1836 to 1848 With the end of the
Texas Revolution in 1836, most of present-day Texas became part of the new
Republic of Texas. Acknowledging this reality,
Pope Gregory XVI in 1840 transferred the jurisdiction for Texas Catholics from a diocese in Mexico to the new Apostolic Prefecture of Texas. The pope named Reverend
John Timon as the apostolic prefect of Texas. To assist him, Timon named
Jean-Marie Odin, a
titular bishop, to be the resident vice-prefect and assigned him to start a parish in Galveston. Odin sailed from
New Orleans, Louisiana, to Galveston, arriving in early 1841. In the following months, Odin procured enough funding to begin construction of a wooden-frame church. He was assisted by Colonel
Michel Branamour Menard, the founder of Galveston, and Dr. Nicholas Labadie. On February 6, 1842, Odin dedicated St. Mary Church. The small, rectangular building measured . On March 14, 1847, Timon returned to Galveston to the laying of the cornerstone for the new church. Recognizing the strong growth of the Catholic population in Texas,
Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Galveston on May 4, 1847, and named Odin as its first bishop. The diocese raised the two spires at the front of the cathedral in 1886 to , with crosses installed on their tops.
Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral now became equal in status to St. Mary Cathedral. In December 2004, Pope John Paul II raised the Diocese of Galveston-Houston to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, with
Joseph Fiorenza as its first archbishop. In 2009, the archdiocese appointed a director of special projects to oversee St. Mary's restoration. On the exterior, contractors replaced the roof and add steel armature reinforcements to the two front
spires. The exterior masonry was repaired, recoated and underwent chemical remediation. Inside the building, they rebuilt the pews and refinished them, along with the confessionals and
stations of the cross. The contractor replaced the original wood beams under the cathedral with a concrete substructure. In 2009, the eight parishes on
Galveston Island and the
Bolivar Peninsula, including St. Mary's, were combined into the new Holy Family Parish. The worship locations included St. Mary's and five other churches. St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica was rededicated on March 25, 2014. The archdiocese in 2019 removed the
Mary, Star of the Sea statue from the cathedral roof for restoration. Contractors also repaired the two spires and some of the stained glass windows. They also fixed the tower bell, which had been inoperable since 2010. In 2020, the statue was reinstalled on the tower. ==See also==