Photo by Everett Ivey

The history of the Catholic Church in Electra dates back to 1906, with the establishment of the nearby Mount Carmel community by German colonizers Emil, Austin and Anton Flusche. 

Similar to what they had done before in Muenster, Lindsay and Pilot Point, the Flusche brothers purchased farmland in the area, founded a community, made plans to build a church, and recruited Catholics from the Midwest to settle there.
By 1907, a Catholic chapel and school were built for the largely German farming community of Mount Carmel.

Father C.G. Lindeman, who had ministered to the community since its founding, moved into a new rectory a few years later and became first resident pastor on April 1, 1909. By 1922, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church was completed by the Catholic community, which had grown to about 35 families, according to the Texas State Historical Association. The population of Mount Carmel would decline, however, over the following decades.

Although Masses were celebrated at Our Lady of Mount Carmel through 1965, only eight families constituted the parish. By December 1964, the church was closed and by 1966 Mount Carmel ceased to exist as a formal community.

In nearby Electra, history took a different course. In 1910, St. Francis Xavier was established there as a mission of Mount Carmel. Then on April Fools Day, April 1, 1911, the legendary Clayco No. 1 well blew in a mile north of town, triggering an oil boom. It was no joke. Within months, Electra’s population grew from 1,000 to 5,000 people.

According to church records, the Catholic oil company workers in Electra attended the first Masses of the St. Francis Xavier mission. The location for Masses alternated between homes and business in the area until 1912, when the new church was established.

Church liturgies alternated between Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Francis Xavier in Electra. In the decades of the 1950s and 1960s, religious education classes were held in Electra, while weddings, first communion, confirmation and other Sacraments and special events were held in Mount Carmel.

Through the women involved in the Christian Mothers Society and Altar Society, as well as men who were members of the Knights of Columbus, fellowship grew strong between Catholics in Electra and Mount Carmel.

Both communities merged in the mid-1960s, completing a new house of worship, St. Paul Catholic Church, on September 11, 1966.

Diocese of Dallas-Fort Worth Bishop Thomas K. Gorman dedicated St. Paul in Electra on November 27, 1966.

In 2006, local parishioners joined with Diocese of Fort Worth Bishop Kevin W. Vann to celebrate 100 years of Catholic presence in their community.

In July 2023, under the leadership and vision of our pastor, Fr. Joseph Moreno, the 40-ft tall cross at the Mt. Carmel cemetery was refurbished, relit, and reconsecrated. Today, it stands as a beacon of hope to all who see it as a reminder of the Light of Christ shining in this darkened world.

Today, the church is home to about 25 parishioners.