About San Salvador · Caldwell, Texas
San Salvador Mission Church is a small Catholic mission in rural Burleson County, Texas, near the town of Caldwell, and remains an active mission of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Bryan. Founded by Sicilian immigrants — many from the village of Cefalù — who settled in the Brazos Valley beginning in 1894, the church was built in 1908 and is designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. It falls under the Diocese of Austin and is celebrated with Mass on the First Saturday of each month, drawing descendants of those founding families together with current parishioners for one of the most historic Italian-American Catholic sites in Central Texas.
- Established
- 1908
- Patron
- San Salvador (Holy Savior / Christ the Transfigured Savior) — patron of Cefalù, Sicily
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Thomas Varickamackal (Pastor of St. Anthony Catholic Church, Bryan — San Salvador is a mission of St. Anthony's)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Austin
Why belong here
San Salvador Mission offers a rare chance to worship in one of Texas's oldest Italian-founded Catholic churches, still serving descendants of the Sicilian families who built it more than a century ago. The monthly First Saturday Mass, the annual August 6 barefoot pilgrimage tradition, and the historic 1908 sanctuary itself make a visit a living link to the Brazos Valley's Italian immigrant past — and an intimate, prayerful setting for the small rural community that surrounds it.
Mass times at San Salvador
Weekly Mass schedule
San Salvador Mission Church
San Salvador is a mission of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Bryan, Texas. Tucked into the rural countryside of Burleson County near Caldwell, it remains one of the most historically significant Italian-founded Catholic sites in Central Texas. Mass is celebrated at the mission on the First Saturday of each month, in the same sanctuary the Sicilian immigrant community built by hand in 1908.
- Mission of St. Anthony Catholic Church, Bryan, Texas
- Diocese of Austin
- Mass on the First Saturday of the month
- 9203 CR 286 / County Highway 222, Caldwell, TX 77836
History of the Mission
Italian immigrants from Cefalù, Sicily, settled in this part of the Brazos Valley beginning in 1894. For fourteen years they worshipped in private homes because crossing the Brazos River to attend Mass at the church in Bryan was unreliable. According to local tradition, three visions reported by a 12-year-old girl, Ouida Scarmardo, prompted the community to build their own church. Each family contributed cotton from ten rows of their fields, another family donated the land, and the men built the church in six weeks. The first Mass was celebrated at its altar in October 1908.
- Sicilian immigrants from Cefalù settled here in 1894
- Visions reported by Ouida Scarmardo (circa 1899) led the community to act
- Fr. Antonio Simone, priest in Bryan, consulted about the visions
- Each family gave cotton from ten rows; another family donated the land
- Men of the community built the church in six weeks
- First Mass celebrated at the altar in October 1908
- Building remodeled in 1952
- New altar added in 1965
- Texas Historical Commission marker #8652 erected in 1974
- Centenary celebrated in 2008 with Bishop Gregory Aymond
The Name and the Feast
The mission is named San Salvador — 'Holy Savior' — for the patronal feast of Cefalù, the Sicilian village the founders called home. The feast is the Transfiguration of the Lord, celebrated on August 6. The annual barefoot pilgrimage to the church on this feast is one of the community's most cherished traditions.
- San Salvador = 'Holy Savior'
- Named for the patronal feast of Cefalù, Sicily
- Feast day: August 6 — the Transfiguration of the Lord
- Annual barefoot pilgrimage on the feast
Italian-Sicilian Heritage
San Salvador stands as a living monument to the Italian immigration that shaped the Brazos Valley. Many of the founding families came from three Sicilian villages — Poggioreale, Corleone, and Salaparuta — as well as Cefalù. Today descendants of those families still live near the church and gather for Mass and pilgrimage.
- Sicilian villages of origin include Cefalù, Poggioreale, Corleone, and Salaparuta
- Immigration wave began in the 1880s and continued into the 1890s
- Descendants of the founding families still live near the mission
- Documented by the Poggioreale-in-America heritage project
Worship at San Salvador
Mass at San Salvador is celebrated on the First Saturday of each month. The annual feast day Mass and barefoot pilgrimage on August 6 remains the most significant gathering of the year, drawing descendants and visitors from across the Brazos Valley.
- First Saturday of each month — Mass at the mission
- August 6 — Feast of the Transfiguration / San Salvador, annual pilgrimage Mass
- Contact the parent parish (St. Anthony, Bryan) at (979) 823-8145 for current schedule
Parent Parish — St. Anthony Catholic Church, Bryan
San Salvador is administered as a mission of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Bryan. The main parish at 401 S. Parker St., Bryan, TX 77803 offers the full sacramental and pastoral life of a diocesan parish, including daily and Sunday Mass, confession, OCIA, youth ministry, and outreach — much of which the descendants of San Salvador's founding families also call home.
- 401 S. Parker St., Bryan, TX 77803
- Phone: (979) 823-8145
- Email: [email protected]
- Pastor: Rev. Joseph Thomas Varickamackal
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:00 PM (English); Sunday Masses: 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM (English)
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
San Salvador Mission is served through its parent parish, St. Anthony Catholic Church in Bryan. The pastor of St. Anthony's also has pastoral care of the mission.
- Rev. Joseph Thomas Varickamackal — Pastor (St. Anthony Catholic Church, Bryan)
- Deacon Mike — referenced in parish programs and OCIA contact
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation for San Salvador's families is coordinated through St. Anthony Catholic Church in Bryan. Programs serve every age from pre-K through high school, plus adult initiation through OCIA.
- Religious Education (RE) for Pre-K through 6th grade
- JSAY Class for 7th and 8th graders (Wednesdays)
- SAY Class for high school students (Sundays)
- LifeTeen Mass / Confirmation preparation
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, formerly RCIA) — Deacon Mike, (979) 823-8145
Ministries, Outreach, and Community Life
Parishioners of St. Anthony's and the San Salvador mission support a range of ministries serving the elderly, the wider community, and the spiritual life of the parish. Several faith-sharing and fraternal groups meet regularly.
- Meals on Wheels — Regina South, 979-820-1888
- Golden Years Luncheon (parishioners 50+)
- Bible Study with Deacon Mike — The Search (Chris Stefanick series)
- Bible Gals women's Bible study
- Music Ministries
- Altar Servers
- Knights of Columbus
- Central Texas Catholic Men's Fellowship (contact Mike Stasiowski, 832-704-7243)
- Arms of St. Francis — Secular Franciscans (2nd Saturday at 10:30 AM at St. Anthony's)
Sacraments
Information about the seven sacraments is published on the St. Anthony Catholic Church website under the headings 'Sacraments of Healing' (Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick) and 'Sacraments of Service' (Holy Orders, Matrimony). Adult initiation is offered through OCIA.
- Reconciliation / Confession — schedule at St. Anthony's
- Anointing of the Sick — through St. Anthony's parish office
- Holy Orders — information on the parish website
- Matrimony — information on the parish website
- OCIA for adults seeking Baptism, Eucharist, or Confirmation
Historical Marker Text (1974)
The official Texas Historical Commission marker at the church reads: 'San Salvador, a mission of St. Anthony's Catholic Church, Bryan, was named for the patron saint of Cefalù, Sicily, the native village of Italian immigrants who came here in 1894. Religious services were held in homes until 1908, when devout families each gave cotton from ten field rows to buy materials, and the men worked six weeks to build this church. First Mass was said at its Altar in Oct. 1908. In 1952 the building was remodeled, and a new Altar was added in 1965.'
- Marker Number 8652
- Atlas Number 5051008652
- Marker Year 1974
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Antonio Simonecirca 1899
The priest in Bryan consulted by the Scarmardo family about their daughter's visions; he encouraged the community to build the mission church.