About Sacred Heart · Memphis, Texas
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in Memphis, Texas, a rural community in the Texas Panhandle. The parish is part of the Diocese of Amarillo and shares pastoral ministry with Holy Angels Church in Childress, about 50 miles away. Worship is celebrated in English, Spanish, and bilingually, reflecting the bilingual character of the area. The church sits at 213 N 3rd Street and serves the small Catholic population of Hall County and the surrounding agricultural region.
- Established
- 1959
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Father David Contreras
- Diocese
- Diocese of Amarillo
Why belong here
Sacred Heart offers a warm, bilingual Catholic home in a rural part of the Texas Panhandle, where Mass is celebrated in English, Spanish, and bilingually each week. With small, intimate congregations on Saturday evening, Thursday evening, and Sunday, parishioners get to know one another and their pastor personally. Weekly Confession on Sundays and Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday evenings give the community regular opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Thursday: 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Parish Overview
Sacred Heart is a small Catholic parish serving Memphis, Texas, and the surrounding Hall County farming community in the southeast corner of the Texas Panhandle. The parish is part of the Diocese of Amarillo and is twinned pastorally with Holy Angels Church in Childress. Members gather for Mass three times a week — Saturday evening in English, Thursday evening bilingually, and Sunday morning in Spanish — making this one of the few parishes in the area that maintains a regular Spanish-language liturgy. The parish's address is 213 N 3rd Street, Memphis, TX 79245, and the rectory can be reached at (806) 259-2178.
History
The parish was founded in 1959, as recorded in GCatholic's directory of Catholic churches. Sacred Heart's story is intertwined with the broader missionary history of the Texas Panhandle. The Atonement Franciscan friars, who staffed parishes in nearby Hereford, also served the Memphis mission, and Father Raymond Gillis, SA — remembered for his groundbreaking work with migrant farmworkers around Hereford and Friona — was pastor of Sacred Heart, Memphis, from 1977 to 1981. During those years he built an educational and meeting building at the parish that still serves the community.
- Parish established 1959 (Diocese of Amarillo)
- Fr. Raymond Gillis, SA, served as pastor 1977–1981 and built a parish hall
- Fr. David Contreras appointed pastor of Sacred Heart together with Holy Angels, Childress, in 2011
Bilingual Catholic Life in the Panhandle
Sacred Heart is unusual among small rural Panhandle parishes in offering a regular Sunday Mass in Spanish alongside an English Saturday vigil Mass, plus a bilingual Thursday evening Mass. This three-language rhythm reflects the makeup of Memphis and Hall County, where long-established ranching families and Hispanic agricultural families form one Catholic community. The parish website also features a Flocknote email signup and embeds Bishop Robert Barron's Word on Fire video reflections, connecting parishioners to wider diocesan and national Catholic media.
- Sunday Mass in Spanish at 11:00 AM
- Saturday vigil Mass in English at 4:00 PM
- Thursday bilingual Mass at 6:30 PM
- Flocknote email newsletter signup on the parish website
- Word on Fire video reflections featured on the homepage
Contact and Location
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is located at 213 N 3rd Street in Memphis, Texas 79245, the seat of Hall County. The parish office and rectory can be reached by telephone at (806) 259-2178. Visitors traveling to Memphis will find the church a short distance from U.S. Highway 287, which runs through town on its way between Amarillo and Wichita Falls.
- Address: 213 N 3rd Street, Memphis, TX 79245
- Phone: (806) 259-2178
- Diocese: Amarillo
- Website: http://sacredheartmemphistx.com/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Raymond Gillis, SA (Friars of the Atonement)1977–1981
Served as pastor of Sacred Heart, Memphis, and built an educational and meeting building there. Earlier known for his migrant ministry in Hereford and Friona.
- Father David Contreras2011–present (appointed for six-year term)
Appointed by Bishop Patrick J. Zurek in 2011 as Pastor of Holy Angels Church in Childress and Sacred Heart Church in Memphis for six years. Previously Parochial Administrator at San Jose Church, Hereford.