Choir Coordinator: Denise Trojacek — (979) 561-6155
- Organist: David Hollas — (832) 517-1583
Annual Labor Day Parish Picnic
Every year on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, St. Mary's hosts one of the larger parish picnics in the region. The day begins with a Polka Mass and continues with a home-cooked German-style meal, music from area German and Czech bands, a live auction, a country store, a souvenir booth, bingo, games for the kids, and an evening fireworks spectacular. The picnic draws hundreds of parishioners and guests each year.
- Polka Mass to open the day
- German-style home-cooked meal
- Live auction, country store, souvenir booth
- Bingo and children's games
- Evening fireworks spectacular
Clergy & Staff
St. Mary's is part of a parish cluster with neighboring St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Schulenburg and shares its pastoral team. The pastor also serves as the Vicar General of the Diocese of Victoria.
- Pastor: Very Rev. Jasper J. Liggio, VG (also Vicar General, Diocese of Victoria)
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Luke Prihoda (frluke@strosecatholic.org)
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Augustine Owusu-Peprah (fraugustine@strosecatholic.org)
- Deacon: Deacon Jay Vocelka, ObISB
Visit & Facilities
St. Mary's is on the Painted Churches of Texas tour and welcomes hundreds of visitors each year to view the church's painted interior, stained-glass windows, and historic organ. The parish hall / pavilion is available for rental for community events.
- Hall / Pavilion rental: Leo "Buddy" Dittrich, Jr. — (979) 561-8403
- Address: 2833 FM 2672, Schulenburg, TX 78956
- Phone: 979-743-3117
- Located ~3 miles north of I-10 in the High Hill community north of Schulenburg
Heritage of the High Hill Community
The High Hill community itself was formed in 1858 by combining three earlier settlements — Blum Hill, Wursten, and Oldenburg — and was given its name by settlers who chose a "high hill" style name to remind them of the mountains they had left behind in Germany and Austria. The St. Mary parish played a significant role in the development of the German and Catholic heritage of Texas, and many of the church's clergy and lay leadership were raised in High Hill. Although industrialization once brought saw mills, blacksmith shops, and a post office to the area — with cotton farming as the economic backbone — the residents declined to allow a railroad through their community, and High Hill remains a small rural community to this day.
- Community formed in 1858 from three settlements: Blum Hill, Wursten, and Oldenburg
- Named "High Hill" in homage to the mountains of Germany and Austria
- Historically sustained by cotton farming; declined a railroad, preserving its rural character
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Gury (from Frelsburg)1861
Celebrated the first Mass in High Hill in the Andreas Billimek home.
- Father Friedochowsky1870
Built the first small frame church for the 36 Catholic families; it was blessed on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8, 1870).
- Father Pfefferkorn1875
Built a small frame rectory and a second, larger church; the original church was then used as the parish school.