The oldest church in Bell County may not be standing too much longer.
The stones at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Belton are cracked and broken, and the 130-year-old church could be on the verge of being destroyed. “Old St. Luke’s” has been condemned by the city of Belton and its days are numbered.
Tyler Fletcher was baptized in this church when he was three years old. He runs his grandfather’s antique shop in Salado and is part of the group of people trying desperately to save it.
“We’ve got to find a way to save it. It’s part of that heritage from the early thread of Christianity and if it somehow can be saved, we should attempt it,” Fletcher said.
St. Luke’s, Belton had been a mission for 97 years and a parish for one or two when I met the folks there in the early 70s. They were extraordinarily hospitable to a bunch of college kids. They had grown enough to build a new parish facility on a new property and I didn’t know this building still stood. I hope they are able to do something positive for the parish and the town (which is a nice place, too).
This reminds me of the old Catholic church in my old hometown, Whitesboro, TX. I want to cry every time I pass by it because of the condition of the building. It is on the National Historic register and cannot be torn down, but neither has anyone managed to get enough funds to repair it. As long as I had lived there most of the beautiful stained glass windows were boarded up, the rest were full of holes as school kids thought it fun to throw rocks at them. There is still a Catholic parish in Whitesboro but they meet in what looks like a warehouse at the edge of town. Such a shame.