About Our Lady of Sorrows · San Antonio, Texas
Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church is a multi-ethnic Roman Catholic parish located at 3107 North St. Mary's Street in San Antonio, Texas, within the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio. Founded in 1915 and canonically established as a parish on December 8, 1977, the parish has long served Polish Catholic immigrants in South Texas and continues to operate the Polish Catholic Mission (Polska Misja Katolicka), alongside English- and Spanish-speaking communities. The church is staffed by Salvatorian (Society of the Divine Savior, SDS) priests and offers a trilingual schedule of Masses, devotions, and faith formation. Known locally as OLS or 'Matki Boskiej Bolesnej' in Polish, the parish is a rare tri-lingual Catholic community in the United States celebrating Mass in English, Spanish, and Polish every Sunday.
- Established
- 1915
- Patron
- Our Lady of Sorrows (Matka Boska Bolesna)
- Rector
- Rev. Jorge Campos
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of San Antonio
Why belong here
Our Lady of Sorrows is one of the few Catholic parishes in Texas where you can regularly attend Mass in three languages — English, Spanish, and Polish — in the same church, with the Polish Catholic Mission (Polska Misja Katolicka) serving Polish immigrants and Polish-Americans throughout the region. The parish offers weekly Eucharistic Adoration, a full schedule of Confessions in multiple languages, faith formation for children and adults (including ongoing Adult Confirmation classes), and a rich devotional life centered on Our Lady of Sorrows and St. John Paul II, whose relic is enshrined in the church. It is staffed by Salvatorian (SDS) fathers and is a small, welcoming tri-cultural community rooted in a sanctuary decorated by the celebrated Salvatorian sacred artist Father Antoni Polaniak SDS.
Mass times at Our Lady of Sorrows
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
- Thursday 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
- Saturday 4:30 pm – 5:20 pm
- Monday–Friday 7:30 am – 7:55 am (before Mass)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Monday 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
- Thursday 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm (Adoration and Confession)
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish
Our Lady of Sorrows is a tri-lingual Roman Catholic parish in central San Antonio, Texas, located at 3107 North St. Mary's Street (ZIP 78212). It belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio and is served by Salvatorian (SDS) clergy. The parish was established in 1915 to serve Polish Catholic immigrants in San Antonio and was canonically erected as a parish on December 8, 1977. Today it hosts the Polish Catholic Mission (Polska Misja Katolicka) and offers Mass in English, Spanish, and Polish every Sunday.
- Address: 3107 North St. Mary's Street, San Antonio, TX 78212
- Phone: (210) 732-6295
- Email: [email protected]
- Polish Mission line: (210) 730-1234 — [email protected]
- Website: http://olssa.org
- Facebook: @olssa.tx
- Diocese: Archdiocese of San Antonio
History & Heritage
Founded in 1915 to serve Polish Catholic immigrants in San Antonio, Our Lady of Sorrows has functioned continuously as a center of Polish-American Catholic life in South Texas. The parish was canonically established on December 8, 1977, and is pastored by Salvatorian fathers of the Polish tradition. Over the decades it has expanded into a trilingual community (English, Spanish, Polish) and has become the home of the Polish Catholic Mission for the region. The interior of the church was transformed in the early 2000s by the Salvatorian sacred artist Father Antoni Polaniak SDS, who reconstructed the high altar and two rear altars, designed a new altar, painted a Holy Trinity polychrome, frescoed the entrance with the Polish and American coats of arms, designed altars to St. John Paul II and Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko, and built a handicapped-accessible shrine for a relic of St. John Paul II.
- Founded: 1915 (Polish immigrant community in San Antonio)
- Canonically established as a parish: December 8, 1977
- Major interior renovation: early 2000s by Father Antoni Polaniak SDS
- Polish Catholic Mission hosted since the parish's early decades
Clergy & Staff
The parish has been part of a tri-parish grouping with Our Lady of Grace Church and St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles Church in San Antonio since July 1, 2021, when Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS, appointed Father Jorge Campos as pastor of all three. The Polish Mission is administered by Rev. Marian Piekarczyk SDS. Rev. Jose Ramon Perez Martinez, JCD, is listed by the Archdiocesan Tribunal as serving at Our Lady of Sorrows, and in 2021 Father Binoj Jose Elukkunnel, HGN, was assigned as parochial vicar of the tri-parish grouping. The parish also employs a part-time Coordinator of Religious Education, who supports the catechetical program, sacramental preparation, and the Faith Formation Commission.
- Pastor: Rev. Jorge Campos (since July 1, 2021)
- Polish Mission Administrator: Rev. Marian Piekarczyk SDS
- Rev. Jose Ramon Perez Martinez, JCD
- Parochial Vicar (2021): Rev. Binoj Jose Elukkunnel, HGN
- Coordinator of Religious Education (parish staff, bilingual English/Spanish)
Polish Catholic Mission (Polska Misja Katolicka)
Our Lady of Sorrows hosts the Polish Catholic Mission for South and Central Texas, providing Polish-language Masses and pastoral care for Polish immigrants and Polish-Americans in the region. The Mission was historically staffed by Polish Salvatorian (SDS) fathers and remains a spiritual home for the Polish diaspora in San Antonio.
- Sunday Mass in Polish: 8:00 AM
- First Saturday Mass in Polish: 7:00 PM
- Mission contact: [email protected]
- Mission phone: (210) 730-1234
- Patronal feast: Our Lady of Sorrows, September 15
- Languages used: Polish, English, Spanish
Sacraments
Our Lady of Sorrows prepares parishioners for and celebrates all seven Catholic sacraments, including ongoing sacramental preparation programs coordinated through the Faith Formation office and supported by the Coordinator of Religious Education.
- Baptism
- First Holy Communion
- Confirmation (youth and adult; Adult Confirmation classes via Zoom)
- Marriage (Matrimony)
- Anointing of the Sick
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Holy Eucharist (Mass and Adoration)
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish operates an ongoing faith formation program for children, youth, and adults, coordinated by a part-time bilingual (English/Spanish) Coordinator of Religious Education. Adult Confirmation Classes meet Sundays from 5:00–6:30 pm via Zoom, with the next series starting February 22, 2026. The Coordinator collaborates with the Youth and Young Adult Religious Education Coordinator, prepares sacramental programs and liturgies, recruits and trains catechists, maintains sacramental records, and connects faith formation families with the wider parish community. The Coordinator also works with the parish's Safe Environment Coordinator to ensure compliance with Archdiocese of San Antonio safe-environment requirements.
- Ongoing Faith Formation (children and youth)
- Youth and Young Adult Religious Education
- Adult Confirmation Classes (Zoom, Sundays 5:00–6:30 pm)
- Faith Formation Commission
- Sacramental preparation (Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage)
- Safe Environment compliance with the Archdiocese
Architecture, Art & Devotional Shrine
The interior of Our Lady of Sorrows is the most distinctive single feature of the parish. Designed and decorated by the Salvatorian priest-artist Father Antoni Polaniak SDS (1950–2020), the church contains reconstructed side altars, a redesigned high altar, a Holy Trinity polychrome, altars to St. John Paul II and Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko, a fresco at the entrance bearing the Polish and American coats of arms, and an accessible shrine for a relic of St. John Paul II. Outside, Stations of the Rosary surround a statue of St. John Paul II, and the Millennium Hall is decorated with approximately 950 painted coats of arms of Polish cities plus the Salvatorian emblem.
- High altar reconstructed by Fr. Antoni Polaniak SDS
- Two side altars dedicated to St. John Paul II and Bl. Jerzy Popiełuszko
- Relic shrine of St. John Paul II (handicap-accessible)
- Holy Trinity polychrome by Fr. Polaniak
- Fresco of Polish and American coats of arms at the church entrance
- Stations of the Rosary and John Paul II statue in front of the church
- Millennium Hall with ~950 painted Polish civic coats of arms
- Designer of The Millennium Panorama Christmas nativity scene
Getting Involved & Visiting
Visitors are welcome at any liturgy. The parish encourages new parishioners to register ('Become a Parishioner'), supports online giving through its website, and publishes a weekly bulletin with current events. Pastoral Council and Faith Formation Commission meetings, development committee work, and a variety of liturgical and outreach ministries provide many ways to participate.
- Become a Parishioner — registration via olssa.org
- Online giving via the parish website
- Weekly bulletin published online at olssa.org/bulletins
- Bulletin sponsorship opportunities
- Pastoral Council and Faith Formation Commission
- Volunteer catechists and liturgical ministers
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Jorge Campos2021–present
Appointed pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows together with Our Lady of Grace and St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, all in San Antonio, by Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS, effective July 1, 2021.
- Rev. Marian Piekarczyk SDS
Salvatorian priest associated with the parish as Administrator; oversees the Polish Catholic Mission (Polska Misja Katolicka).
- Rev. Jose Ramon Perez Martinez, JCD
Listed by the Archdiocese of San Antonio Tribunal as assigned to Our Lady of Sorrows.
- Rev. Binoj Jose Elukkunnel, HGN2021
Assigned as parochial vicar of Our Lady of Grace, Our Lady of Sorrows, and St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, effective July 1, 2021.
- Father Antoni Polaniak SDSd. 2020
Not a pastor but the Salvatorian priest-artist responsible for the major interior renovation, altar designs, and devotional art, including the John Paul II shrine.
- ks. Thaddeus Tabak SDS
Identified as 'Proboszcz' (pastor) in the Polish-language Wikipedia entry for the parish; served the Polish community.