Our Parish History: Compiled and Written by Rev. Fr. Louis S. Sikorski, former Pastor of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church

It has always seemed providential to its parishioners that the site of St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church, Anderson, is built upon seven hills, the same number of hills upon which ancient Rome, the site of the Holy See, is built. The building of a Catholic community in Anderson began in 1866 when, according to the Polish Genealogical Society, the Catholics of the area where ministered to by Rev. Fr. John B. Ballaclas who rode mission to Anderson from Hidalgo Prairie in Washington County. Anderson Catholics were attended by two priests from 1866-1870. They were Rev. Fr. Louis Bussant and Rev. Fr. Francis Derue. The first Polish immigrants were very poor, but they were blessed with a strong and practical Catholic faith. As there was yet no Church in Anderson, Mass was celebrated in private homes. The home of Michael Laskowski was often the site of Masses celebrated by Rev. Fr. Felix Orzechowski, who rode mission to Anderson once a month from Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in New Waverly (located 30 miles to the east) from 1872-82.

In 1873 thirty families purchased a public school and three and a half acres of land just south of Anderson. They converted the school into Anderson’s first Catholic Church. Fr. Orzechowski’s name appears in the sacramental record book from 1876 to 1882. All but one of the first eighty-eight baptisms, however, took place in Plantersville, Texas, where Father Orzechowski also ministered. The first recorded baptism in Anderson took place in 1880. The parish’s death records indicate that Fr. Orzechowski also began the parish cemetery.

Having been reared in Poland’s relatively mild climate, Fr. Orzechowski eventually found Texas summers too oppressive. In 1882 he returned to his beloved Warsaw. At that time Poland was not an independent country. For nearly a hundred years the Polish lands had been divided among the German, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian Empires. Warsaw was part of the Russian Empire. During his time in Texas, Fr. Orzechowski had been inculcated with the American principles of freedom of thought and speech and religious tolerance, and he spoke out in favor of these ideals in his native land. As a result, the Russian authorities adjudged him a dangerous radical and exiled him to Siberia. Fr. Orzechowski died there shortly after he had been exiled.

The history of the parish cannot be traced from 1883 to 1888. Rev. Fr. Adam Laski became the first resident priest in 1888 and ministered to the Catholics of Anderson for two years. From 1890 through 1895 Rev. Fr. J. Chalcarz and Rev. Fr. A. Sulek, both of whom came from Poland, served as resident priests at St. Stanislaus. From 1895 through 1897 there was no resident priest, but Rev. Fr. J. Klein of St. Mary’s Church, Plantersville offered Mass at St. Stanislaus. In 1897, Rev. Fr. F.X. Pruss became pastor of St. Stanislaus. In his energetic zeal, Fr. Pruss built a 40-by-60 foot church and converted an old public school into a parochial school, which was discontinued when his pastorate ended in 1903.

In 1904 Rev. Fr. Peter Litwora became pastor. His eight year pastorate was a productive one, but it came to an untimely end. Anderson experienced several dry summers, and water became scarce. After several unsuccessful attempts, parishioners were able to dig a well, but it was located near the parish cemetery. After drinking water from this well, Fr. Litwora became seriously ill and was hospitalized in St. Joseph’s Hospital in Houston. Rev. Fr. C. H. Weiznerowski ministered to the parish for two months until its new pastor, Rev. Fr. Marcus Dombrowski, was appointed in 1912. Upon hearing that Fr. Litwora’s illness was caused by contaminated well water, Fr. Dombrowski had a deep well dug and struck some of the best water in Grimes County. He also made attempts to remodel the old frame church.

In 1916, Fr. Dombrowski was succeeded by Rev. Fr. Nikodem Tomasz Domanski. Bishop Nicholas A. Gallagher of Galveston insisted that Fr. Domanski immediately build a parochial school, but too many obstacles prevented him from doing so. The old frame church became too small to accommodate the growing number of parishioners; therefore, Fr. Domanski proposed that a new church (the current parish church) be built. Grimes County Judge Thomas Buffington, whose father had brought the first Polish family to Grimes County, donated 120 loads of crushed rocks for its foundation. The church’s architecture is Romanesque, and its original wood carved altars remain to this day. Its beautifully crafted stained glass windows were valued in 1983 at $206,720. The church was completed in 1917 at a cost of $40,000.00 (all of which had been raised before the church was completed), and it was the first brick Catholic edifice in Grimes County.

The new St. Stanislaus parish church was dedicated by Reverend Monsignor James Kirwin, Vicar General and Administrator of the Diocese of Galveston on Tuesday, August 6, 1918, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord with over 1500 people in attendance. The dedicatory sermon was given by Rev. Fr. J. G. Zymonski. Although Fr. Zymonski spoke in Polish, the Navasota Examiner-Review of Wednesday, August 7, 1918, reported that “[w]hile we could not understand this splendid address, the delivery was so forceful and eloquent that we enjoyed the address almost as much as though we had been able to follow it verbatim.” Monsignor Kirwin gave an address in English after the dedication in which he took as his text a line from the feast day’s Gospel reading (Mt. 17:1-9) - “Let us build here three tabernacles.” In his address, Monsignor Kirwin praised Fr. Domanski and the Catholics of Anderson for building such a beautiful tabernacle for the Lord upon a lovely hill so that it could be seen from all directions. The Monsignor, however, also reminded all present that the most important tabernacle for the Lord is the one built inside the human heart. Monsignor Kerwin also spoke in thanksgiving for America’s tradition of welcoming and assimilating people from all lands. Finally, he predicted that “[w]hen this awful struggle is over, Poland, which has always stood for liberty and freedom, will come into its own among the family of nations . . . .” The awful struggle of World War I ended three months later, and, as Monsignor Kerwin had predicted, after the war, Poland once again became an independent nation.

During his 39 year pastorate, Fr. Domanski enlarged the rectory (1924) and built a Parish Hall (1939). In 1951, Rev. Fr. T.W. Kappe was assigned as assistant pastor to Fr. Domanski. Fr. Domanski died in 1955 and was buried in the parish cemetery. Upon Fr. Domanski’s death, Fr. Kappe, a most zealous and dynamic priest, was appointed pastor. He organized the local Knights of Columbus Council, named in honor of Fr. Domanski. He also began the first annual Homecoming and Bazaar and the first C.Y.O. in the parish. Fr. Kappe invited seminarians from St. Mary’s Seminary to come to the parish in the summer to teach religious education and to help with the maintenance and repairs at St. Stanislaus and St. Joseph, the mission church in Stoneham. All these seminarians were later ordained to the priesthood. Rev. Msgr. Joe Culver presently serves in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Rev. Frs. Richard DeStefano and Don Golasinski presently serve the Diocese of Beaumont, and Rev. Fr. Elmer Holtman presently serves in the Diocese of Austin. The late Rev. Fr. Cliff Natho served for many years in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

Fr. Kappe was truly loved by all who knew him. Under Fr. Kappe’s direction, the present church underwent major renovations, including a massive reconstruction of the foundation and steeple. Fr. Kappe served two separate terms as St. Stanislaus pastor, the first 1955-1960 and the second 1964-1966. Fr. Kappe died in 1976 and was buried in St. Joseph Mission cemetery in Stoneham where he had also served. The archdiocesan youth camp, Camp Kappe, located near Plantersville is named in his memory, as is the Knights of Columbus Council in Navasota.

Between Fr. Kappe’s first and second terms as Pastor, St. Stanislaus was served by three priests — Rev. Fr. Francis J. Klass (1960), Rev. Fr. William Kennelly (1961), and Rev. Fr. Robert Gradel (1962-1964). After Fr. Kappe’s second term, Rev. Fr. Bernard J. O’Neill was assigned as pastor in 1966 and remained until his death in 1979. He was an unpretentious and dedicated priest and had a great love for the poor and needy. Fr. O’Neill purchased ten acres of land adjacent to the old cemetery, foreseeing the need for more cemetery space in the future. He dismantled the old wooden rectory and built a beautiful well planned new brick rectory. He also organized the parish Holy Name Society. Fr. O’Neill was buried in the parish cemetery, his gravestone donated by his former parishioners. During his final illness, Fr. O’Neill was assisted in the parish by Rev. Fr. Charles Burns and Rev. Fr. Roderick Hemond.

Rev. Fr. Louis S. Sikorski was assigned to St. Stanislaus in July, 1979. That summer, with the help of parishioners, the old rectory portion of the hall building was renovated and converted to classrooms so that the C.C.E. classes could be moved from the local public school back to the parish. When Fr. Sikorski arrived there was only a small amount of money in the parish account because of the cost of the new rectory. He decided that, in order to pay off the remaining debt on the new rectory, to meet the financial needs of the parish, and to make necessary repairs and improvements, the annual Homecoming and Bazaar and its facilities had to be expanded. At this time, there was only one bazaar building and a Bar-B-Que pit building. Buying materials on credit, he had a second permanent bazaar building constructed. The old Bar-B-Que building down the hill on the west side of the church was dismantled and reconstructed, becoming the bazaar auction building. Beginning in October, 1979, the Homecoming and Bazaar became financially successful. In the following years, a kitchen, restrooms and a new auction building were added to the bazaar facilities. The attractions of this annual parish event continued to expand, and the bazaar presently draws one of the largest crowds of any event in Grimes County.

Because of the financial success of the annual bazaars, the remaining debt of $32,000.00 on the new rectory was paid off in 1981. From 1981 to 1992 over $120,000.00 in parish improvements were made, including two concrete parking lots, a drainage system in front of church, outdoor lighting, a much needed storage building, repairs to the stained glass windows in church and a new church sound system. In 1986, under the sponsorship of the Holy Name Society, Fr. Sikorski began an annual Spring Festival and Easter Egg Hunt which occurs every year on Passion/Palm Sunday. In 1993, at a cost of $81,000.00, the interior of the church was renovated, including the painting of the interior, repairing and refinishing the pews and wood floor and the installation of new carpet. In 1995, the local Knights of Columbus Council, No. 4054, sponsored, funded, and installed a beautiful memorial monument by the parish church sign near SH 90 to commemorate all unborn children killed by abortion.

In 1984, Fr. Sikorski took a leave of absence for one year due to illness. In his absence, Rev. Fr. John Prill, originally from Poland, was appointed administrator. Before Fr. Sikorski left, he had drawn up plans and budgeted money for the new concrete parking lot. With the input of parishioners, this project was completed in 1984 during the administration of Fr. Prill. Fr. Sikorski was re-appointed pastor in October, 1985 and served until illness forced him to retire in October, 2007. Fr. Sikorski passed away May 12, 2022 and is buried here at St. Stanislaus cemetery. Rev. Fr. Raul A. Marterior, who was serving as pastor of Christ Our Light Catholic Church in Navasota, was appointed as pastor of St. Stanislaus as well.

The parish’s Holy Name and Altar Societies have been active, wonderful examples of faith, and of great assistance to the pastor and parish, the former funding the maintenance of the church grounds and cemetery, the latter funding the weekly cleaning of the church. The C.C.E. Program, Pre-K through 12th Grade, has grown and is staffed by very dedicated parishioners. The C.Y.O. has distinguished itself by their participation in parish functions and by winning a number of first place awards in athletic competition. The parish has also been blessed with excellent and dependable Altar Servers. Mrs. Maxine Kimich Lee served, without pay, as parish secretary for 30 years, until serious illness forced her to retire in November, 2007.

Presently (May 2023), there are 362 families in the parish. They, reside in the towns of Anderson, Bedias, Carlos, College Station, Iola, Navasota, Richards, Roans Prairie and Shiro. A new parish hall was constructed in 2010 and a new section of the parish cemetery was opened, and the entire cemetery has been fenced.

The history of St. Stanislaus has been shaped both by the faith and personalities of the priests who have served the parish and by those whom they have served. Perhaps this can be best exemplified by the fact that two men from the parish have been ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston - Rev. Msgr. Adam McClosky and Rev. Fr. Joseph Szymczak. Fr. Szymczak died in 1985 and is buried in the parish Cemetery. Rev. Msgr. Chester Borski, also of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, was born in Anderson and baptized at St. Stanislaus.

The faith of the people of St. Stanislaus Kostka has brought them through difficult times in their past, most especially those times when they were without a resident priest. As the parish must now share its pastor with a neighboring parish, the same faith must sustain them in the present and into the foreseeable future.