About St. Martin of Tours · West, Texas
St. Martin of Tours is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Austin that worships in the small farming community of Tours, northeast of West in McLennan County, Texas. Settled on November 11, 1873, by German, Irish and other European Catholic families who arrived by wagon train from Teutopolis, Illinois, the community took its name from the saint whose feast day fell on their arrival date. The current church, built in 1912, sits on a historical campus that includes a parish cemetery dating to 1874, a Shrine to Our Lady of Fatima (1948), a parish hall (1957) and a community hall (1966). Five men from this small community have been ordained priests, and the parish has nurtured 21 religious sisters. Today it is served by Rev. Walter Dhanwar, IMS.
- Established
- 1873
- Patron
- St. Martin of Tours
- Rector
- Rev. Walter Dhanwar, IMS
- Diocese
- Diocese of Austin
Why belong here
St. Martin of Tours offers a deeply rooted rural Catholic community where the descendants of the original 1873 wagon-train settlers still form the heart of the parish, providing an unusually tangible continuity of faith across generations. It is a small, historic campus — with a 1912 church, an 1874 cemetery, the 1948 Shrine to Our Lady of Fatima, and parish and community halls — supported by an active CCE program (K–12), OCIA, a youth group, a Traveling Vocation Crucifix and Chalice program, altar servers, lay-led rosary and homebound/sick ministry, and an annual picnic that doubles as a family reunion. For a Catholic seeking a tight-knit worshiping community with deep pioneer roots in McLennan County, it is a rare and rewarding find.
Mass times at St. Martin of Tours
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:45–5:15 p.m. (and by appointment)
Adoration times
- Saturday 9:00 a.m. (Liturgical Morning Prayer / Holy Hour — see bulletin)
History of St. Martin of Tours
Founded in 1873 by a wagon train of Teutopolis, Illinois Catholics, St. Martin of Tours has been a continuous presence in northeastern McLennan County for more than 150 years. Settled on November 11 — the saint's feast day — the community was first called Martinsville and later Tours (1891), and the parish worship site evolved from a settler's-home chapel (c. 1873) to an 1888 chapel by Father Carl Preis to today's 1912 church built by Father Christopher Precker. Five local men have been ordained priests, and 21 religious sisters have come from this small community.
- 1873 — Wagon train from Teutopolis, IL arrives November 11
- 1874 — First church completed; land for cemetery donated by the Deiterman family
- 1888 — Father Carl Preis completes a new chapel
- 1890 — Father J. B. Gleisner opens a parochial school staffed by Sisters of Divine Providence, San Antonio
- 1891 — Community renamed 'Tours' to avoid confusion with East Texas St. Martinville
- 1912 — Current church built under Father Christopher Precker (pastor 1897–1935)
- 1937 — Father George J. Duda renovates the church
- 1940 — School transferred to local district; sisters remain as teachers
- 1948 — Shrine to Our Lady of Fatima dedicated under Father John Gleisner, Nov. 11
- 1957 — Parish hall constructed
- 1960 — School becomes public; classroom building re-purposed as day-care center
- 1966 — Community hall built adjacent to parish hall
- 1977 — Students bused to West ISD
- 2013 — Damage from the West, TX fertilizer plant explosion
- 2023 — 150th anniversary Mass celebrated by Bishop Joe Vásquez
Parish Staff
St. Martin of Tours is led by a small staff headed by pastor Rev. Walter Dhanwar, IMS (Institute of Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales), with an office secretary, bookkeeper, and director of religious education.
- Rev. Walter Dhanwar, IMS — Pastor (254-822-1145)
- Cathy Groppe — Secretary (254-822-1145)
- Kathy McAdams — Bookkeeper (254-822-1145)
- Kayla Sinkule — Director of Religious Education (254-749-4605)
Faith Formation & Religious Education (CCE)
The parish's Catholic Christian Education (CCE) program serves students from kindergarten through twelfth grade on Wednesday evenings, under the direction of Kayla Sinkule. The program prepares young parishioners for the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation, supported by an active youth group and a guild of altar servers (grades 3+ with First Communion).
- CCE Grades K–12 — Wednesdays 6:30–7:45 p.m.
- Confirmation — Mary Beth Dulock (254-722-2671), Ricky Powell (254-722-9733)
- First Holy Communion — preparation through CCE
- Youth Group — Laura Bettge (254-717-4778), Araceli Uptmor, Karla Farnsworth
- Altar Servers — 3rd grade+, must have received First Communion
- Annual events: Graduation Mass, Confirmation Mass with Bishop Vásquez, May Crowning Mass, Christmas Program
Adult Faith Formation & OCIA
Adults can continue growing in the Catholic faith through periodic faith-formation series (such as Symbolon: Living the Faith) and through OCIA — the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults — for those interested in joining the Church, completing their sacraments, or simply learning more about Catholic teaching.
- Symbolon: Living the Faith — Tuesdays 6:30 p.m. at St. Martin's CCE Center
- Contact: Laura Bettge — (254) 717-4778 — [email protected]
- OCIA inquiries: Fr. Walter Dhanwar (254-822-1145) or Chris Slovak (254-424-6372)
Vocations, Homebound & Pastoral Care
St. Martin nurtures vocations to the priesthood and religious life through a Traveling Vocation Crucifix program and a related Traveling Chalice program, both of which circulate to different households and classrooms weekly. The parish also maintains outreach to the homebound and sick through visitation and the sacraments, all within the framework of the Diocese of Austin's Ethics & Integrity in Ministry (EIM) policies.
- Traveling Vocation Crucifix — moves weekly to a parish household
- Traveling Chalice — moves weekly to a different classroom
- Ministry to the Homebound / Sick — contact the parish office (254-822-1145)
- Ethics & Integrity in Ministry (EIM) — promotes safe-environment and ethical ministry
Shrine to Our Lady of Fatima & Historic Campus
In addition to the 1912 church and the 1874 cemetery, the parish campus is anchored by a Shrine to Our Lady of Fatima behind the church. The shrine was dedicated on November 11, 1948, an initiative of local veterans of both World Wars who had returned to the Tours community to renew and live their Catholic faith. The campus also includes the 1957 parish hall, a 1966 community hall (which sustained window damage in the 2013 West, Texas, fertilizer plant explosion and was subsequently restored under Fr. Dhanwar's tenure), and the historic St. Martin of Tours Cemetery on land donated by the John Deiterman family in 1874.
- St. Martin of Tours Cemetery (1874) — Deiterman-family-donated land
- Shrine to Our Lady of Fatima — dedicated November 11, 1948, Father John Gleisner
- Parish Hall — built 1957
- Community Hall — built 1966, restored after 2013 explosion damage
- 1912 church — repainted and tower/entrance/windows repaired under Fr. Dhanwar
Diocese & Catholic Identity
St. Martin of Tours is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin, under the pastoral care of the Institute of Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales (IMS). The parish participates fully in diocesan life, including the annual Confirmation Mass celebrated by the bishop and the diocese's Ethics & Integrity in Ministry (EIM) safe-environment program.
- Diocese — Diocese of Austin
- Rite — Roman-Latin (Austin Diocese)
- Pastorate — Institute of Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales (Salesian)
- Diocesan ministries — EIM compliance, Bishop's Confirmation visits, vocations promotion
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father J. L. Bussantc. 1873–c. 1876
Pastor of Assumption Church (later St. Mary Parish), Waco; first priest to serve St. Martin, celebrated Mass for first three years and was instrumental in building the first church.
- Father Edward Feuryc. 1876–c. 1884
Missionary circuit-riding priest who tended St. Martin for eight years, visiting twice monthly.
- Father Carl Preis1888 era
Completed a new chapel in 1888.
- Father J. B. Gleisner1890
Established the parochial school in 1890.
- Father Christopher Preckerc. 1897–1935
Built the current church in 1912; served 38 years as pastor until his death in 1935.
- Father George J. Duda1937
Renovated the church in 1937, two years after Father Precker's death.
- Father John Gleisner1948
Guided the dedication of the Shrine to Our Lady of Fatima on November 11, 1948.
- Rev. Walter Dhanwar, IMSc. 2017–present
Current pastor (appointed ~2017 per 2023 Spiritus article 'six years ago'); Institute of Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales; led post-2013 explosion repairs and spiritual renewal.