About Immaculate Heart of Mary · Martindale, Texas
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish is a small Roman Catholic (Roman Rite) parish located in Martindale, a quiet town in western Caldwell County, Texas, roughly ten miles west of Lockhart. It belongs to the Diocese of Austin and serves a bilingual community, celebrating Mass in both English and Spanish each week. The parish is named in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Marian devotion to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary — her joys, sorrows, and virtues — and is led today by Rev. Adam Martinez as pastor. The parish's modest current campus sits on Lockhart Street, the same street where Catholic worship has been offered to the rural farming families of Martindale for more than a century.
- Established
- 1908
- Patron
- Immaculate Heart of Mary (the Blessed Virgin Mary, devotion to her interior life — joys, sorrows, and virtues)
- Rector
- Rev. Adam Martinez
- Diocese
- Diocese of Austin
Why belong here
Immaculate Heart of Mary is a welcoming bilingual parish in the small farming town of Martindale, offering Mass in both English and Spanish each Sunday along with Saturday Vigil and Thursday evening Masses. The community gathers for weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday evenings and for the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday afternoons, providing a steady rhythm of prayer, formation (through a Director of Religious Education), and fellowship rooted in more than a century of Catholic life in Caldwell County.
Mass times at Immaculate Heart of Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (Sacrament of Reconciliation)
Adoration times
- Thursday 7:30 PM – 8:00 PM (Adoration Every Thursday); also reported as Thursday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM on some directories
About Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish (Parroquia del Inmaculado Corazón de María) is a Roman Rite Catholic parish of the Diocese of Austin serving the small rural town of Martindale in western Caldwell County, Texas. It is named in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Marian devotion honoring the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary — her joys, her sorrows, and her virtues. The parish is bilingual, celebrating Mass each week in both English and Spanish to serve its farming-community congregation. The parish office is staffed by Pastor Rev. Adam Martinez, Administrator Diana Arroyo, and Director of Religious Education Georgina Cruz.
- Patron: Immaculate Heart of Mary
- Diocese: Diocese of Austin
- Pastor: Rev. Adam Martinez
- Administrator: Diana Arroyo
- Director of Religious Education: Georgina Cruz
History: The Claretian Legacy in Martindale
Catholic worship in Martindale began in 1908 when the Claretian Missionaries (Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, CMF) erected the town's first Catholic church and opened a small parish school two years later in 1910. A fire destroyed the original wooden church in 1916; the Claretians promptly built a new brick-and-stone church on the site — the building that forms the core of the parish's identity. In the early decades, rural farmworkers walked straight from the fields to evening Lenten missions, sometimes remaining on the church grounds through Holy Week. The present church stands as a continuation of that more-than-a-century-old Catholic presence, now under diocesan (rather than religious-order) leadership.
- 1908: Claretian Missionaries build the first Catholic church in Martindale
- 1910: Parish school opens under Claretian direction
- 1916: Original wooden structure burns; Claretians raise the brick-and-stone church
- Mid-1980s: Parishioners renovate the aging church by their own labor
- 1991: Arson fire damages the historic building; present church is rebuilt
Holy Week and Rural Faith Life
Recollections preserved by the Claretian Missionaries Archives USA-Canada describe how, during special Lenten missions held in the evenings, 'everyone walked to the church, direct from the fields, and were there until 10 PM.' During Holy Week, many families simply stayed on the church grounds — cooking and sleeping under the open sky — to be present for the liturgies. This tradition of gathering from the fields and remaining at the church remains a treasured part of the parish's identity.
- Evening Lenten missions drew farm families straight from the fields
- Holy Week gatherings included overnight stays on the church grounds
Father Inocencio Martín, CMF — 'Great Missionary of the Small Places'
Fr. Inocencio Martín, CMF, was a long-serving pastor remembered by the rural faithful of Martindale. Parishioners recalled how he 'would walk to Martindale from San Marcos every Friday and would return on Mondays,' keeping up this grueling routine for years until a local bread deliveryman began giving him a ride. His confreres called him the 'Gran Misionero de los sitios pequeños' (Great Missionary of the small places), and Martindale was certainly one of those small places he faithfully served.
- Fr. Inocencio Martín, CMF — long-serving Claretian pastor
- Walked from San Marcos to Martindale weekly for years
- Known as the 'Gran Misionero de los sitios pequeños'
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation for children and families is coordinated by Director of Religious Education Georgina Cruz. The parish continues the long Catholic tradition of forming young parishioners in the faith that began with the Claretian parish school opened in 1910.
- Director of Religious Education: Georgina Cruz
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is served by a small, dedicated team of clergy and lay staff. Rev. Adam Martinez serves as pastor, also assigned in 2015 to St. Michael Parish in the Diocese of Austin. Diana Arroyo serves as parish administrator, and Georgina Cruz leads the religious education program. Some directories also list Fr. Antonio Perez as pastor — parishioners should confirm current assignments with the parish office.
- Rev. Adam Martinez — Pastor (appointed by Bishop Joe Vásquez, effective June 29, 2015; ordained June 8, 1985)
- Fr. Antonio Perez — Pastor (per Catholic Church Directory listing)
- Diana Arroyo — Administrator
- Georgina Cruz — Director of Religious Education
Visit, Contact & Location
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish is located on Lockhart Street in the small town of Martindale, in western Caldwell County, Texas, about ten miles west of Lockhart. Visitors and parishioners are warmly welcomed at Mass and to the parish office during the week.
- Address: 312 Lockhart Street, Martindale, TX 78655
- Phone: (512) 357-6573
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://17794.sites.ecatholic.com/
- Diocesan listing: austindiocese.org/parishfinder
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Inocencio Martín, CMFEarly 20th century
Claretian Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; dubbed by his confreres the 'Gran Misionero de los sitios pequeños.' Walked from San Marcos to Martindale each Friday for years.