He served the religious needs of Catholics at Fort Concho, Ben Ficklin, and Santa Angela.

Bart J. DeWitt donated the land on which the cathedral now stands, known as "The Catholic Block," on September 22, 1874.

The stone church housed a diverse parish community of Mexican, English, Irish, and German Catholics.

John Sheehan, invited the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word from San Antonio to start a parochial school.

[1] Media related to Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (San Angelo, Texas) at Wikimedia Commons