First Bishop of the Diocese
First Bishop of Galveston and All of Texas
Rt. Rev. Jean Marie Odin, C.M.

Jean Marie Odin was born February 25, 1800 in Hauterville, France. As a seminarian he became interested in going to America when his village priest Antoine Blanc, the future bishop of New Orleans, went there as a missionary. Odin arrived in New Orleans in July 1822 and went to St. Mary-of-the-Barrens Seminary in Ferry County, Missouri to complete his priestly studies. There he joined the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) and was ordained May 4, 1823. He was assigned to teach philosophy at the seminary and devoted much of his time to missionary activities. In 1833 he accompanied Bishop Rosati of St. Louis to the Second Council of Baltimore as his theologian and was delegated to carry the Council's decrees to Pope Gregory XVI. On July 13, 1840 Odin stepped foot on Texas soil for the first rime with the responsibility as Vice Prefect of Texas.

On July 16, 1841 Pope Gregory XVI raised the ecclesiastical status of Texas to vicariate apostolic and named Odin vicar apostolic, a responsibility which brought with it ordination to the episcopacy. Because he had been on a missionary journey, Odin only learned of his appointment on February 1, 1842. Odin was ordained a bishop on March 6, 1842 at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans and took on the title Vicar Apostolic of Texas and Titular Bishop of Claudiopolis. Odin chose Galveston as his official residence as it was a port city which would provide access to Europe from which funds and personnel would come in the years ahead. In May 1846 the Sixth Council of Baltimore recommended that Rome elevate Texas to diocesan status.

On March 14, 1847 Odin laid the cornerstone of St. Mary Church, Galveston which was soon to be a cathedral for on May 4, 1847 Pope Pius IX approved the establishment of the Diocese of Galveston and Odin as its first bishop. On June 20, 1860 Archbishop Blanc of New Orleans died. It was felt that the new archbishop should be of French origin and familiar with the area. Odin fulfilled both these requirements and was appointed archbishop of New Orleans on April 18, 1861. Due to declining health, Odin retired from his episcopal responsibilities in 1869 and returned to France. He died in his native town of Ambierle on May 25, 1870.

Paraphrased from the book, "Through Fire and Flood: The Catholic Church in Frontier Texas. 1836-1900" by James Talmadge Moore, Texas A&M University Press, 1992.

St. Mary Cathedral
1847-1947

Shaded by palm trees, surrounded by shrubs, and partially cloaked in ivy, St. Mary Cathedral stands on the corner of 21st and Church Streets on Galveston Island, a memorial to its builder, Bishop John Mary Odin, and testimonial to the zeal with which he and his fellow missionaries once again sowed the seed of faith in Texas, after it had begun to languish and die because of the Revolution which gained Texas its independence but left Catholics without a local shepherd to guide them.

During 1841 Father John M. Odin, recently appointed Vicar-Apostolic of Texas, managed to procure enough money to begin the construction of a small frame church. He was assisted greatly in this venture by N. D. Labadie, who, along with the Menards, proved himself a true lay-apostle in the early years of the Church in Galveston.

On February 6, 1842, one month, before his consecration as Bishop, Odin dedicated the completed structure to the Blessed Virgin. It was to be lamented, he thought, that the small rectangular building, only fifty by twenty-two feet, should be the principal Church of the Vicariate. He returned to Galveston immediately after his consecration upon receipt of the news of a Mexican invasion of Texas. Since the development of the Church in the west would have to wait upon the settlement of the difficulties with Mexico, he applied what funds he had to the eastern section of the Vicariate In Galveston he bought a five room cottage as the episcopal residence, and purchased thirty benches in lieu of pews for the church to which he added a small sacristy. But on September 19, 1842, a storm blew down the small church. This convinced him even more of the necessity of a more durable structure, but in the meantime he made what improvements he could. The tiny chapel was propped up, and the next year a small tower was added in which he hung the Mass-bell on March 21, 1843.

On May 11, 1844, Bishop Odin welcomed two more Vincentian priests to Galveston, J. M. Paquill and John Brands. In August, 1844, Galveston suffered from an epidemic of yellow fever, which resulted in the death of 200 citizens. Father Brands had been heroically attending the sick and dying, and Father Paquin, then on a visitation, immediately set out to assist his fellow priest in his work of mercy. Both of them fell victims of the disease on the sixth, and Paquin, too weak to throw it off, succumbed on the thirteenth. Three years later his body was removed from its burial place to the new Cathedral by Father Brands.

In 1845 the gift of almost a half-million bricks. was made to Odin in Belgium, which were shipped freight-free from Antwerp to Galveston. Now he was prepared to realize his dreams of a permanent church for Galveston.

The little frame church was moved out into the street, and work on the new St. Mary's began in 1847. The ceremony of laying the cornerstone took place on Sunday, March 14. Father Timon, formerly Prefect-Apostolic of Texas, who came to Galveston for the event, preached the semon before a large crowd which had come to witness the ceremony. On the same day Father Chambodut made the following entry in the Baptismal register:

On May 4, 1847, Pius IX created the Diocese of Galveston out of the Vicariate of Texas. Bishop Odin was promoted to occupy the See as the first Bishop of Galveston, and St. Mary 's would become his Cathedral Church upon 'its completion.

But, before its completion, the parish experienced the loss of one of its zealous priests, the Rev. Bartholomew Rollando, C.M., who had come to Galveston in November, 1845. Yellow fever once more struck Galveston and he fell, a victim of the plague, on October 11, 1847. In his memory a memorial tablet was placed in the wall of the Cathedral near the Sacred Heart Altar.

On November 26, 1848, the Cathedral was ready for dedication. Once again John Timon was chosen as the principal speaker because of his close association with, and his pioneer work in the Diocese. He had been promoted to the See of Buffalo as its first Bishop, and on this occasion gave three sermons, one while the rites of dedication were carried on inside the Church, another at the Solemn Mass that followed, and the third at Benediction, which was held at 7 :00 P.M. Once again the event was recorded in the Baptismal register, this time in the handwriting of Bishop Odin and signed by himself, the two assisting Bishops, and the priests who were present:

Bishop Odin could look with justifiable pride upon the completed structure. An appealing example of Gothic architecture, 130 feet long and 75 feet wide, with a transept width of 100 feet and a height of 60 feet, above which extended twin towers, the Cathedral dominated the city, most of whose buildings were frame constructions. It was a fitting symbol of the progress of the Church and an incentive to the Bishop and priests to justify further their newly won diocesan status.

For the administration of the affairs of the Cathedral Parish, Bishop Odin and his successors were wise in the priests they chose as rectors. Father Brands, who assumed the office after Father Paquin's death, was forced to retire in 1849 because of ill health. During the following year the burdens of the parish were shared by Fathers Richard Hennessy, C.M., and A. Gaudet, O.M.I. But, in 1851 Bishop Odin decided to call Father Louis Chambodut in from the missions and appoint him as rector.

Father L. C. M. Chambodut, rector for twen�ty-nine years, endeared himself to the parish and the city by his selfless devotion during the yellow fever epidemics and his heroic care of the wounded in the Battle of Galveston during the Civil War. It was, only a few weeks after his appointment that he was made Vicar-General of the Diocese, an office he held until his death on December 7, 1880, when he was buried in theCathedral where he had served God and His children for so many years.

It was during the epidemic of yellow fever of 1853 that the people of Galveston were given further evidence that the true alter Christus is also willing to give his life for his flock. In that year, and early in the next, seven priests died of diseases contracted while ministering to the faithful. In memory of these priests, Fathers J. C. Melton, J. Baudran, J. P. Bajard, G. Metz, D. 0'Driscoll, and E. Hug who died of yellow fever, and of Father J. Dixon who died of consumption, a marble monument has been erected to mark their graves near the entrance of the Cathedral.

During the years of his tenure, Father Chambodut saw and helped bring about many advances and changes in the parish. The Ursulines came to Galveston at the invitation of Bishop Odin in January, 1847, and since that time have conducted a school for girls. But, shortly after the Cathedral was built, the Bishop began to lay plans for a school for boys in the city. He had arranged for, and often taught catechism classes in a private school conducted by James P. Nash, but in 1853, he wrote of a "seminary and a college" that was planned for the training of young men. The Galveston City Company had made a grant of a block of land for an educational institution and upon this was built St. Mary College which was to function, with varying success, for seventy years.

Bishop Odin was promoted on April 19, 1861, to the Archbishopric of New Orleans, and Father Chamnbodut was appointed administrator of the Diocese until Bishop Claude Dubuis, who was consecrated on November 23, 1862, in Lyon's, France, arrived in Galveston in the spring of 1863. Bishop Dubuis had come to Texas in 1847 and since that time had labored principally in Castroville and San Antonio. He found, this time, that the Civil War, which was still in progress, had not left Galveston untouched. "The Cathedral, he was to write, "is riddled with bullets. Only on dry days can I say Mass within its walls." The Ursuljnes had. turned their school into a military hospital where the wounded of both sides were given attention. This incident and the frequent outbreaks of yellow fever probably induced him to take steps that led to the foundation of a religious order for nursing the sick.

As grand as the Cathedral seemed when it was erected, there were some additions to be made before the exterior obtained its present appealing appearance. Employing the aid of N. J. Clayton, the Bishop had the tower built in 1876. And on May 26, 1876, a note appeared in the Galveston News stating:

By the year 1878 the statue, with its outstretched arms picturing Mary's protection, and a bell, cast in 1877 and donated by John L. Darraugh, were in their proper places on the tower.

In 1884 the Cathedral received another alteration when, under the direction of N. J. Clayton, the two front towers were heightened to bring them into proportion with the central tower which had been added eight years previously.

Since their arrival, the Cathedral Parochial School had been conducted by the Dominicans in their own convent buildings, but, in 1892, a new building was constructed on cathedral property at 20th and Winnie Streets. This building, dedicated on the first day of May, 1892, "to the greater glory of God, and the honor of his Immaculate Virgin Mother Mary, our dearest mother, for the Christian education of youth,'' was used as both a high school and grammar school until 1924 when the high school department was discontinued.

Bishop Nicholas A. Gallagher, who was consecrated in the Cathedral at Galveston on April 30, 1882, after the retirement of Bishop Dubuis, for many years retained the title of rector of the Cathedral, but the names of many of the priests to whom he entrusted much of the parochial business are still familiar to the older members of the parish. Among these was Father J. Querat who succeeded Father Buffard, and remained until 1886; he was followed by Father J. Blum who was given the title of rector until 1888; after he was transferred, Fathers D. A. Logue, J. Mahoney and S. Spinneweber shared the years until 1891. Then Father M. McSorley was appointed and served until 1895 when he was followed in office by Father J. Reade. Father James M. Kirwin became rector in 1896 and for twenty years until his death in 1926 worked untiringly in that office, at the same time holding the positions of Vicar-General and rector of the seminary.

The Cathedral withstood the storm of 1900, and in 1907 a celebration commemorated the sixtieth anniversary of the Diocese and the Cathedral, and also the twenty-fifth anniversary of Bishop Gallagher 's episcopacy.

In preparation for the occasion many improvements were made within the Cathedral. The sanctuary floor was replaced with mosaic tiling, the wooden wainscoting was replaced by marble, and marble foundations were put under the Bishop's throne and the two side altars. A new main altar of marble was erected upon the foundations which were laid for it when the Cathedral was built. New pews and five new memorial windows were installed. Four of these windows are in the sanctuary and the fifth is over the main entrance, representing Christ in the Garden. At the same time, the whole building and the episcopal residence adjoining were stuccoed and a cement coping was built to enclose the lawn.

On the Feast of St. Agnes, January 21, 1918, Bishop Gallagher passed to his eternal reward, and during the months that followed, Father Kirwin acted as administrator of the Diocese.

In preparation for the Diamond Jubilee of the Diocese and Cathedral, the marble altar rail and steps were constructed, the two marble side altars erected, and the whole of the interior was decorated anew. A beautiful new organ was installed in time for the occasion. An instrument well fitted to accompany the praises sung to God for the blessings bestowed upon the Diocese, it was equipped with about 3,000 pipes with four manuals, an echo organ and a full set of twenty-five chimes.

The Most Reverend C. E. Byrne, present be�loved Bishop of Galveston, was consecrated in theCathedral of St. Louis on November 10, 1918.

Father Bernard Lee was appointed to succeed Monsignor Kirwin as rector of the Cathedral, and was followed in office by Father Thomas A. Carney in August, 1928.

The old Cathedral rectory had been built about the same time as the Cathedral, and when Father Carney considered remodeling the building he found it impracticable; instead, it was torn down and a new building of similar architectural style was erected.

It was in August, 1933, that Father Daniel P. O'Connell was called from his post as president of the seminary to the Cathedral to become rector when Father Carney was transferred to Dickinson. Having celebrated his Silver Jubilee in 1939, and having been honored with the title of Monsignor as a Domestic Prelate in 1940, Monsignor O'Connell has taken his place among the long list of priests who have directed the affairs of the Cathedral Parish for 100 years. The esteem in which he is held throughout the city and Diocese is proof that he has followed well the traditions of his predecessors.

Such is, in part, the story of historic St. Mary Cathedral, inseparable from the history of the Diocese of Galveston. The solid permanence of its gray and weather-stained walls bespeaks its survival through a century during which the ambassadors of Christ have labored in order that ''all may meet in the unity of faith and grow up unto the fullness of the age and stature of Christ.'' The solemn majesty of its aisles be�speaks the supplications sent up to God in time of distress and the praise offered to Him at all times by those who were cognizant of the truth of the motto inscribed in mosaic across the sanctuary:

Donmum Dei decet sanctitudo
Sponsum ejus Christum adoremus in ea.
Holiness befits the House of God,
Christ, its Spouse, we adore in it.

St. Mary Cathedral
Twenty-First and Church Streets
Texas' Oldest Cathedral
Galveston's Oldest Existing Church Building
Compiled by John Cannady

While the territory which is now Texas was under the jurisdiction of Mexico, the established religion had been Roman Catholic. However, after 1836, with Texas' independence from Mexico and the establishment of the Republic, denominations other than Catholic came into the state and Catholicism began to wane.

In 1838, when the Rev. John Timon, C.M. (Congregation of the Mission), was sent to investigate conditions in Texas, he found only two priests. The Catholic people rightly complained far more of spiritual neglect than of persecution.

And so Father Timon undertook to survey and revive the spiritually starved field for many, many miles along the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1840 Rome declared the Republic of Texas a Prefecture Apostolic with the Very Rev. John Timon, C.M.. as the first Prefect. Tirmon himself appointed the Very Rev. John Odin, C.M. as Vice-Prefect.