St. John's Sealy Celebrated 125 Years of the founding of their congregation
​and 100 years of their beautiful church building in 2010.  

On Saturday, April 24th, 2010 St. John's Sealy celebrated our first 125 years of worship in Austin County with a Thanksgiving and Morning Prayer Service in our historic church in the heart of Sealy. The Rt Rev Andy Doyle, St. John’s, was able to save only two items from the church ruins, the church bell and the Bible. She kept them safely at her home until a new church could be built. of the Diocese of Texas presided.  State, county and city officials attended, as well as Episcopal clergy and members of the Sealy Ministerial Alliance. 

History

The Episcopal Church in Sealy, Texas, was one of three churches  established in 1885, shortly  after the town of Sealy was founded.  George Sealy, a prominent Episcopalian, and railroad executive approached the town of San Felipe about allowing the Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe Railway go through  town. Afraid that the noise would upset their cattle, they sold 11,635 acres  for fifty cents an acre from the western part township with the understanding  that Mr. Sealy would “use his best efforts and influence in securing the establishment of a depot on the tract of land.” With that the town of Sealy was born.

George Sealy, on behalf of the Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company, sold a plot of land on June 17, 1880, to Episcopal Bishop Gregg for the sum of one Dollar with the specific intention of building an Episcopal Church. The original plot of land for the  “Chapel of the Protestant Episcopal Church” was 30 x 150 lot on Meyer between 1st and 2nd Streets. St. John the  Evangelist Episcopal Church as it was called at that time was built for $1,500  and had a seating capacity of 100 people. The congregation was made up of railroad families. Bishop Alexander Gregg described it as “very comely and a joy to the faithful.” The Rev. S. Moylan Bird, Sr. of Trinity Church in Galveston was the first minister to come to  Sealy, leaving a lay reader in charge between visits.

By 1899, the Santa Fe Division made the decision to move the main switching  and maintenance hub, or roundhouse to Bellville. Many of the railroad workers took their families and moved to Bellville. That same year, there were tremendous floods and the Brazos River overflowed. Rev. James Noble, rector from St. Peter’s Brenham, reported that the "building had fallen into such disrepair that it was no longer possible to hold services there. The Bishop visited the Mission in Holy Week, and even then we were forced to go to the Methodist place of worship, very generously offered for our use.”

By September 1900, the little wooden church was not able to withstand the winds of the Great Galveston Hurricane as it ripped its way north.  Mrs. R. H. Bostick, a founding member of the church, was able to save only two items from the  

church ruins, the church bell and the Bible. She kept them safely at her home until a new church could be built. Reverend S. Moylan Bird, Jr., son of the original Reverend Bird from Galveston, was instrumental in getting St. John’s back on its feet. An article in the Sealy News from 1909 describes him as “an earnest worker and his learned and eloquent sermons  have greatly impressed his hearers, while his apt congeniality and his high regard and interest in humanity has, during his short stay, endeared him to this people forever.”

Church members Mr. Lon Davis, the editor of the Sealy News, and Mr. Thomas Watson took leadership roles in finding a new site to purchase for a church. The site of the current church was purchased from Dr. William Schmoeller. Marcus Kinkler was the contractor to build the church. It seats 125 and was built for $2,650. Rebecca Bostick, a founding member of the church who had the foresight to take the bell and the Bible from the ruble of the old church returned the items to be installed in the new church. The original church bell was put in the new belfry as a reminder of our traditions. The Bible can be seen on display inside the church. A vicarage was built behind the church in 1953 and a Parish Hall was added in 1959.

St. John’s Episcopal Church is the oldest church in continuous use in Sealy, Texas. There have been many significant donations to St. John’s Episcopal Church over the years. The present altar was donated by Mr. Herbert Smith, of  Temple, Texas, a conductor on the Santa Fe Railroad. The pews came from a church in Orange, TX. The original opaque glass windows were replaced by stained glass windows in 1975, donated by church members. 

As part of the 125th anniversary celebration a Memorial Garden was created in the courtyard. The garden incorporates a statue of St. Francis of Assisi made by Hayden Lawson as well as a 3 tiered fountain in the center of the courtyard. New signage has been constructed with a metal post created and donated a local welder.