Our new church was dedicated by the Most Reverend Alvaro Corrada del Rio, S.J., Bishop of the Diocese of Tyler, on June 28, 2008
Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church was dedicated on November 20,
1910 in Jacksonville, Texas, using the former Cumberland Presbyterian
Church building. Bishop Gallagher (Diocese of Beaumont) and local
Catholics moved it to 209 Canada Street. This building was the first
established place of worship for Catholics in Cherokee County.
Six years later, in 1934 the church was assigned to Nacogdoches as a
mission by Bishop Byrne. The LaSalette Fathers, an order of missionary
priests founded in France in 1852, served the church in Jacksonville
from 1934 to 1994.
Jacksonville was a mission of Nacogdoches for 20 years. As the
Catholic population increased, consideration was given to elevating
the mission to the status of a parish with a resident pastor. Under
Bishop Nold, this was finally accomplished on September 25, 1954,
with Father Francis Lundgren, M.S., being named the first pastor of
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish.
In 1956 the church purchased land and an old farm building at 1023
Corinth Road. The old church building was restored after a fire, moved,
and used for a parish hall for many years. A new church was dedicated
by Bishop Nold in 1958. A new parish hall, rectory, and office buildings
were dedicated by Bishop Boudreaux in 1972. In 1989-90, 10 education
classrooms were added to the hall.
The new Diocese of Tyler was formed December 12, 1986, under the
guidance of Bishop Charles E. Hertzig. Bishop Edmund Carmody
In October 2008 we registered our 1,000th active family in our parish. We now have more than 3,200 registered parishioners. Our weeklaverage mass attendance is 1, 181 souls.
