>>>>

Sunday, March 02, 2014

St Joseph’s Parish, San Antonio TX

StJospeh1
St. Joseph Church, built in 1868 at 623 E. Commerce St., is nestled among hotels, stores and office buildings in downtown San Antonio.

We had been walking and walking, all along the river walk, and over to the Cathedral, and passed the church on our way back to the parking garage.

Did we want to go in?  Of course!

I find some of the most interesting treasures, by taking the time to explore historic buildings.  They might look unassuming on the outside…but when you step in, it’s like leaving the world behind and stepping back in time.

In this case, I felt like I was stepping back to December, when I was in Germany and Austria!

SanAntonio_TX2014 074

Captions were written in German as well as in English!

Long before a mall nearly surrounded St.Joseph Catholic Church, the downtown parish was strategically built on the eastern edge of town near a booming residential district of German immigrants.  The Hill Country of Texas became a haven for immigrants of German descent,  bringing their faith and practices from the old country with them to their new homeland.
 
But that was the late 1800s when Masses were said in German and the city's modern suburbs were nameless countryside.  Today, at weekday Masses the church enjoys waves of downtown workers and out-of-town visitors who hail the historic structure as a treasured, sacred icon.

SanAntonio_TX2014 072

Beautiful sanctuary!

SanAntonio_TX2014 073

Beautiful stained glass --

SanAntonio_TX2014 076

Our Lady of Guadalupe

SanAntonio_TX2014 077

My quilters eye took over..check out the flying-geese like details inside the arch!

SanAntonio_TX2014 079

Other side of the arch --

SanAntonio_TX2014 078

And the ceiling…star shaped!

SanAntonio_TX2014 080

Organ loft --

SanAntonio_TX2014 071

I’m glad we stopped to take a look inside St Joseph’s Parish!

SanAntonio_TX2014 081

Steeple dwarfed by hotels and parking garages –don’t let them pass you by!

I’ve now gone through ALL the photos I took while in San Antonio, and it’s been fun reliving each stop along the way. 

We’ve arrived back home from the cabin.  The Hubster changed his clothes, reloaded his suitcase and is off to Wilmington on business this week – which leaves me free to quilt late into the night and sleep in in the mornings if I want to!  Whooopie!

There is a certain Split 9-Patch quilt that has been hanging over the rail of my longarm with backing already pieced – just waiting for a time to get it pinned in.

That’s on the agenda for tonight, after my dinner date with dear son Jeff ---we’ve got some catching up to do!

Have a great Sunday evening, everyone ---


Click Here to like our Quiltville Friends Page on Facebook for more fun!
Click Here to join our sister group, Quiltville's Open Studio on Facebook, a place to Sew, Share & Grow!!


9 comments:

  1. Did you go in the old house next to the church? Its all so beautiful. Love the church.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love old churches and old buildings of any kind so thanks so much for sharing your photos and stories of your adventures. The one time I was in San Antonio was during the brief time each year when the old historic homes were open to the public and we were able to go through a few. It was fantastic! I hope to return again someday to see more of the area.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The big building that surrounds St Joseph's was originally Joske's Dept Store. The very fond nickname of the church was St Joske's. And it remains that to this day, even though Joske's is long gone. It was years before I ever knew the real name of the church. Glad you enjoyed your trip to SA, Bonnie. Y'all come back soon!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous9:36 PM EST

    My son was married in that church last July. A lovely wedding in a lovely church. I do, however, detest the mall next door. Awful place.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bonnie, when can we pre order your new book? Looking at your pictures! -sisgray_71@ yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous4:48 AM EST

    Beautiful pictures and so happy you shared them. May get to San Antonio this summer.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Well! I think Hubster changed his clothes, reloaded his suitcase and is off to Wilmington on business this week and also leaves me free to quilt late into the night and sleep in in the mornings if I want too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a wonderful Sunday tour! Old churches are so beautiful, and look ... well... holy in a way. Serene.

    Thanks for sharing with us once again.
    Smiles, JulieinTN

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous3:15 AM EDT

    texas hill country church is most beautiful. i think god is there

    ReplyDelete

If you are commenting as "anonymous" please leave your name at the end of your comment.

Did you know that ad space on this blog provides for all of the free patterns and free mysteries and challenges at no cost to you? Without ads, this blog would not be possible.

Thank you for understanding the many hours that go into this blog 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year. :)