Galveston’s Holy Rosary Church embraces historical faith with flair, deep devotion

Mardi Gras floats with revelers from the Krewe d’Esprit Rosaire roll past a statue of St. Peter Claver at Holy Rosary Church off 31st Street and Ursuline Street in Galveston on Feb. 14. The annual parade includes members from Holy Rosary Church, which is part of Holy Family Parish of Galveston and Bolivar. (Photos by James Ramos/Herald)GALVESTON — It’s not often that blaring trumpets, drums and cheering marching band members stroll past a church, but on Galveston Island, it’s an annual tradition for parishioners who attend Holy Rosary Catholic Church.

Part of Holy Family Parish of Galveston and Bolivar, longtime parishioners at Holy Rosary (1420 31st St., Galveston) carry a deep faith in Christ and the Church’s Sacraments all year-round, not just during the Mardi Gras season, when the Krewe d’Esprit Rosaire, the island’s only Black Catholic krewe, revs up to celebrate Fat Tuesday.

The church’s roots run deep into the island’s history. One of the state’s earliest Catholic parishes established for Black Catholics, Holy Rosary grew out of a small elementary school with 55 students, founded in 1886 by Bishop Nicholas A. Gallagher and staffed by Dominican Sisters. 
Enrollment at the one-room school quickly expanded, prompting a move to a larger four-classroom building in 1888. Bishop Gallagher soon designated the growing community as its own parish, first served by missionary priests before appointing Father Philip L. Keller as pastor. Father Keller oversaw the construction of Holy Rosary Church, blessed in 1891, and the parish later expanded with a convent, an industrial school and an orphanage. 

According to a first-hand account of the 1900 Storm, the church served as a refuge for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Somehow, the church fared better than other nearby buildings, some completely washed away in the waves. Some 200 people of all races and ethnicities took shelter during the storm, as debris flew through the air and walls collapsed as floods surged through. After the destructive 1900 storm, the parish relocated to 31st Street and Avenue N in 1914, and in 1927, opened Texas’ first Black Catholic high school. By the mid-twentieth century, Holy Rosary had added a new church, convent and school, remaining a longstanding center of Black Catholic life in Galveston.

Throughout its history, several religious congregations have served the church, including the Josephite Fathers and the Sisters of the Holy Family, which was founded by Henriette Delille, a free woman of color. The sisters came in 1898, with the addition of their convent to support the church community. They established an industrial department to teach domestic sciences to students.

Two longtime parishioners reflected on how their lives and faith have intertwined with the history of Holy Rosary Church.

For Steve Marsh, who was among the revelers of the Krewe d’Esprit Rosaire celebrating Mardi Gras on Feb. 14, his family was among the first members of the community. Today, he continues their legacy of service in a multitude of roles with the church, also serving on the Holy Family’s pastoral council.

“Holy Rosary has been the centerpiece of my life since 1955,” he said. “My family has been members of Holy Rosary for over 100 years, and everything in my faith life has occurred at Holy Rosary, Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, my marriage, all my family has been buried through Holy Rosary.”

Thomasine Allen, who was a catechist at Holy Rosary for more than 30 years and just concluded her time as chair of the parish’s pastoral council, attended Holy Rosary School with Marsh. 

Inspired by the Josephites and Holy Family Sisters, Allen said she memorized the Rosary, which she still prays daily, some 60 years later, as she crosses the Galveston Causeway to get to the church for every Sunday Mass, held at 9 a.m. 

Both agreed that Holy Rosary Church existed and continues to exist as a witness to the faith, resilience, education and leadership found at the church and in the Black Catholic community.

“It means a great deal to be a Black Catholic,” Allen said. “The Catholic Church is a universal Church, and everyone's culture is welcome at the table of Christ.”

They attributed the century-plus-long legacy of faith to the efforts of their early leaders who helped the church flourish, including the church’s first vocation to the priesthood, Father Ivan Marsh, O.Carm., who was also Steve Marsh’s cousin, who died in 2024. Father Marsh was among several vocations that blossomed from the parish. They also lauded the ministries of Father Jude Ezuma, who, with parochial vicars Father J Serrato and Father Stephen Payne, leads Holy Family Parish today. 

Looking to the future, they both hoped to see more young people embracing their Catholic faith, especially one that has Black Catholic roots.