About Santa Barbara · Austin, Texas
Santa Barbara Catholic Church is a thriving, predominantly Spanish-speaking parish serving the far eastern Austin community of Hornsby Bend in Travis County, Texas. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Austin and currently celebrates Mass in both Spanish and English, with daily bilingual or Spanish-language options. Roughly 99 percent of its parishioners are Spanish-speaking, and it has grown to over 1,000 families under the pastoral care of Father Froy Jerez.
- Established
- 1982
- Patron
- Saint Barbara
- Rector
- Father Froy Jerez
- Diocese
- Diocese of Austin
Why belong here
Santa Barbara Catholic Church is a warm, family-centered parish with more than 50 active ministries and a vibrant Eucharistic life, including a unique Nocturnal Adoration vigil every third Saturday of the month. Roughly 99 percent of its members are Spanish-speaking, but the parish offers English Masses and growing English-language ministry, alongside rich bilingual liturgies, Bible study (Apostles of the Word), CERS catechesis, retreats, and outreach to the Hornsby Bend community. Its dedicated 2023 sanctuary gives a growing community of more than 1,000 families room to gather, and its outreach and faith-evangelization programs are designed to welcome newcomers and longtime parishioners alike.
Mass times at Santa Barbara
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 6:00 PM - 6:50 PM
- Tuesday 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
- Wednesday 6:00 PM - 6:50 PM
- Thursday 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
- Thursday 12:30 PM - 9:00 PM
- Friday 6:00 PM - 6:50 PM
- Saturday 8:00 AM - 8:50 AM
Adoration times
- Nocturnal Adoration every third Saturday of the month at 8:00 PM in Room #1 (women and children until midnight, men keep vigil through 7:00 AM)
Parish Identity & Mission
Santa Barbara Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Austin located in the Hornsby Bend community of far eastern Austin, Texas. Named for the early Christian martyr Saint Barbara, it serves a community that is approximately 99% Spanish-speaking while deliberately making room for English-speaking neighbors with multiple English and bilingual Masses throughout the week. The parish's evangelization mission is rooted in its founding story: the determination of local families to bring the Eucharist to the rural farming and ranching settlements east of Austin.
- Patron: Saint Barbara
- Diocese: Diocese of Austin
- Pastor: Father Froy Jerez
- Director of Religious Education and Liturgy: María López Garrido
History of Santa Barbara Parish
Catholic life at Hornsby Bend traces back to the 1940s, when missionary priests first visited the rural community to catechize farm and ranch families. In 1982, Guadalupe Martinez began traveling to Austin to recruit priests to say Mass at her mother's home; the congregation grew so quickly that it moved to Joe Arrellano's three-stall open-air garage. Bishop John McCarthy's visit in 1990 impressed Houston friends Neil and Barbara Hanson, who donated a house on six acres. The first dedicated church (150 seats) was built in 1996, with additional land purchases following in 1998. By the early 2020s, the parish had grown past 1,000 families and the 300-seat sanctuary could no longer hold them.
- 1982: Guadalupe Martinez organizes Mass at her mother's home in Hornsby Bend
- 1982 onward: Community outgrows home, relocates to Joe Arrellano's three-stall open-air garage
- Summer 1990: Bishop John McCarthy celebrates Mass at the garage; Neil and Barbara Hanson donate house on six acres
- 1996: First church built, seating 150
- 1998: Five additional acres purchased; Hansons deed another 14 acres
- June 17, 2023: Bishop Joe Vásquez blesses new 700-seat sanctuary (expandable by 400)
New Sanctuary (2023)
After four decades as a worshipping community, Santa Barbara dedicated a new sanctuary in June 2023 as part of the diocese's Encountering Christ Capital Campaign's "Eastern Ring Project," which also funded expansions at St. Joseph in Manor and San Francisco Javier. The new sanctuary seats 700, with architectural plans to add another 400 seats (200 on each side of the main chapel). The old 300-seat church continues in use as a parish hall while the parish looks ahead to additional building including a possible new parish hall and parking expansion.
- Capacity: 700 (expandable to 1,100)
- Construction cost: ~$4.85 million total ($2.6M diocese / $2.25M parish)
- Currently using the old, very small church as a parish hall
Faith Formation & Evangelization
Faith formation at Santa Barbara is led by the Director of Religious Education and Liturgy, María López Garrido, and is built around family-centered, bilingual catechesis. The parish's evangelization mission is explicitly tied to its origin story as a missionary community gathered in homes and garages.
- Director of Religious Education and Liturgy: María López Garrido ([email protected], 512-276-7718)
- Apostles of the Word — Monday 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM in Room 1
- C.E.R.S. (Evangelizing Community for Reconciliation and Service) — Monday 7:30 PM (Room 9) and Thursday 7:00 PM (Rooms 4, 5, 7, & 8)
Parish Ministries
With more than 50 active ministries, Santa Barbara is known for its lively lay-led leadership. Each major liturgical and formation ministry is organized with a coordinator, sub-coordinator, treasurer, and secretary. Only three of the 50 ministries currently run in English (with a fourth — an English religious education class — led under the parish staff).
- Ushers — Coordinator: Xochitl Del Río
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion — Coordinators: Arturo Romero & Margarita Balderas
- Spiritual Growth / Retreats — men's group coordinated by Alberto Mauro; women's group coordinated by Sandra Villa
- Ministry of Vocations
- Pastoral Council — Chairman Joe Jimenez (512-468-6762)
Parish Staff & Contact
The parish office is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM (closed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday). Inquiries about faith formation or liturgy should be directed to the Director of Religious Education and Liturgy, while general questions go through the parish office email.
- Pastor: Father Froy Jerez
- Director of Religious Education and Liturgy: María López Garrido
- Director of Religious Education: Lucy Razo
- Pastoral Chairman: Joe Jimenez (512-468-6762)
- Office: [email protected]
- Phone: (512) 276-7718
- Office hours: Tue-Fri 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Bernard C. Goertz (canonical pastor)circa 2002
Retired military chaplain serving as canonical pastor of Santa Barbara Parish in Hornsby Bend per a 2002 diocesan newsletter.
- Father Froy Jerezthrough 2023 and beyond
Pastor during the multi-year capital campaign that produced the new 700-seat sanctuary blessed by Bishop Joe Vásquez in June 2023.