About St. Anne · Eastgate, Texas
St. Anne Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church serving the rural farming community of Eastgate, in western Liberty County, Texas. It is a mission of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in nearby Dayton, sharing the same pastor, staff, and parish registration. Weekly Sunday Mass is celebrated at 8:00 AM in the historic brick church built in 1949, with confessions heard beforehand. The mission, organized in 1918 by Czech immigrant farm families, continues to reflect the deep faith of its founders more than a century later.
- Established
- 1918
- Patron
- St. Anne (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Peter Nguyen, SVD
- Diocese
- Diocese of Beaumont
Why belong here
St. Anne Mission is a small, historic Catholic community with deep roots in the Czech farming families who settled Eastgate more than a century ago. Members enjoy a quiet Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM, easy access to confession beforehand, and full sacramental and faith-formation support through the parent parish of St. Joseph the Worker in Dayton — including CCD grades 1–8, Confirmation prep, bilingual (English/Spanish) weekend Masses, and a parish registration process shared between the two churches. It is a place where longtime Eastgate families and newer arrivals worship together in a tight-knit rural mission.
Mass times at St. Anne
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30 AM (at St. Anne Mission)
- Or anytime by appointment
History of St. Anne Mission
St. Anne Mission traces its origins to the Czech farming families who settled Eastgate around 1900, and to the first Mass offered in the Janacek home on June 1, 1915. The mission was formally organized on October 20, 1918, and a modest wood-frame church was built on two acres donated by the widow Anna Janacek, with help from the Catholic Church Extension Society. The current brick church, completed in 1949 and dedicated by Bishop Christopher E. Byrne, replaced that original structure, which still stands as the parish hall. Since 1967 St. Anne has been served as a mission of St. Joseph the Worker in Dayton, and in 2020 the Liberty County Historical Commission recognized the site as a Liberty County Historic Landmark.
- Around 1900 — Czech families (Janacek, Vyoral, Kovalcik, Hajovsky, Buchta, Jarma, Kolarik, Fisher, Smykal, Beran, Krajca) settle Eastgate
- 1915 — First Mass offered at the Janacek home on June 1
- 1917 — Father Isidor Tresch leads the effort to build a church
- 1918 — St. Anne's is organized on October 20
- 1919 — Anna Janacek donates two acres for the church site (January 13)
- 1917–1918 — Joe Krajca and parishioners build the 58 × 28 ft. church ($1,665)
- 1948 — Parishioners decide to build a larger church; M. F. & Vlasta Janacek donate 2¼ acres
- 1949 — New 300-seat brick church completed ($20,000)
- October 16, 1949 — Bishop Christopher E. Byrne dedicates the new church
- 1967 — St. Anne becomes a mission of St. Joseph the Worker, Dayton
- 2020 — Liberty County Historical Commission dedicates a historical marker
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith formation (CCE/CCD) for St. Anne Mission children and youth is organized through the parent parish, St. Joseph the Worker, and is held in Dayton. Registration forms, parent training, and Confirmation preparation are all coordinated through the parish office. Classes meet on weekday evenings during the school year.
- Grades 1–5 — Tuesday 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
- Grades 6–8 — Wednesday 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
- Confirmation — Wednesday 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
- Online parent training available via the parish website
- Registration forms downloadable from stjosephdaytontx.com
Becoming a Parishioner
Because St. Anne Mission is served together with St. Joseph the Worker, prospective members register with both churches through a single Parish Registration Form. Completed forms can be emailed or dropped off at the parish office at 804 S. Cleveland Street, Dayton, during office hours (Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM).
- Parish Registration Form available in English and Spanish on stjosephdaytontx.com
- Submit by email or in person at the Dayton parish office
- Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–1:00 PM
Clergy and Staff
St. Anne Mission is pastored by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) priest assigned to St. Joseph the Worker, Dayton, and shares the parent parish's faith-formation director and office staff.
- Rev. Peter Nguyen, SVD — Pastor (St. Joseph the Worker, Dayton, and St. Anne Mission, Eastgate)
- Kerri Bartee — Director of Faith Formation
- Daisy Salinas Ruiz — Secretary
Diocese and Canonical Status
St. Anne Mission is a Catholic mission church in the Diocese of Beaumont, canonically dependent on its parent parish, St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, in Dayton, Texas. Both churches are listed in the official Diocese of Beaumont parish finder and in the GCatholic directory, which records the mission's founding in 1918.
- Diocese: Diocese of Beaumont
- Type: Mission Church
- Parent parish: St. Joseph the Worker, Dayton, TX
- Rite: Roman (Latin)
Visiting St. Anne Mission
The mission sits in the rural Eastgate community of western Liberty County, at the intersection of County Road 622 (Stoesser Road) and FM 686, with a Dayton mailing address (77535). The 2020 Liberty County Historic Landmark marker stands on the northwest corner of the front entrance to the church. Visitors and parishioners coming from Houston travel roughly 33 miles northeast on local farm-to-market roads.
- Address: CR 622 & FM 686, Eastgate, TX 77535
- Phone (parish office): (936) 258-5735
- Historic marker erected 2020 by the Liberty County Historical Commission
- Office located at parent parish: 804 S. Cleveland Street, Dayton, TX 77535
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Isidor Treschcirca 1917
Led the effort to build the first church at St. Anne's