About Sacred Heart · Realitos, Texas
Mission of the Sacred Heart is a historic Catholic mission in Realitos, a small ranching community in south-central Duval County, Texas. Founded in 1904 and listed in the Diocese of Corpus Christi's Parish Finder, the mission sits quietly one block off State Highway 359 and is cared for as a satellite of nearby Santa Rosa de Lima Parish in Benavides. It is part of the long tradition of small Spanish- and English-speaking South Texas Catholic missions that grew up alongside the Texas-Mexican (now Kansas City Southern) railroad towns.
- Established
- 1904
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. George Thomas Parappallil
- Diocese
- Diocese of Corpus Christi
Why belong here
Sacred Heart Mission offers small-town South Texas Catholics in the Realitos area a familiar place to worship close to home, with Sunday Mass in the historic 1904 church just off Highway 359. Although it does not have a resident priest of its own, it is shepherded by the pastor and community of nearby Santa Rosa de Lima Parish in Benavides, giving the faithful a personal connection to a wider parish family while keeping a beloved local mission alive.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Identity & Heritage
Mission of the Sacred Heart, Realitos, is a Catholic mission in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, founded in 1904 to serve the ranching families of this small Duval County community. Its patron is the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and it has been part of the South Texas Catholic landscape for more than a century.
- Founded: 1904
- Patron: Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Diocese: Corpus Christi
- Designation: Mission
History & Community
Realitos itself only began to take shape on the former Santos García Spanish land grant in the mid-1880s, with a post office granted in 1886 and a population that briefly peaked near 800 before declining. Sacred Heart was established in 1904 amid this ranching community — a place described by local historians as a 'classic, typical South Texas town.' The mission is mentioned in the Catholic Encyclopedia's account of the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville, which catalogued Realitos among the small South Texas towns ministered to by priests working out of the Rio Grande missions.
- Realitos post office established 1886
- Town was ranching headquarters for Edward C. Lasater
- Mentioned in the Catholic Encyclopedia entry on the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville
Pastoral Care & Clergy
Sacred Heart Mission is cared for by the pastor and faithful of Santa Rosa de Lima Parish in Benavides, about 13 miles to the northeast on Highway 359. The current pastor of Santa Rosa de Lima — and therefore the priest serving Sacred Heart Mission — is Rev. George Thomas Parappallil, ordained April 10, 1997.
- Rev. George Thomas Parappallil — Pastor, Santa Rosa de Lima Parish (ordained April 10, 1997); serves Sacred Heart Mission, Realitos, and St. Joseph Mission, San Jose
Visit & Contact
The mission sits one block off State Highway 359 in Realitos, on Corkill Street, accessible via Cadena Street. The shared parish phone line (with Santa Rosa de Lima in Benavides) is the best way to reach the mission office.
- Address: 4358-4364 Corkill St, Realitos, TX 78361
- Phone: (361) 256-3427
- Access: Cadena St. (off TX-359)
- Diocese Parish Finder: https://diocesecc.org/parishfinder/