About Our Lady of Fatima · Daingerfield, Texas
Our Lady of Fatima is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Tyler serving the small East Texas town of Daingerfield in Morris County. Established in 1951 to serve Catholic families drawn to the area by the East Texas oil boom, it is the only Catholic parish in the county and ministers in both English and Spanish, with a weekly Sunday Mass in Spanish. The parish belongs to the Northeast Deanery of the Diocese of Tyler, sits one block off US Highway 259 behind the local high school, and is actively engaged in regional events including ACTS retreats, rosary rallies, and pilgrim-statue visits of Our Lady of Fatima.
- Established
- 1951
- Patron
- Our Lady of Fatima
- Rector
- Rev. Juan Carlos Sardinas
- Diocese
- Diocese of Tyler
Why belong here
Our Lady of Fatima offers a tight-knit, bilingual Catholic community in a region where Catholic parishes are few and far between — the only Catholic parish in Morris County. Weekday Masses Tuesday through Friday give daily faithful easy access to the Eucharist, a Spanish-language Sunday Mass welcomes Hispanic Catholics from across the area, and the parish joins neighboring churches in regional ministries like ACTS retreats, rosary rallies, and pilgrim-statue visits of Our Lady of Fatima. For Catholics in the Daingerfield–Lone Star–Hughes Springs corridor, it is a steady spiritual home grounded in the devotion to Our Lady of Fatima and the missionary tradition of East Texas.
Mass times at Our Lady of Fatima
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM (30 minutes before the 9:00 AM Mass)
- By appointment
Parish History
Our Lady of Fatima Parish was canonically established on June 16, 1951, in the Diocese of Tyler to serve Catholic families in Morris County drawn to East Texas by the 1930s oil boom. Through the 1960s the parish and its neighbors at Atlanta, Jefferson, New Boston, and Mount Vernon were served by Glenmary Home Missioners. A 2017 renovation added a bell tower entry and south-side storage, designed by Godwin Design Architects PLLC. Today the parish is the only Catholic parish in Morris County and remains an anchor of the Northeast Deanery.
- Founded: June 16, 1951
- Part of the Diocese of Tyler (est. 1937, the fourteenth diocese of Texas)
- Served by Glenmary Home Missioners in the 1960s
- 2017 renovation: bell tower entry + south storage (~$200K) by Godwin Design Architects PLLC
Devotion to Our Lady of Fatima
True to its patron, the parish has a strong devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. In July 2017 it hosted one of six internationally commissioned Pilgrim Statues of Our Lady of Fatima, blessed by Pope Francis in January 2017 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the apparitions at Fatima, Portugal. The two-day visit drew Catholics from across Morris County for procession, crowning of the statue, Rosary, Brown Scapular imposition, the Nine Offices of the Sacred Heart, Adoration, Benediction, and Veneration of Our Lady, with talks on Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
- Hosted Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima: July 24–25, 2017
- Hosted Diocesan Rosary Rally: July 16, 2022
- Program included crowning, Brown Scapular, Nine Offices, Adoration, Benediction
Parish Ministries & Outreach
Our Lady of Fatima is an active participant in several regional ministries coordinated through the Diocese of Tyler. It joins Sacred Heart (Texarkana), St. Catherine's (Atlanta), and St. Mary's (New Boston) in hosting ACTS retreats, and serves as a host site for diocesan rosary rallies. The parish has also been a gathering point for Hispanic Catholics across northeast Texas, who worship together at the 11:30 AM Spanish Sunday Mass.
- ACTS Retreat Ministry collaboration
- Diocesan Rosary Rallies (host site)
- Hispanic Ministry (Spanish Sunday Mass)
- Funeral and bereavement ministry
Clergy
The parish is currently led by Rev. Juan Carlos Sardinas, who was assigned as pastor in Summer 2026, coming from Holy Cross Parish in Pittsburg. He succeeds Rev. Eugene Tillekeratne, SSS, who served as parish administrator from September 2021 to Summer 2026, and Very Rev. Francis O'Dowd, who served as pastor before September 2021 and also led the Diocese's Northeast Deanery.
- Rev. Juan Carlos Sardinas — Pastor (Summer 2026–present)
- Rev. Eugene Tillekeratne, SSS — Parish Administrator (Sept. 2021–Summer 2026)
- Very Rev. Francis O'Dowd — Pastor (through Sept. 2021); later Northeast Deanery Dean
Pastoral Succession
Parish records and diocesan assignment announcements document the pastoral succession at Our Lady of Fatima from the late 2000s to the present. The parish continues the missionary tradition begun by the Glenmary Home Missioners in the 1960s, with priests assigned from across the Diocese of Tyler, including a member of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (SSS).
- Father Ambrose — circa 2008 (officiated at parish funerals)
- Very Rev. Francis O'Dowd — through September 2021
- Rev. Eugene Tillekeratne, SSS — September 2021–Summer 2026
- Rev. Juan Carlos Sardinas — Summer 2026–present
Diocese & Deanery
Our Lady of Fatima belongs to the Diocese of Tyler, the fourteenth diocese of Texas, established in 1937 from the Diocese of Dallas. Within the diocese, the parish is grouped into the Northeast Deanery, which covers Bowie, Camp, Cass, Morris, Titus, and Upshur Counties, alongside St. Catherine of Siena (Atlanta), St. Francis of Assisi (Gilmer), St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus (Gladewater), St. Michael (Mt. Pleasant), St. Mary of the Cenacle (New Boston), Holy Cross (Pittsburg), and Sacred Heart (Texarkana).
- Diocese of Tyler (established 1937)
- Northeast Deanery — Counties: Bowie, Camp, Cass, Morris, Titus, Upshur
- Dean: Very Rev. Francis O'Dowd
Building, Facilities & Renovation
The church building stands at 1305 Bert Street, behind Daingerfield High School and one block off US Highway 259. The Diocese of Tyler owns the property. In March 2017 the parish registered an addition-and-renovation project with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR); Godwin Design Architects PLLC designed the work, which added a prominent bell tower entry element and a storage addition on the south side, and the project passed its accessibility inspection in September 2017.
- Address: 1305 Bert Street, Daingerfield, TX 75638
- Owner: Diocese of Tyler
- 2017 bell-tower entry addition by Godwin Design Architects PLLC
- Project value ~$200,000; TDLR inspection passed September 2017
Visit, Location & Contact
Visitors are warmly welcomed. The parish office can be reached at (903) 645-5637, and the parish maintains a presence on Facebook at facebook.com/OLFDaingerfield. On-site parking is available; given the rural setting, most visitors arrive by car. Confessions are heard each Sunday morning before the 9:00 AM Mass, and any time by appointment.
- Phone: (903) 645-5637
- Facebook: facebook.com/OLFDaingerfield
- Parking: on-site
- Office inquiries by phone (no public email listed)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Ambrosecirca 2008
Officiated at parish funerals in Daingerfield in the late 2000s (e.g., funeral of Richard Lee Porter, Oct. 2008).
- Very Rev. Francis O'Dowdprior to 2015 – September 1, 2021
Irish priest; served as pastor of Our Lady of Fatima in Daingerfield; previously served in Lufkin. Also served as Dean of the Northeast Deanery of the Diocese of Tyler. Reassigned September 2021 to pastor of St. Theresa in Gladewater and administrator of Our Lady Queen of Angels Mission in Overton.
- Rev. Eugene Tillekeratne, SSSSeptember 1, 2021 – Summer 2026
Member of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (SSS); transferred from administrator of Our Lady of Grace in Hallsville. Reassigned in Summer 2026 to Parish Administrator of Immaculate Conception Parish in Jefferson.
- Rev. Juan Carlos SardinasSummer 2026 – present
Current pastor (effective Summer 2026); transferred from pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Pittsburg. Previously served as pastor of St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish in Fairfield (with St. Mary Mission in Teague) and earlier at St. James Parish in Sulphur Springs.