About San Felipe de Jesus · Brownsville, Texas
San Felipe de Jesus Catholic Church is a bilingual (Spanish-English) Roman Catholic parish located in the Cameron Park neighborhood of Brownsville, Texas, in the Diocese of Brownsville. Founded in 1996 by the Marist Society (Society of Mary), it serves one of the poorest communities in the United States and has long been a center of Marist missionary presence in the Rio Grande Valley. The parish is currently pastored by Rev. Anthony O'Connor, SM, and is supported by Jesuit parochial vicars from Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries, who also assist with sacramental ministry to migrants along the U.S.–Mexico border.
- Established
- 1996
- Patron
- San Felipe de Jesus (Saint Philip of Jesus, Mexican protomartyr and patron of Mexico City)
- Rector
- Rev. Anthony O'Connor, SM
- Diocese
- Diocese of Brownsville
Why belong here
San Felipe de Jesus is a warm, bilingual (Spanish/English) Marist parish rooted in one of the most underserved neighborhoods in the country, where faith is lived out in concrete service. Worshippers find a robust sacramental life — daily and Sunday Mass in both languages, regular confession, confirmation preparation, and Ignatian retreats — alongside an active food pantry partnered with the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley. The parish also opens its doors to immigrant children sheltered nearby, making it a place where the Eucharist and the works of mercy meet at the border.
Mass times at San Felipe de Jesus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Thursday: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Half an hour before each daily Mass
- Before each Sunday Mass
Parish History & Marist Founding
San Felipe de Jesus Parish was established in 1996 in the Cameron Park neighborhood of Brownsville, according to the Diocese of Brownsville's official timeline. It was co-founded by Marist Father Mike Seifert, SM, and Brother Albert Phillipp, SM, on behalf of the Marist Society of the United States, which has maintained a continuous missionary presence in the Rio Grande Valley for more than twenty years. The parish was planted in what the 2000 U.S. Census identified as the poorest community in the entire United States, and the founding Marists responded by building not only a church but an entire neighborhood infrastructure: small Christian communities (base communities) became the backbone of parish life, while outside the church walls the Marists helped pave streets, install lighting, build public parks, and bring in a sheriff's station. Voter turnout in Cameron Park reportedly rose from 250 to 1,000 during their tenure.
- Founded 1996 in Cameron Park, Brownsville
- Co-founders: Fr. Mike Seifert, SM, and Br. Albert Phillipp, SM
- Part of the Marist Society of the United States' Rio Grande Valley mission
Parish Growth & Community Development
In its first decade the parish physically expanded from a single church building to include classrooms, parking lots, a multipurpose center, an after-school program, and a rectory — all completed with no debt and a positive bank balance when the founding team moved on. A parish nurse program blossomed into a weekend clinic staffed by University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston volunteers and ultimately helped seed the statewide Frontera de Salud network of student-run medical clinics. The parish has averaged roughly 100 First Communions per year, about 40 Confirmations per year, and around 30 Baptisms per month in its recent history.
- Over 100 First Communions and ~40 Confirmations per year
- About 30 Baptisms per month
- Physical plant: church, classrooms, parking, multipurpose center, rectory, after-school program
- Parish nurse program partnered with UTMB Galveston; helped spawn Frontera de Salud
Current Pastor & Marist Identity
San Felipe de Jesus is pastored by Rev. Anthony O'Connor, SM, a priest of the Society of Mary (Marists). The Marists — a religious family of priests, brothers, sisters, and laity called by Mary to live compassionately — have shepherded the parish continuously since its founding. Since 2021, the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province have also stationed a small team at the parish; in October 2023 their work was formalized as Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries (named for Our Lady of the Way, 'Nuestra Señora del Camino'). The Jesuit team serves as parochial vicars — celebrating Masses, hearing confessions, helping with funerals, baptisms, anointings, quinceañeras, and house blessings — and runs the confirmation program.
- Pastor: Rev. Anthony O'Connor, SM (Marist)
- Founding pastor: Rev. Mike Seifert, SM (Marist)
- Parochial vicars: Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries (since 2021, formalized 2023)
Faith Formation & Confirmation
Confirmation preparation at San Felipe de Jesus is taught weekly by a Jesuit scholastic from Del Camino and is paired with a semester retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The retreat typically runs from Lent into early May. First Communion and ongoing religious education are also longstanding features of the parish, dating back to its Marist founding; the parish has historically celebrated over 100 First Communions per year.
- Weekly confirmation classes taught by a Del Camino Jesuit scholastic
- Semester-long Ignatian retreat (Lent through early May)
- First Communion and ongoing catechesis
Food Pantry & Outreach
San Felipe de Jesus operates a Food Pantry in partnership with the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, distributing boxes of food two to three times per week. The pantry is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with a regular distribution every Thursday. Service is free and aimed at low-income residents of the area; clients typically need an ID and a utility bill or other proof of residency. The pantry is part of the broader social ministry of the parish, which has historically worked to address the material needs of Cameron Park alongside its sacramental life.
- Food distribution 2–3 times per week; regular Thursday distribution
- Mon–Fri, 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- Free of charge; ID and proof of residency required
- Partnered with the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley
Migrant & Border Ministry
Since approximately 2015, the parish has welcomed more than 100 unaccompanied immigrant children to its Sunday Masses each week, reserving a section of the church for them so they can sit together. Under Father O'Connor's leadership, parishioners have hosted a posada at Christmastime for the children and a summer meal featuring dishes from their home countries — at which Bishop Daniel E. Flores has presided and celebrated Mass. Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries also extends the parish's reach: Jesuit team members visit migrant shelters and camps on both sides of the border twice a week to celebrate Mass or communion services, while serving as parochial vicars at San Felipe de Jesus itself.
- 100+ unaccompanied minors attend Sunday Mass each week
- Annual posada and intercultural meal for the children
- Bishop Daniel E. Flores has celebrated Mass with the children at the parish
- Del Camino Jesuit visits to migrant shelters on both sides of the border
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the full range of Catholic sacraments: Baptism (about 30 per month historically), Confirmation, First Eucharist, Reconciliation (see confession schedule), Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, and quinceañeras. The Jesuit parochial vicars also assist with funerals and house blessings. Daily and Sunday Mass schedules — including the bilingual character of the parish — are designed to make sacramental life accessible to a largely Spanish-speaking community in Cameron Park.
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- First Eucharist
- Reconciliation / Confession
- Anointing of the Sick
- Marriage and quinceañeras
- Funerals and house blessings
Visit & Contact
San Felipe de Jesus is located at 2215 Avenida Rancho Viejo, Brownsville, TX 78526, in the Cameron Park area on the south side of Brownsville near the border. The parish office can be reached at (956) 982-2007 (fax 956-541-4177), and the official parish email is [email protected]. The parish maintains an active Facebook page under the name 'San Felipe de Jesus Catholic Church | Brownsville TX,' where weekly bulletins and announcements are shared.
- Address: 2215 Avenida Rancho Viejo, Brownsville, TX 78526
- Phone: (956) 982-2007
- Fax: (956) 541-4177
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: facebook.com/SanFelipedeJesusCatholicChurch
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Mike Seifert, SM1996 – c. 2010
Co-founder of the parish; Marist priest who led the founding mission in Cameron Park and built up the parish from the ground up.
- Rev. Anthony O'Connor, SMc. 2010 – present
Current pastor; Marist priest known for ministering to unaccompanied immigrant children and for border-related pastoral outreach.