The Painted Churches of Texas

I started my 2025 Lenten Journey with a solo pilgrimage. My main reason for traveling to Texas was to attend the 90th birthday of my only living aunt (my dad's little sister), but due to some miscommunication, I didn't make it to the party. A frustrating end to the trip started with something amazing. 

My parents were from Texas, but I had never heard of the Painted Churches. Maybe they just thought it was normal to have churches this beautiful and this unique, since there is some family history (on my mother's side) associated with at least 2 of them. 

What is a Painted Church?

When the German and Czech immigrants arrived in the Texas Hill Country, they built churches which, I would assume, were similar to those churches they attended. Not the big, grand Cathedrals and Basilicas, but the "country" churches, made from wood and painted on the inside. I imagine they would have been similar to the wooden church I went to during the Krakow Extension of the Danube Pilgrimage: Unassuming on the outside, but gorgeous on the inside.

St. John the Baptist in Orawka, Poland

Beautiful paintings on the inside

The Pilgrimage Begins

On Fat Tuesday, I visited St. Paul in Gideon. This is actually a Lutheran Church and the only Painted Church that is not Catholic, but it was an excellent start to the pilgrimage. My initial reaction was "WOW". Before I went inside, I noticed a bell. This was the original bell that was brought to their new home from Germany and was used at the church from 1870 to 1904, when it cracked. 

St. Paul is a Lutheran Church founded by Wends. The Wends are Slavic, also known as Sorbians.

The bell tower was erected in 2024 after the bell was returned to the community after being loaned to Concordia College of Texas (Concordia University at Austin)

The first look at the interior

Close-up of the altar

The back of the church, including the organ

The sign over the door reads: "A mighty fortress is our God"

Close-up of the gold accents on the ceiling

View from the balcony. The women and children sat on the ground level, and the men sat in the balcony.

View of the pulpit from the balcony

View from next to the pulpit

**The following are churches I visited on Ash Wednesday, in the order I visited.**

The Grotto at Hostyn

On Ash Wednesday, I was in search of a Painted Church in Hostyn, which isn't an actual town, only a community. I was thoroughly confused at not being able to find a church on the property, but was delighted to see the Grotto.

The Grotto is based on the Grotto of Lourdes, France

The Grotto was built in 1924

Local children brought stones, marbles, and  shells to help 

The Grotto is reported to have been built after the priest tore down the stone wall because he didn't find it attractive.

View of the Stations of the Cross around the grounds

Close-up of a Station of the Cross

The St. Anthony Chapel is one of two small chapels erected by parishioners

St. Wenceslaus Chapel

View of the inside of the St. Wenceslaus Chapel

I saw pictures of the Grotto and the Way of the Cross and was surprised at how the grounds that I visited appeared to not have been taken care of. Then I found the explanation as to why I didn't find the church and why the grounds looked so primitive: There was a gas explosion in 2022 at the church. Fortunately, the parish had a groundbreaking in Oct. 2025 for a new church. It is expected to take a couple of years to complete the church. 

St. John the Baptist, Ammannsville

St. John the Baptist's nickname is "The Pink Church"

The altar

"My delights were to be with the children of men"

Beautiful stained glass windows

Stations of the Cross written in Czech

The back of the church

The confessional

Sts. Cyril and Methodius-Dubina

I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get into Sts. Cyril and Methodius...I read online that access was only on Sundays and with the Schulenburg Chamber of Commerce's tour. To my happy surprise, it was open! Perhaps it was because it was Ash Wednesday?

Dubina is the first Czech settlement in Texas

The first church was destroyed by a hurricane in 1909. This church has been standing since 1911.

Close up of ceiling

Entering the church

The back of the church

The High Altar

Ceiling details

The confessional

The Stations of the Cross with a picture of the Infant Jesus of Prague under it

The ceiling over the Altar

The Baptismal Font

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The present church was dedicated in 1895

There are 3 stone memorials on the grounds in memory of the "Nine Boys of Praha"

The community had the highest percentage of casualties during WWII than anywhere else in the USA

Close up of one of the memorials

Grotto to the Blessed Mother

Before you even step foot inside the church, these beautiful doors greet you.

Entering the church

Gottfried Flury, a Swiss-born Texan, painted the inside of the church using "secret recipes" and "unique techniques"

Stained glass beside 1 of the Stations of the Cross

Close up of a Station of the Cross

The baptismal font

The confessional

Fr. Netardus, who was a pastor of the church in the early 1900's, embellished the paintings on the church

The ambo

Close up of the painted ceiling of the altar

The back of the church, along with the organ

Side altar

The other side altar

A better close up of the altar ceiling

The doors from the inside of the church

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Mary's in High Hill is called "The Queen of the Painted Churches."

The current building was built in 1906 and painted in 1912

You experience the German influence as soon as you walk in the door

First look at the church

The Altar

Closeup of the ceiling

The Side Altar

The Ambo

1 thing I learned while visiting churches in Europe: take a look over the ambo

Stained glass over the door

The back of the church

The scene under the Altar is 3-D

The next 2 churches were literally down the road from each other:

Ascension of Our Lord

Moravia, TX

Although the doors were locked, I was able to peer through the windows of the door to see a little bit.

St. John the Baptist

The church was built in 1888

Unfortunately, the doors were locked, and I couldn't see through the windows. The pictures on their website are gorgeous; I wish I had been able to see it.

Ash Wednesday 

I was able to see all of the above Catholic churches on Ash Wednesday. I researched the Mass Times ahead of time, and had plans to attend Mass at one of them around Noon. When I arrived, there was no one there, which made me think I had the wrong church. I found out there was an evening Mass in High Hill, so that's where I went. It was even more special when I discovered that the High Hill Community is where my mother's maternal grandfather first lived after immigrating. He wouldn't have attended Mass in that building, but his brother and sister would have been parishioners. His sister also spent time in Dubina and would have attended Sts. Cyril and Methodius. My great-grandfather lived in High Hill for a couple of years; he met my great-grandmother, but then her family moved to the town where my mother is from. He ended up following the family to the town, married my great-grandmother, and the rest is history. God definitely gave me a "God-wink" that day. 

I visited 2 more painted churches before I went home:

Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Shiner

The present church was rebuilt after sustaining severe damage from a tornado in 1892.

First look at the interior

The Altar

Close up of the ceiling over the altar

The Altar

The back of the church

A side altar

The baptismal font

The stained glass is from Munich

Closer view of the ceiling over the altar

Side view of the church

The Confessional

Panna Maria

This was such a nice surprise. Panna Maria, TX, is the oldest permanent Polish community in the USA. Many of the community members continue to have Polish as their first language. The land is passed to family members with the understanding that it will remain in the family and not be sold to "outsiders". 

The Heritage Center provides much history on the area and community

Just another picture of JPII & me

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was rebuilt in 1877 following a lightning strike that destroyed the previous building

The Oak Tree, where the first Mass was celebrated on Christmas Eve, 1854

The painted ceiling was hidden until restoration in 2000

The stained glass windows were restored in 2013

The Altar as seen from the balcony

Closeup view of the ceiling

A Station of the Cross

Our Lady of Czestochowa

How was it a Pilgrimage?

Yes, I took a lot of pictures. No, I didn't stay very long in each church. So, how can I call it a "Pilgrimage"? I took time in each of the churches to pray, giving thanks for the opportunity to be in that beautiful church (because all of them were absolutely beautiful), giving thanks for my parents, and giving thanks for the people who built the church. Somewhere along the way, the thought to say a decade of the Rosary at each church popped into my head. Unfortunately, I didn't say all 5 decades since the last 2 on Ash Wednesday were closed. I felt a connection to the church in High Hill; after I learned of the family history, I understood why I felt that way. I definitely want to go back there and walk through the cemetery and see if I can find my great-uncle's grave. I didn't mind being by myself at all; in fact, it was nice to go at my own pace. 

The Schulenberg Chamber of Commerce offers a tour, with some of the proceeds going toward restoration/upkeep of the churches, but I liked the way I did it. All of the churches were very easy to find, and visiting them in one day was very doable. 

One Last Amazing Church

As I said at the beginning of the post, I was going to go to my aunt's birthday party, but due to a lack of communication, I ended up heading to College Station and spending the night with a cousin. Since it was Saturday, we went to Mass in the fairly new St. Mary's on the campus of Texas A&M. I followed the building of the church on Instagram and was very pleased to be in that beautiful church.

The Altar

The Holy Water Font

The Baptismal Font

Beautiful Skylight

The view when stepping into the church

My heart was completely full when I drove back to Tennessee. It had been an amazing week visiting churches, reconnecting with cousins and a friend, and learning more about family history. It was a fantastic pilgrimage.