HomeMy WebLinkAboutSan Salvador Church
SAN SALVADOR MISSION
During the early 1890's, a large nwnber of
Italian immigrants began moving into the
fertile Brazos "bottom lands" in Burleson
County. They were all devout Roman
Catholics, but because of the distance and
the wretched condition of the roads at that
time it was very difficult for them to attend
church, either in Bryan or Caldwell.
Because St. Anthony's was established as a .
National Church for the Italian speaking
people of the area, it was natural that the
Italians from Burleson County turned to St.
Anthony's for their spiritual guidance. Accordingly, when a priest was able to come from
Bryan, religious services were held in the homes of the local people.
On August 31, 1908, while Mass was being held on an open porch, the cross fell from the
table that was being used for an altar. The ominous sign so impressed Vita the young
daughter of Luca and Caloggia Scamardi that for three consecutive nights she dreamed,
not oilly of the need for a church, but also of the men who would collect the money to
build it. The' following day, when the members of the family were picking cotton, the
little girl had a vision of a lady in black appearing to her and asked her why they hadn't
built the church. Her father immediately stopped picking cotton and took his daughter
Vita to see Father Antonio De Simone, and other men in the parish.
As a result of the giI:l's vision, the men in the community began collecting money to build
a church. Toward the latter partof September, the farmers began erecting their church
and worked so industriously that the building, designed by one of them, was finished
within six weeks. The people named the church for San Salvador, the Patron of Cefalu,
Sicily, the native village of some of the Italian pioneers.
When a priest was able to come from Bryan, they then had a place for religous services to
be held. The bell which tolls today, the statues of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and San
Salvador, the Saviour, were donated by friends and members of the church. The main
altar and the pews of San Salvador were built by volunteer Italian speaking people of the '
area. The first Mass was held late in October 1908.
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Incidently, the girl who had the vision made a promise to the Blessed Mother. Every year
on the Feast of San Salvador (August 6) she wquld walk barefoot on a gravel road from
the main road of Highway 50 (which is about a mile) to the San Salvador Mission (even
though no services were held) until approximately a year before her death. She died at
the age of 86 in August, 1991.
On February 26, 1909, ''for and in consideration of the sum of one dollar in hand paid, II
Mrs. Mary Parker and her family deeded the property where the church is located to N. A.
Gallagher, Bishop of Galveston, with the provision that if the church ever ceased to
function for a period of two years, the property would revert to the donors. In the
meantime the devout parishioners had each set aside ten field rows of cotton to finish
paying for their Church. By 1910 the people were able to retire the debt so they invited
,the Bishop to consecrate the building. Following this religious ceremony, they held a
joyous and fun filled celebration, complete with fireworks and a "pinata."
Since October 1908, the faithful of this community have worshiped at San Salvador
Mission when a priest from St. Anthony's could come to them. Through the years,
various members of the congregation have donated additional statues, the Stations of the
Cross, baptismal font, chairs, and other items of worship.
The priest would bring the Ursaline nuns from the Villa Maria Academy to teach
religious education at the Mission of San Salvador.
In 1948, the church became a part of the Diocese of Austin. In that year Mrs. Rosalie
Scarmardo (Will C.), organized the San Salvador Altar Society. In 1952 extensive
remodeling of the building was begun. New siding was put over the original lumber. The
old posts inside were replaced with new round columns, and the present pews took the
place of the original handmade benches. Since that time, services have been held on a
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regular basis in the church. In 1957, a new organ was installed, and in 1965 another altar
was placed in front of the main altar. Major repairs, such as a new roof, painting inside
and out, and new front doors, were done in 1973. Lastly, in April of 1974, the church was
carpeted.
San Salvador Church, a Mission of St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Bryan was built less
than 20 years after the first immigrants carne to Burleson County. The present
membership is mostly the descendants of the original settlers. The Church has always
been self-supporting and remains that way today.
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The State of Texas entered San Salvador
Church into the State Archives in 1974
as a Texas Historical Landmark.
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