Remember in an earlier post when I remarked how tiny Lamar, TX is?  Lamar has two churches.  This is Stella Maris Catholic Church.  It’s a chapel that holds about forty to fifty people.  Father Ralph Jones, an elderly man with obvious physical struggles, celebrates Mass here everyday.  In spite of his age he still has a twinkle in his eye and is an animated homilist.  He’s a perfect version of what people mean when they say, “he talks with his hands”.

Stella Maris Chapel was originally built in 1854 down by the shore which is a few hundred yards from here.  It was eventually moved to this donated spot to be restored and to give it more protection from the weather.

The original chapel was constructed in a common method of those days called shellcrete.  Shells, obviously and abundant commodity in this area, were the binding agent, as you can see from this section of the original footings.  Now the walls are modern stucco but the inside of the chapel is much like it originally was.

The churchyard.  On the left is the community gathering hall, and I’m told, also the local polling place.  It’s not very visible, but the sign above the door in the lighter green building identifies it as the confessional.  Very easy, vote for your candidate, then step across and confess your sins. 🙂

Although it has an address on a nearby paved street, the church, and across from it the cemetery, are on a dirt track alley that connects two streets.  I enjoyed spending time here with Fr. Ralph and feeling the history and spirituality of the place.