About Sacred Heart - Uvalde · Uvalde, Texas
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Uvalde, Texas, founded in 1908 to serve the growing Catholic community of the region. It belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio and gathers a bilingual (English/Spanish) flock from the town and surrounding Uvalde County. The parish operates the long-running Sacred Heart Catholic School (est. 1913, staffed since its founding by the Teresian Sisters), runs an active adult faith formation and CCD program, and is one of five parishes in the archdiocese designated as a Jubilee 2025 pilgrimage site.
- Established
- 1908
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Matthew De Leon
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is a family-friendly parish with active ministries for every age and stage of life — from CCD religious education for children (which more than doubled in enrollment in recent years) and the parish school serving pre-K through seventh grade, to Catholic Women's Organization, Guadalupano/Guadalupana societies, ACTS, Life Teen, Knights of Columbus, Divine Mercy, and Hearts Afire prayer groups. Daily Mass is offered in both English and Spanish, with bilingual Reconciliation and Eucharistic Adoration throughout the week, and a committed clergy team (pastor, parochial vicar, and three deacons) that walks with families through the milestones of baptism, first Communion, confirmation, marriage, and anointing of the sick. Visitors and newcomers are warmly welcomed and encouraged to register as parishioners so the parish can better serve their family's needs.
Mass times at Sacred Heart - Uvalde
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 5:00 pm–6:00 pm
- Saturday 3:00 pm–4:00 pm (or 3:00 pm–4:30 pm per parish listings) and by appointment
Adoration times
- Sunday 1:00 pm–1:30 pm
- Tuesday 6:30 pm–7:00 pm
- Wednesday 6:30 pm–7:00 pm
- Thursday 4:45 pm–5:50 pm
- Friday 9:00 am–9:30 am (cancelled if a funeral is scheduled)
- Saturday 6:00 pm–6:30 pm
History of Sacred Heart Parish
Sacred Heart was founded in 1908 in Uvalde, a Texas border town established in the 1850s. The Catholic Extension Society, founded that same era, helped fund the original church building in 1906 and the parish school twelve years later. Generations of Uvalde families have been baptized, married, and buried from the parish, making it one of the longest continuous Catholic institutions in the area. The parish has served through local natural disasters, social upheavals, and — most visibly — through its central pastoral role in the aftermath of the 2022 Robb Elementary tragedy.
- Parish formally constituted in 1908
- Original church built with Catholic Extension Society support, 1906
- Parish school established 1913 by the Teresian Sisters
- Listed as a Jubilee 2025 pilgrimage site by the Archdiocese of San Antonio
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by Very Rev. Matthew De Leon, pastor since July 2022, supported by parochial vicar Rev. Man Nguyen and three permanent deacons. A dedicated office staff handles sacramental records, ministry coordination, finance, and parish administration. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am–12:00 pm and 1:30–4:30 pm.
- Rev. Matthew De Leon — Pastor ([email protected])
- Rev. Man Nguyen — Parochial Vicar ([email protected])
- Deacon Kenneth Dirksen
- Deacon Federico Flores
- Deacon Daniel Ibarra
- Mariana Kinsey — Sacramental Records ([email protected])
- Jennifer Trapp — Ministry Coordinator ([email protected])
- Vanessa Perez — Parish Assistant ([email protected])
- Alma Tobias — Senior Bookkeeper ([email protected])
Sacraments & Sacramental Preparation
The parish office coordinates all sacramental preparation. Parents seeking Baptism receive one-on-one guidance on requirements, sponsors, and qualifications. Couples are asked to contact the Ministry Coordinator at least six months before their intended wedding date to begin marriage preparation. Children prepare for First Communion and Confirmation through the parish's CCD program, and adults prepare through the adult faith formation / RCIA process.
- Baptism — contact Mariana Kinsey, Sacramental Records Clerk
- Marriage — contact Jennifer Trapp at least six months ahead
- First Communion & Confirmation — via CCD / adult faith formation
- Anointing of the Sick — for the sick, homebound, and hospitalized
Faith Formation & CCD (Religious Education)
Sacred Heart runs a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) program for parish children and an adult faith formation track for those preparing to receive the sacraments. Enrollment has grown sharply in recent years — RCIA and CCD enrollment both more than doubled in 2023 — prompting the parish to expand teacher recruitment and classroom space. Registrations for the 2025–2026 school year are processed through the CCD office; students are not automatically re-enrolled from the prior year.
- CCD registration open each summer for the coming school year
- Adult sacraments preparation (RCIA) — classes more than doubled in 2023
- Parish Synodality / listening sessions offered in connection with archdiocesan and universal Church initiatives
Sacred Heart Catholic School
Sacred Heart Catholic School, located on or near the parish campus, was established in 1913 by the Teresian Sisters (Society of St. Teresa of Jesus), founded by Father Bernard Hermann, to educate the children of Sacred Heart Parish. Its mission is to form hearts and minds in faith development, academic excellence, and leadership with Jesus as the role model; its vision is that each child becomes a lifelong learner who thinks, feels, loves, acts, and speaks as Jesus did. Following the 2022 Robb Elementary tragedy the school expanded its capacity to welcome transferring families, including tuition-support scholarships funded through Catholic Extension and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
- Founded 1913 by the Teresian Sisters
- Serves pre-K through 7th grade
- Motto/Vision: 'empower each child to think, feel, love, act, and speak as Jesus did'
- Tuition scholarship program established post-2022 in partnership with Catholic Extension Society
Parish Ministries & Organizations
Sacred Heart runs a long list of lay apostolates and spiritual groups, many coordinated through named parish contacts published in the weekly bulletin. They span men's, women's, youth, and bilingual (English/Spanish) needs. New members are welcome; contact information for each ministry leader is published in the bulletin and on the parish website.
- Catholic Women's Organization (CWO)
- Guadalupanas / Guadalupanos (Spanish-language Marian society)
- Holy Name Society
- La Vela Perpetua
- ACTS retreat movement
- Divine Mercy prayer group (English & Spanish)
- Hearts Afire
- Life Teen (youth ministry)
- Knights of Columbus
- Teresian Sisters (resident religious sisters on mission to the parish and school)
- Ushers Club
Jubilee Year 2025 Pilgrimage Site
In 2025, the Archdiocese of San Antonio named Sacred Heart one of only five of its roughly 200 parishes as a designated pilgrimage site for the universal Jubilee Year 2025 and the archdiocese's 150th anniversary. The designation allowed the parish to offer a plenary indulgence to visiting pilgrims. A series of Jubilee weekend Masses with special intentions were scheduled from February through May 2025 — including prayers for Armed Forces/Police/Security Officials, Artists, Deacons, Adolescents/Youth, Persons with Disabilities, Workers, Business & Entrepreneurship, and Musical Bands — culminating around Easter.
- One of five Jubilee 2025 pilgrimage sites in the Archdiocese of San Antonio
- Plenary indulgence available to visiting pilgrims
- Designated Jubilee weekend Mass intentions each month from February through May 2025
Community Response & Healing
After the Robb Elementary shooting of May 24, 2022, Sacred Heart became a central gathering and pastoral point for the Uvalde community. The parish hosted the first Sunday Mass of mourning — presided over by Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller and attended by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden — and continued to host grief counseling, financial assistance, and housing support in the months that followed. Twenty-one candles are lit on the sanctuary railing at each anniversary memorial Mass, and in September 2024 Father De Leon cut the ribbon on a new on-site counseling center to continue mental-health and pastoral care. The Teresian Sisters launched Camp I-CAN for grade-school children and the parish provides tuition scholarships to families transferring into Sacred Heart School.
- First post-tragedy Sunday Mass attended by President Joe Biden, May 29, 2022
- 21-candle sanctuary display at each anniversary Mass
- On-site counseling center opened September 6, 2024
- Camp I-CAN children's healing program run by the Teresian Sisters
- Tuition scholarships for Sacred Heart School provided through Catholic Extension partners
Visiting & Contact Information
Sacred Heart's doors are open for prayer Monday through Sunday, 7:30 am to 7:00 pm. Prayer spaces include the Virgen de Guadalupe Chapel and the Holy Family Courtyard on the parish campus. The parish office is open for walk-in and phone business Monday–Friday, 9:00 am–12:00 pm and 1:30–4:30 pm.
- Address: 408 Fort Clark Rd., Uvalde, TX 78801
- Phone: (830) 278-3448
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: shcuvalde.org
- Visiting hours: Mon.–Sun. 7:30 am–7:00 pm
- Prayer spaces: Virgen de Guadalupe Chapel; Holy Family Courtyard
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Eduardo Morales
Preceding pastor / rector; was reassigned to a parish in the Archdiocese of San Antonio in 2022.
- Rev. Matthew De Leon2022–present
Arrived July 2022; serves a planned six-year assignment; previously oversaw St. Patrick (Sabinal), St. Joseph (Knippa), and St. Mary (Vanderpool); dean of the Uvalde Deanery covering 14 parishes.