15th Annual
Tour of Sacred Places
February 19, 2011
10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF) will present the 15th annual Sacred Places tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on February 19, 2011.

The popular tour benefits GHF’s ongoing restoration of St. Joseph’s Church, the oldest wooden church building in Galveston and the oldest German Catholic church in Texas. A wide range of religious traditions and building styles will be featured, highlighting the island’s rich religious heritage while showcasing the depth and range of Galveston’s sacred architecture.

Advance tickets for the tour are $10. GHF members may purchase tickets for $9 at the 1861 Custom House, 502 20th Street or by calling (409) 765-7834. Pre-reserved group rates are available. On the day of the tour, tickets may be purchased for $12 at St. Joseph’s Church, 2202 Avenue K.

St. Joseph’s Church (Tour Headquarters)

2202 Avenue K

By the middle of the 19^th century, Galveston Island was home to somewhere between two and three thousand German immigrants, almost half the total population.  Bishop John Odin, the first Catholic bishop of Texas, recommended that a church be built for the German-speaking Catholics of the growing city. Built by German immigrants in 1859-60 the church was dedicated in April 1860, to St. Joseph, the patron saint of laborers.

For more information on the 15th Annual Sacred Places tour call (409) 765-7834.