About Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Chapel · Fredericksburg, Texas
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Chapel is a Spanish-language mission chapel of St. Mary's Catholic Parish in Fredericksburg, Texas, located at 302 East College Street in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. The small Gothic Revival chapel was originally built in 1917–1919 to serve Fredericksburg's growing Hispanic community and is listed as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. After closing in the 1960s, it was reopened in the 1980s and today functions as a Spanish-language mission of St. Mary's, with Wednesday evening Mass celebrated in Spanish and parish life rooted in serving local Hispanic families. The mission shares staff, a parish office, and pastoral leadership with the mother parish of St. Mary's.
- Established
- 1917
- Patron
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Rector
- Rev. Ian Robbins
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of San Antonio
Why belong here
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Spanish-language heart of Catholic life in Fredericksburg — a small, historic Gothic Revival chapel that has served local Hispanic families since 1917 and continues to gather them for worship, fellowship, and faith formation today. Weekly Spanish Mass, a Spanish-language parish office staffed by bilingual staff, and ministries like Ultreya, ESL classes, and Pan de Vida make it a true community home for Spanish-speaking Catholics in the Hill Country. Visitors and parishioners alike are welcomed into a mission with deep roots and an active, family-oriented parish life shared with the mother parish of St. Mary's.
Mass times at Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM (at Our Lady of Guadalupe)
- Wednesday 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM (at St. Mary's)
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:55 PM (at St. Mary's)
- Also available by appointment — contact the parish office
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration, 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM in the small Church (at St. Mary's)
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Chapel
Our Lady of Guadalupe is a small historic Catholic mission chapel at 302 East College Street in Fredericksburg, Texas, that has served the area's Hispanic Catholic community since 1917. It operates as a mission of St. Mary's Catholic Parish, sharing clergy, staff, and pastoral identity with the mother church at 304 W. San Antonio Street. The chapel is best known for its Wednesday evening Spanish Mass and for its deep roots in Fredericksburg's Hispanic Catholic life.
- Type: Mission chapel of St. Mary's Catholic Parish
- Address: 302 East College Street, Fredericksburg, TX 78624
- Languages: Spanish and English
- Diocese: Archdiocese of San Antonio
- Phone (shared with St. Mary's): (830) 997-9523
History of the Chapel
In 1915, Fredericksburg's St. Mary's parish called the Rev. Sabastian Galarza, a Mexican refugee, to help establish a mission for the area's growing Hispanic population. The Gothic Revival chapel was completed in 1917 and dedicated as Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. By 1920 it was already serving some 300 Hispanic families. The mission closed in the mid-20th century and was reopened in the 1980s — Wikipedia gives 1983 — as a Spanish-language mission of St. Mary's, where it continues to serve the local Hispanic community today.
- 1915: Rev. Sabastian Galarza called to start the mission
- 1917: Gothic Revival chapel completed and dedicated
- 1920: Already serving ~300 Hispanic families
- Closed mid-20th century (1966 per THC marker)
- Reopened in the 1980s (1983 per Wikipedia) as a Spanish-language mission of St. Mary's
- 1994/1995: Designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (THC Atlas No. 5507014535)
Architecture & Historic Landmark Status
The chapel is a modest Gothic Revival building, distinguished by its gabled entry portico and pointed-arch windows. Its historic importance to Fredericksburg's Hispanic Catholic community led the Texas Historical Commission to erect an official historical marker (18" x 28" aluminum, Marker No. 14535) and designate the building a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1994/1995.
- Style: Gothic Revival
- Notable features: gabled entry portico, pointed-arch windows
- THC Atlas Number: 5507014535
- Marker text drafted in 1995 by the Texas Historical Commission
Parish Staff & Clergy (shared with St. Mary's)
Because Our Lady of Guadalupe is a mission of St. Mary's, the chapel is served by the same pastoral team as the mother parish. The pastor is Rev. Ian Robbins, assisted by parochial Vicar Rev. Mark Hriinii and a team of four deacons. Bilingual parish-office staff — including bilingual administrative assistant Paloma Arias and secretary Rumalda Rivera — keep the parish's English and Spanish ministries running smoothly.
- Rev. Ian Robbins — Pastor
- Rev. Mark Hriinii — Parochial Vicar
- Dcn. Luis de la Cruz — Transitional Deacon
- Dcn. Patrick Klein — Deacon
- Dcn. Francisco de la Torre — Deacon
- Dcn. Paul Cassetta — Deacon
- Rumalda Rivera — Secretary
- Paloma Arias — Bilingual Administrative Assistant
- Marisa Crenwelge — Communications Coordinator
- Amy Voorhees — Director of Liturgy and Music Ministry
- Wesley Crenwelge — Sacramental Records
- Elizabeth Walch — Assistant Director of Religious Education
- Karen Pehl — Bookkeeper
- Sherri Bumpas — Facilities Manager
Hispanic Ministries & Community Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the spiritual home for Fredericksburg's Spanish-speaking Catholics, with ministries that meet regularly through the week. The chapel gathers for Ultreya on Monday evenings, ESL classes on Tuesday evenings, and Pan de Vida on Friday evenings, in addition to its weekly Spanish Mass.
- Ultreya — Mondays 7:30 PM
- ESL (English as a Second Language) — Tuesdays 6:00 PM
- Pan de Vida — Fridays 6:30 PM
- Spanish-language Mass — Wednesdays 6:00 PM
Sacraments & Religious Education
All sacramental preparation — baptism, marriage, first Communion, confirmation, and RCIA — is coordinated through the St. Mary's Parish Office at 307 W. Main Street, with sacramental records maintained by Wesley Crenwelge. Religious Education for children and youth, directed by Elizabeth Walch, serves both the English-speaking St. Mary's community and the Hispanic families who worship at Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Sacramental Records: Wesley Crenwelge
- Religious Education: Elizabeth Walch, Assistant Director
- RCIA / Becoming Catholic inquiries handled through the parish office
Visiting Fredericksburg
Our Lady of Guadalupe sits in the historic downtown of Fredericksburg — a popular Texas Hill Country destination known for its German heritage, Main Street shops, and National Register historic district. Visitors are warmly welcomed at the Wednesday Spanish Mass and at any of the mission's evening parish gatherings.
- Address: 302 East College Street, Fredericksburg, TX 78624
- Located in downtown Fredericksburg's historic district
- Part of St. Mary's Parish in the Archdiocese of San Antonio
- Phone: (830) 997-9523 — shared with St. Mary's Parish Office
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Sabastian Galarza1915–
Mexican refugee called by St. Mary's parish in 1915 to help establish the mission for Fredericksburg's growing Hispanic population; the chapel was completed and dedicated in 1917 under his ministry.