Saint Joseph Catholic Church
Inez
FM 444 (Church St.) Inez; . 03 miles south of US 59

A group of Polish immigrants from Upper Silesia (Prussian-occupied Poland) moved to this area in 1858, after a brief settlement in Karnes County. Here the prairies could be plowed and oaks could be felled for building shelter. They called their community (then 1. 5 miles west) Gazeta after nearby Garcitas Creek. Traveling priests served the religious needs of the settlers, while marriages, baptisms, and funerals were recorded at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Victoria (14. 5 miles SW). In 1873 Frank Garvel conveyed one acre in Gazeta for a church, which was dedicated to St. Theresa. After 1886, the area's settlement shifted to the town of Inez, established on a new railroad line. In 1889 the Catholic Church acquired three lots here for $40, and the Gazeta church was dismantled and moved to Inez. Lumber dealer Henry C. Koontz directed the reconstruction, and Father Thomas Moczyjemba dedicated the church to St. Joseph in 1890. The first resident pastor, Father Henry Pensick was appointed in 1933, also serving mission churches at La Salle (10. 5 miles SE) and Bloomington (19 miles SSW). In 1963 a fire destroyed the frame church building and damaged the rectory. A new brick structure was quickly erected by the congregation and dedicated in 1964.