About Holy Cross · Bay City, Texas
Holy Cross Catholic Church is a Roman-Latin rite parish in Bay City, Texas, part of the Diocese of Victoria in Texas. The parish shares its Catholic mission with Sacred Heart Mission in Wadsworth and is closely tied to Holy Cross Catholic School, the parochial school next door. Father Stephen P. Vacek serves as pastor, assisted by Deacon Kevin Knox and Administrative Assistant Martha Hurta. The parish is rooted in the 19th-century Polish Catholic community of St. Francisville and traces its visible identity to the 1909 church designed by the famed Galveston architect Nicholas J. Clayton.
- Established
- 1909
- Patron
- Holy Cross (the Exaltation of the Holy Cross)
- Rector
- Rev. Stephen P. Vacek
- Diocese
- Diocese of Victoria in Texas
Why belong here
Holy Cross is a small but lively pro-life Catholic community in Bay City that worships together, raises its children together, and walks with its school families. The parish offers daily and Sunday Mass in English, weekday Eucharistic Adoration, a Saturday Vigil Mass and a Sunday morning Mass at Sacred Heart Mission in Wadsworth, regular Confession, First Friday and First Saturday Masses followed by the Rosary, a Chaplet of Divine Mercy, a Catholic Daughters court, Knights of Columbus, Altar Society, ACTS retreats, and a PreK–5th grade parochial school — Holy Cross Catholic School — right on the same Katy Avenue campus. New parishioners can register by calling the parish office at (979) 245-6379.
Mass times at Holy Cross
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Monday: 8:00 AM (all day)
- Tuesday: 12:00 AM – 5:00 PM (concluding before 5:00 PM Mass)
- Wednesday: 8:45 AM – 12:00 PM (after 8:15 AM Mass)
- Thursday: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (after 8:15 AM Mass)
- Friday: 8:45 AM – 12:00 PM (after 8:15 AM Mass)
History of Holy Cross Catholic Church
Catholic life in Matagorda County predates the city of Bay City. After the Diocese of Galveston was erected in May 1847, Polish Catholic immigrants in the 1850s settled the small community of St. Francisville (the 'Polish Village') and received Mass from traveling priests. In 1895 Bishop Nicholas A. Gallagher consecrated the first Euro-American Catholic church in the county. A few months later, Louisiana Thompson Bowie was baptized in New Orleans and brought her new faith back to the Bowie Plantation, becoming the lay force behind Bay City's Catholic parish. In 1907 Monsignor Jacob B. Schnetzer arrived, bought lots at Avenue M and Fifth Street, and in 1909 dedicated a church designed by Nicholas J. Clayton — his last commission.
- 1847: Diocese of Galveston erected by Pope Pius IX under Bishop Jean Marie Odin
- 1850s: Polish Catholic immigrants settle St. Francisville ('Polish Village')
- 1885: Matagorda County becomes a mission of Annunciation Parish, Houston
- April 13, 1895: Louisiana Thompson Bowie baptized in New Orleans
- December 21, 1895: St. Francisville Catholic Church consecrated by Bishop Gallagher
- March 8, 1907: Monsignor Schnetzer purchases Lots 4–6 of Block 174 for $150
- August 1908: Nicholas Clayton completes plans for Holy Cross
- May 1909: Church of the Holy Cross completed and dedicated (Father Schnetzer)
- 1940: Holy Cross Catholic School opens under Father Elmendorf
- 1948–49: New $500,000 complex on Katy Avenue built (architects Golemon & Rolfe of Houston)
- Winter 1949: New sanctuary, school, rectory and convent dedicated by Bishop Wendelin J. Nold
- 1982: Holy Cross and its mission, Sacred Heart (Wadsworth), become founding parishes of the new Diocese of Victoria
The Nicholas Clayton Church (1909)
The original Church of the Holy Cross was designed by Nicholas Joseph Clayton (1839–1916), the Irish-born Galveston architect who also designed Bishop's Palace and the First Presbyterian Church in Galveston, and the Tremont Hotel. It was the last church Clayton ever designed. The structure stood at the corner of Avenue M and Fifth Street in Bay City and served the congregation for several decades before being outgrown.
- Architect: Nicholas J. Clayton of Galveston
- Last church commission of Clayton's career
- Cornerstone location: Avenue M and Fifth Street, Bay City
- Bell blessed by Father Ropps upon completion
Holy Cross Catholic School
Holy Cross Catholic School is the parish's PreK through 5th-grade school, sharing the 2001 Katy Avenue campus with the church. Founded in 1940 under Father George Elmendorf, the school was first staffed by two Benedictine Oblate Sisters from England and is now served by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament from Victoria. Today the school enrolls roughly 132 students, with Linda Bradford serving as principal.
- Founded: 1940, under Father George Elmendorf
- Grades: PreK–5
- Enrollment: approximately 132 students
- Principal: Linda Bradford ([email protected])
- School phone: (979) 245-5632 | Fax: (979) 245-6120
- School website: https://bcholycrossschool.org
- Religious order partner: Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament (Victoria)
- Activities: Blessing of the Animals, Christmas Pageant, Vocations Week, field trips, prayer garden / brick fundraiser
- Pastor and school describe their shared mission as 'Education at the Foot of the Cross'
Parish Ministries and Organizations
Holy Cross supports a wide range of parish ministries and lay organizations — many with roots going back decades, including long-standing chapters of the Catholic Daughters and Knights of Columbus. The parish also runs CCD religious education for children and offers sacramental preparation through the OCIA (RCIA) process for adults.
- Catholic Daughters of the Americas — Court Resurrection #2054 (charter member parish)
- Knights of Columbus
- Altar Society (floral and Turkey Dinner committees; charter members)
- ACTS Retreats (Bay City ACTS teams and core team)
- Holy Cross School Foundation
- Financial Advisory Board
- Eucharistic Ministry (EMs)
- CCD / Parish School of Religion — registration offered through parish
- RCIA / OCIA for adult initiation
- KJZT and KJT (Catholic fraternal societies represented in the parish)
Sacraments
The parish prepares and celebrates the seven Catholic sacraments, including the sacramental initiation of adults through the OCIA process (formerly RCIA). Couples are encouraged to contact the parish office for marriage preparation, and parents are asked to contact the office to schedule baptisms and faith-formation classes.
- Baptism — contact parish office
- Confirmation — sacramental preparation through parish
- First Holy Communion — sacramental preparation through parish
- Reconciliation (Confession) — Saturdays 3:30–4:15 PM, or by appointment
- Matrimony — marriage preparation with parish
- Anointing of the Sick — contact parish office
- OCIA / RCIA — for adults seeking Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, typically culminating at the Easter Vigil
Sacred Heart Mission (Wadsworth)
Sacred Heart in Wadsworth is a mission of Holy Cross Catholic Church, sharing the pastor and the same parish office. Located at 13594 State Highway 60 South in Wadsworth (about 10 miles south of Bay City), it hosts one of the parish's two Sunday Masses at 7:30 AM each week.
- Address: 13594 State Highway 60 South, Wadsworth, TX 77483
- Sunday Mass: 7:30 AM
- Parish office (shared): (979) 245-6379
- Originally served as a mission of the parish in the early 20th century
Pro-Life and Family Welcome
Holy Cross and Sacred Heart identify publicly as '100% pro-life' parishes and welcome babies and children to Mass. The church has a cry room in the back of the building reserved for use in 'dire cases' of very loud babies or children; otherwise families are encouraged to worship together. Out of reverence, the parish asks that snacks not be given to children in the church proper.
- Parish is explicitly 100% pro-life
- Babies and children welcomed at Mass
- Cry room available in the back of the church for extraordinary cases
- Parish recommends use of masstimes.org for travel Mass times
Visiting, Registering, and Contact
Visitors and new parishioners are warmly welcomed. Registration is handled through the parish office, and online giving, CCD registration, current bulletins, parish documents, and Mass schedules are accessible from the parish website.
- Parish registration: contact the parish office at (979) 245-6379
- Parish office email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Monday–Thursday 9 AM–noon and 1–4 PM; Friday 9 AM–1 PM
- Online giving available through holycrossbaycity.org
- CCD (Religious Education) registration available online
- Pastor: Rev. Stephen Vacek ([email protected])
- Deacon: Kevin Knox ([email protected])
- Administrative Assistant: Martha Hurta ([email protected])
Diocese of Victoria in Texas
Holy Cross belongs to the Diocese of Victoria in Texas, which was created by carving parishes out of the Dioceses of Galveston–Houston and San Antonio. The diocese covers Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Jackson, Lavaca, Matagorda, Victoria, Wharton, and Colorado counties plus part of Fayette County. Holy Cross and its mission, Sacred Heart in Wadsworth, were among the founding parishes of the diocese.
- Diocese: Victoria in Texas
- Diocesan website: https://victoriadiocese.org
- Current diocesan bishop: Most Reverend Brendan J. Cahill (per public diocesan communications)
- Matagorda County (where Holy Cross sits) is among the diocese's founding counties
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor Jacob B. Schnetzer1907–c.1910
Appointed priest for the Bay City area; purchased the church lots in March 1907; dedicated the completed Clayton-designed Church of the Holy Cross in May 1909.
- Father George Montreuil (Oblate, O.M.I.)1910–1914
Began plans for a parish rectory, which were not completed until 1920 under Father J.P. Cuny.
- Father J.P. Cuny (Oblate, O.M.I.)c.1914–1919
Supervised completion of the rectory by 1920 and continued serving the Bay City mission area.
- Father John J. Kearnslate 1919–
Irish-born priest (b. 1894) ordained by Bishop Gallagher on December 23, 1917; became the first resident Catholic priest to live full-time in Bay City in 1920; later vicar general for Bishop Louis J. Reicher of Austin.
- Father George Elmendorfby 1940
Opened Holy Cross Catholic School in 1940; first teachers were two Benedictine Oblate Sisters from England.
- Monsignor Christopher Martinby late 1940s
Led the parish into the 1948–49 building campaign; present at the dedication of the new Katy Avenue complex with Bishop Wendelin J. Nold.
- Rev. Greg Korenek
Earlier pastor at Holy Cross; noted as co-officiant at funerals as recently as January 2021.
- Rev. Stephen P. Vacekcurrent
Current pastor (Diocese of Victoria diocesan priest); previously served as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Victory Cathedral in Victoria.