About Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary · Penelope, Texas
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (NBVM) is a small, family-sized Roman Catholic parish in the rural community of Penelope, Texas, situated in south central Hill County about fifteen miles south of Hillsboro. The church sits at 219 Magnolia Street and serves Catholics in Penelope and the surrounding farm country. It belongs to the Diocese of Fort Worth and is currently pastored by Fr. Thomas Jones, who also serves Immaculate Heart of Mary in nearby Abbott. With a Sunday Mass, two weekday Masses, a CCD religious-education program, and a tight-knit cluster of parish ministries led by lay volunteers, NBVM is the kind of country parish where most members know one another by name.
- Established
- Early 20th century (parish established to serve Czech Catholic settlers after the 1902 founding of Penelope)
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title of her Nativity)
- Rector
- Rev. Thomas Jones
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fort Worth
Why belong here
NBVM is a small rural parish where the sacraments are available every week — Sunday and twice on weekdays — and where confession can be received before Mass or after the Sunday liturgy. Families with children can enroll them in the parish's own Pre-K through High School CCD program, which meets on Wednesday evenings and includes sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation. Beyond Mass, the parish is run by its lay faithful: an Altar Society, a Music/Liturgy Ministry, Finance and Pastoral Councils, bulletin editors, and a community hall available for rental — a real network of small-parish ministries that lets newcomers plug in quickly.
Mass times at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 7:30 AM (before Mass, per diocesan listing)
- Friday 7:30 AM (before Mass, per diocesan listing)
- Sunday after the 10:00 AM Mass (per diocesan listing and parish schedule note 'confessions after')
Adoration times
- Call Parish Office to arrange a time (per diocesan listing)
- First Friday: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and one hour of Adoration following the 7:00 AM Mass (per catholicmasstime.org schedule; verify with parish office for current time)
About Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (often shortened to NBVM or simply 'Nativity Catholic Church') is a Roman Catholic parish serving the small rural community of Penelope, Texas, in south central Hill County. It is one of a handful of Catholic parishes in this stretch of farm country between Hillsboro and Waco, and is currently staffed jointly with Immaculate Heart of Mary in Abbott. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Fort Worth under Bishop Michael Olson.
- Parish name: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church
- Commonly called: NBVM or Nativity Catholic Church
- Diocese: Fort Worth
- Bishop: Michael Olson
History and Heritage
The parish traces its origins to the early twentieth century, when Czech Catholic settlers — part of a larger wave of Bohemian and Moravian immigration into central Texas — established Penelope after the International-Great Northern Railroad platted the townsite in 1902. Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was founded to serve this growing Catholic community and remains a spiritual and cultural landmark at 219 Magnolia Street. Czech surnames such as Novotny, Svoboda, and Kovar are still common in the parish and the wider community, and kolache-baking, polka music, and the local Sokol Hall continue to echo the Bohemian Catholic heritage brought by those first settlers.
- Penelope settled in the early 1890s; town platted in 1902 with the arrival of the International-Great Northern Railroad
- Parish established in the early twentieth century to serve Czech Catholic families
- Part of a community that also produced the Hill County Review and three large cotton gins in the early 1900s
- Continues the Czech-American Catholic tradition of the Hill Country region
Patron and Feast
The parish is named for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the oldest Marian feasts in the Christian calendar. The feast commemorates the birth of the Mother of God and is celebrated in both the Eastern and Western Churches on September 8 — nine months after the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (December 8).
- Patron: The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of her Nativity
- Feast Day: September 8
- Devotion especially dear to Czech (Bohemian/Moravian) Catholic tradition
Religious Education and CCD
The parish runs its own CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program for children from Pre-K through High School, meeting on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 PM during the school year. Sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation is built into the CCD program. Registration typically takes place after Sunday Mass in the parish hall in mid-to-late August, and CCD classes begin in September. Parents are encouraged to attend Mass and CCD at the same parish home.
- Grades: Pre-K through High School
- When: Wednesdays, 6:00–7:30 PM (school year)
- Includes sacramental prep for First Communion and Confirmation
- Director of Religious Education: Kelly Dudik
- Registration forms available on the parish website and at the in-person registration
- Teacher aides and volunteers are welcome
Parish Staff and Councils
As is typical of a small country parish, NBVM is run by a tight combination of clergy and committed lay faithful. Fr. Thomas Jones serves as pastor and is assisted by two deacons, a parish secretary, a bookkeeper, a Director of Religious Education, and the leaders of the parish's Finance and Pastoral Councils.
- Pastor — Fr. Thomas Jones
- Deacon — Rev. Denver Crawley (parish staff listing); Deacon Terry Timmons (also assisting, per diocesan listing)
- Secretary / Hall Rental — Debi Lednicky
- Bookkeeper — Thomas Kucera
- Director of Religious Education — Kelly Dudik
- Finance Council President — David Holub
- Pastoral Council President — Debi Lednicky
- Bulletin Editor / Training Coordinator — Janice Chase
Parish Ministries and Groups
The parish's lay ministries are the backbone of its community life. From the Altar Society caring for the sanctuary and altar linens, to the Music/Liturgy Ministry leading congregational song, to the councils that advise the pastor, every part of parish life is shaped by volunteers who give of their time and talents.
- Altar Society — LuAnn Matula
- Music / Liturgy Ministry — Karen Osborne
- Finance Council — David Holub, President
- Pastoral Council — Debi Lednicky, President
- Bulletin editing and training coordination — Janice Chase
- Religious Education teaching and aide volunteers
Knapek Memorial Scholarship
The parish sponsors the Raymond A. and Rosie S. Knapek Memorial Scholarship, awarded annually to a student connected to the parish community. Applications are posted on the parish website each spring; for the 2026 cycle, applications were due by April 5.
- Name: Raymond A. and Rosie S. Knapek Memorial Scholarship
- Administered by Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish
- Applications posted online each year on the parish website
Bulletin and Announcements
The weekly parish bulletin is published online through nbvm.org. Current announcements shared on the parish homepage include a welcome to Fr. Thomas Jones as the new pastor serving both NBVM and IHM Abbott, a pastoral letter from Bishop Michael Olson, the Knapek Scholarship application window, and other parish news.
- Weekly bulletins available online at nbvm.org
- Homepage features bishop's pastoral letter and current announcements
- Bulletin editor: Janice Chase
Contact and Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach NBVM by phone, by mail, or through the contact form on the parish website. The parish mailing address is PO Box 98, Penelope, TX 76676. The church itself sits at 219 Magnolia Street in Penelope. Inquiries about religious education can be directed to the DRE, Kelly Dudik, at the address listed on the website.
- Address: 219 Magnolia Street, Penelope, TX 76676
- Mailing: PO Box 98, Penelope, TX 76676
- Phone: (254) 533-2325
- Website: nbvm.org
- Director of Religious Education: [email protected]