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In December 1891, a Catholic priest moved from St. Louis, Missouri, to Texas for the drier climate. In three decades, Father Joseph Reisdorff established five towns across North Texas and the Panhandle—Windthorst, Rhineland, Nazareth, Umbarger, and Slaton. These were places for German-Catholic immigrants to call their own, where they could farm, live, and worship. Today, these communities gather annually and biannually to celebrate their German heritage and Catholic faith with sausage festivals that raise funds for local churches and towns.
While Reisdorff doesn’t have a direct link to sausages or these events, it’s undeniable that his influence—even nearly a century after his death—is still palpable in these five communities. “We’re all connected by him,” says Annelle Welch,
