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The community of Loraine had no Catholic Church in 1915 when Antonio Pantoja traveled to Abilene, the nearest place a priest could be found, to request Mass. He offered Father Joseph Campbell the use of the home he and his wife, Maria, shared. They and the other Mexican immigrant families in the area yearned for the celebration of the Mass. After conferring with the bishop in Amarillo, who oversaw the area at the time, Father Campbell agreed to travel to Loraine once a month.The Catholic community of St. Joseph in Loraine got its start in the Pantoja house in1915.

St. Joseph Church moved into a renovated former school building in 1924. A century after the move to an officially dedicated church, the Pantoja family is still as active as ever. During a short speech thanking the many people who helped the church celebrate the 100th anniversary of the dedication, pastor Father Michael Udegbunam noted that the church band is made up of “all the Pantojas,” descendants of Antonio and Maria.

The centennial celebration took place onAug. 25, featuring Mass with Bishop Michael Sis and a fellowship gathering in the parish hall following. Now a mission church of St.Ann Parish in Colorado City, St. Joseph Church in Loraine has had much to look back on. In his homily, Bishop Sis noted that there have only been 20 centuries since Christ walked the earth, and “for one of those centuries, there has been a Catholic Church in Loraine.”

“I invite you to reflect back on your history,” the bishop encouraged. He asked them to begin by “thinking back about the hard times” and disappointments that have come in their lives, both as individuals and as a community of faith. The St. Joseph Catholic community still has visible reminders of a difficult time faced as a church. In the back of the sanctuary is a Sacred Heart statue. Right in the back of Jesus’ head is a bullet hole, apparently sustained soon after the1924 dedication of the building when anti-Hispanic or anti-Catholic locals tried to intimidate the congregation. “Thank God for pulling you through the hard times,” Bishop Sis told them.

When looking back, though, one should not dwell only on the hard times. “Next it is important at a historic moment like this to look back on the happy times.” A church congregation is filled with joyful moments among family and friends, and many in the church have even fallen in love and started families because of their involvement at St. Joseph.

Bishop Sis also encouraged the faithful to “think about where you stand right now in 2024 as a Catholic community at St. Joseph in Loraine,” encouraging them to continue growing and building the community. Looking forward, he also encouraged them to take an active role in the future: “If you want your church to be more active, get more active. If you want your church to be more welcoming, be welcoming. If you want your church to be more prayerful, then pray!”

At the conclusion of the Mass, the community was invited to the parish hall for a meal prepared by parishioners. Entertainment was provided by a group of Matachines from Snyder and a Ballet Folklorico group from Abilene. The Catholic community of St. Joseph in Loraine left well fed and ready to begin their second century of Catholic Christian fellowship.