About Immaculate Conception Mission · Knickerbocker, Texas
Immaculate Conception Mission is a small Catholic mission church in the rural community of Knickerbocker, in southwestern Tom Green County, Texas. It is a mission of the Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in nearby Eldorado and falls under the Diocese of San Angelo. The mission traces its origins to 1902, when it was built as a mission of Sacred Heart Parish, and it continues to serve the farming and ranching families of the Dove Creek valley. Mass and pastoral care are provided by priests assigned to the Eldorado parish cluster, which also includes St. Peter Mission in Mertzon.
- Established
- 1902
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception (the Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without sin)
- Rector
- Very Rev. Santiago Udayar (assigned July 1, 2025, also pastor of Holy Angels Parish in San Angelo)
- Diocese
- Diocese of San Angelo
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception Mission offers faithful Catholics in the rural Dove Creek valley a continuing Catholic presence in a community where the parish has stood since 1902. As a mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Eldorado, it shares in the bilingual (English/Spanish) liturgical life of the parent parish, bringing the Eucharist and the sacraments to a small ranching and farming community that has worshipped on this site for more than a century. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a tight-knit rural parish family served by the priests of the Diocese of San Angelo.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:30 PM – 5:50 PM (at Our Lady of Guadalupe, Eldorado, or by appointment)
- Sunday 8:30 AM – 8:50 AM (at Our Lady of Guadalupe, Eldorado, or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM (at Our Lady of Guadalupe, Eldorado)
- Friday 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM (at Our Lady of Guadalupe, Eldorado)
About Immaculate Conception Mission
Immaculate Conception Mission is a small Catholic mission church in the unincorporated community of Knickerbocker, in the southwestern corner of Tom Green County, Texas. It is a mission of the Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Eldorado and belongs to the Diocese of San Angelo. The mission is located on West Torres Road and serves the Catholic families of the Dove Creek valley, a ranching and farming region west of San Angelo.
- Type: Mission church
- Diocese: San Angelo
- Parent parish: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Eldorado
- Address: 12142 W Torres Rd., Knickerbocker, TX 76939
- Mailing: PO Box 96, Knickerbocker, TX 76939-0096
- Phone: (325) 853-2663
- Email: [email protected]
History of the Mission
The mission dates to 1902, when it was constructed as a mission of Sacred Heart Parish to serve the Catholic families of the Knickerbocker valley. The Texas State Historical Association documented that the Immaculate Conception mission 'was still in existence in 1986,' underscoring the durability of Catholic worship in this small ranching community. Today the mission continues as part of the Eldorado parish cluster in the Diocese of San Angelo.
- Founded 1902 as a mission of Sacred Heart Parish
- Served the Catholic families of the Dove Creek valley
- Continued in use through at least 1986 (per TSHA Handbook)
- Today administered from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Eldorado
The Knickerbocker Community
Knickerbocker is a tiny rural settlement at the junction of Farm roads 2335 and 584, about eighteen miles west of San Angelo. Settled in the 1870s by pioneer farmers and sheepmen, it once boasted cotton gins, hotels, saloons, and a population of around 250. With the coming of the automobile and all-weather roads the town declined sharply; by 1990 its population was about fifty, sustained by ranching, a post office, a general store, and its churches.
- Settled 1875 by the Baze brothers, who donated land for a church, school, and cemetery
- Named for Diedrich Knickerbocker, a fictional character in Washington Irving's History of New York
- Historic ranching community on Dove Creek
- Population about 50 (1990 and 2000 census counts)
Parish Cluster: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Eldorado
Immaculate Conception Mission is one of three Catholic worship sites clustered under Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Eldorado. The parish serves the broader Schleicher, Irion, and southwestern Tom Green County region and shares its priests among the three communities. The Eldorado parish church, located at 901 N. Divide St. (US-277) in Eldorado, hosts the regular Mass schedule and the cluster's confession, adoration, and devotion times.
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Church — 901 N. Divide St. (US-277), Eldorado, TX 76936
- Immaculate Conception Mission — Knickerbocker
- St. Peter Mission — Mertzon
- Cluster phone: (325) 853-2663
Mass and Sacraments
The Mass schedule below is celebrated primarily at the parent church, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Eldorado, with bilingual English/Spanish liturgy. The priests assigned to the cluster serve Immaculate Conception Mission in Knickerbocker and St. Peter Mission in Mertzon as well. Visitors are encouraged to call (325) 853-2663 to confirm current times for the Knickerbocker mission.
- Saturday 6:00 PM — Bilingual (English/Spanish)
- Sunday 9:00 AM
- Tuesday 8:00 AM (Spanish)
- Wednesday 8:00 AM
- Thursday 8:00 AM
- Friday 8:00 AM
- Confessions: Saturday 5:30–5:50 PM and Sunday 8:30–8:50 AM (or by appointment)
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
Immaculate Conception Mission is served by priests of the Diocese of San Angelo. Following clergy assignments announced by Bishop Michael J. Sis in summer 2025, the mission's pastor is Very Rev. Santiago Udayar, who also continues as pastor of Holy Angels Parish in San Angelo. The parent parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Eldorado is pastored by Fr. Felix Archibong (also pastor of St. Ann Parish in Sonora). Prior to these assignments, Fr. Anthony (Tony) Franco attended the three Eldorado-cluster churches.
- Pastor (Immaculate Conception Mission): Very Rev. Santiago Udayar (effective July 1, 2025)
- Pastor (Our Lady of Guadalupe, Eldorado): Fr. Felix Archibong (effective July 1, 2025)
- Former cluster priest: Fr. Anthony (Tony) Franco
- Diocesan bishop: Bishop Michael J. Sis, Diocese of San Angelo
Diocese of San Angelo
Immaculate Conception Mission is part of the Diocese of San Angelo, a Latin-rite Catholic diocese covering a large portion of central and western Texas. The diocesan see is the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in San Angelo, and the diocese is led by Bishop Michael J. Sis. The mission falls within the diocese's network of small rural parishes and missions that serve ranching and farming communities across West Texas.
- Diocese: San Angelo
- Cathedral: Sacred Heart Cathedral, San Angelo
- Bishop: Michael J. Sis
Contact and Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach Immaculate Conception Mission through the Eldorado parish office. The mailing address is PO Box 96, Knickerbocker, TX 76939-0096, and the church itself stands at 12142 W Torres Rd. The shared parish phone is (325) 853-2663 and the mission's email is [email protected]. The cluster's website, ourladyofguadalupeeldorado.org, carries parish news and information.
- Phone: (325) 853-2663
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.ourladyofguadalupeeldorado.org/about-us
- Mailing: PO Box 96, Knickerbocker, TX 76939-0096
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Anthony (Tony) FrancoThrough summer 2025
Attended Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Eldorado and its two mission churches, Immaculate Conception in Knickerbocker and St. Peter in Mertzon.
- Very Rev. Santiago UdayarEffective July 1, 2025
Assigned by Bishop Michael J. Sis as pastor of Immaculate Conception Mission in Knickerbocker while continuing as pastor of Holy Angels Parish in San Angelo.