About Sacred Heart · Pettus, Texas
Sacred Heart Catholic Mission is a small mission parish serving the rural community of Pettus, Texas, in the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Founded in 1915, it is one of the older Catholic communities in Bee County and is now administered as a dependent mission of Saint Joseph Parish in nearby Beeville, to which it was transferred by Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey effective July 5, 2023. The mission continues to celebrate Sunday Mass at 104 N. Bee Ave. and to minister to generations of farming and ranching families in the Pettus area.
- Established
- 1915
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Varghese Kolencheril Ethappiri
- Diocese
- Diocese of Corpus Christi
Why belong here
Sacred Heart Mission offers rural Catholics in Pettus and the surrounding Bee County farms and ranches a weekly Sunday Mass and weekday Masses close to home, in a small, family-style worship community. As a mission of Saint Joseph Parish in Beeville, it shares in the pastoral care, sacraments, and faith-formation resources of the larger parish while retaining its own local identity and worship site at 104 N. Bee Ave. Visitors and returning Catholics are welcomed to celebrate the Eucharist with a devoted community whose roots in this part of South Texas go back more than a century.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
About Sacred Heart Mission
Sacred Heart Catholic Mission is a small, rural mission parish in Pettus, Texas, in the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Established in 1915, the mission has served the Catholic families of Pettus and the surrounding farms and ranches for more than a century. The mission church stands at 104 N. Bee Avenue in Pettus and is now administered as a dependent mission of Saint Joseph Parish in Beeville, the seat of the Beeville Deanery.
- Founded 1915
- Located at 104 N Bee Ave, Pettus, TX 78146
- Mission of Saint Joseph Parish, Beeville (since July 5, 2023)
- Diocese of Corpus Christi
History
Sacred Heart Mission was established in 1915 as a Catholic outpost for the farming and ranching families around Pettus. For most of its history the mission was dependent on Our Lady of Victory Parish in Beeville. In July 2023, Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey formally transferred pastoral dependence to Saint Joseph Parish in Beeville so that the mission could continue to be served and its sacraments celebrated reliably. The parish community has deep roots in the Bee County area, and obituaries of longtime parishioners record burials at regional Catholic cemeteries, a sign of the strong South-Central Texas Catholic heritage carried by families like the Kanaks and others who have worshipped at Sacred Heart for generations.
- Mission founded in 1915
- Formerly a mission of Our Lady of Victory Parish, Beeville
- On July 5, 2023, Bishop Mulvey transferred dependence to Saint Joseph Parish, Beeville
- Long-standing multi-generational Catholic families in the parish
Clergy & Staff
Sacred Heart Mission is served by priests assigned to Saint Joseph Parish in Beeville and overseen within the diocesan Beeville Deanery.
- Rev. Varghese Kolencheril Ethappiri — Pastor of Sacred Heart Mission, Pettus (ordained June 18, 2019); also chaplain at the TDCJ William G. McConnell Unit, Beeville
- Very Rev. Pedro T. Elizardo, Jr. — Dean, Beeville Deanery, Diocese of Corpus Christi
Diocese & Deanery
Sacred Heart Mission is part of the Diocese of Corpus Christi and falls within the Beeville Deanery. It is listed in the Diocese of Corpus Christi's parish finder alongside the other missions and parishes that the diocese serves across South Texas.
- Diocese of Corpus Christi
- Beeville Deanery
- Listed on the Diocese of Corpus Christi Parish Finder (diocesecc.org/parishfinder)
Visiting & Contact
Parishioners and visitors seeking more information about Sacred Heart Mission in Pettus are directed to contact the Saint Joseph Parish Office in Beeville. The mission's street address is 104 N Bee Ave, Pettus, TX 78146.
- Address: 104 N Bee Ave, Pettus, TX 78146
- Local phone (listed by diocesan and directory sources): (361) 375-2512
- Saint Joseph Parish Office (Beeville): (361) 358-3239
- Website: diocesecc.org/parishfinder/