About St. Anne · Encino, Texas
St. Anne is a small Roman Catholic mission church serving the rural community of Encino in Brooks County, South Texas. It is a mission of Sacred Heart Parish in neighboring Falfurrias and sits in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, where Sunday Mass is celebrated for the local ranching families along Highway 281. The parish is identified with St. Anne, the traditional mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus, and remains part of the deep Catholic heritage of the South Texas brush country.
- Established
- 1930
- Patron
- St. Anne (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph A. Lopez (Parochial Administrator, listed on diocesan priests page serving Sacred Heart / St. Anne Mission)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Corpus Christi
Why belong here
St. Anne Mission offers the small-parish, rural-Texas experience of Catholic worship: one Sunday Mass each week in the heart of the South Texas ranch country, in a community where the same Catholic families have gathered since 1930. As a mission of Sacred Heart Parish in Falfurrias, it is served by the priests of that parish and keeps close ties to the broader Catholic life of Brooks County. Visitors and families in Encino or passing through Highway 281 are welcomed to join the small congregation for Sunday worship.
Mass times at St. Anne
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Confession is heard at the parent parish, Sacred Heart in Falfurrias: Saturday 3:30-4:45 PM, or by appointment
Adoration times
- Eucharist Adoration is offered at the parent parish, Sacred Heart in Falfurrias (Wednesday)
Parish Identity and Heritage
St. Anne Mission is the Catholic mission serving the rural ranching community of Encino in Brooks County, South Texas. It is a mission of Sacred Heart Parish in Falfurrias and belongs to the Diocese of Corpus Christi. GCatholic records the mission as established in 1930, and a 1976 Texas Historical Commission marker in Falfurrias singles out 'the Church of Saint Anne at Encino' as one of the historic Catholic institutions of the county.
- Patron: St. Anne (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Feast day: July 26
- Diocese: Corpus Christi
- Established: 1930
- Parent parish: Sacred Heart, Falfurrias
History of St. Anne Mission
Catholic life in this corner of South Texas predates 1800 — the area first fell under the Diocese of Monterrey, then the Diocese of Texas from 1847, and was served out of Brownsville before being transferred to San Diego in 1866. Traveling priests from San Diego ministered on the scattered ranches of what would become Brooks County for roughly forty years. After the Diocese of Corpus Christi was established in 1912, parishes and missions grew up around Falfurrias, including the Mission of San Ysidro (St. Isidore) in 1904-05 and, later, St. Anne Mission at Encino in 1930. Encino itself traces back to a famous live oak — El Encino del Poso, 'the oak in the hole' — that served as a landmark, stage stop, and namesake for the community founded along the 1904 Texas & New Orleans Railroad.
- Catholic presence in the area: before 1800
- Diocese of Corpus Christi established: 1912
- St. Anne Mission founded: 1930
- 1976: Texas Historical Commission marker at Sacred Heart references St. Anne at Encino
Sacraments and Devotions
Confession and additional devotions such as Eucharistic Adoration are available through the parent parish of Sacred Heart in Falfurrias. Mission-coverage Mass, weddings, baptisms, and other sacraments for St. Anne families are coordinated through Sacred Heart's priests.
- Confession at Sacred Heart: Saturday 3:30-4:45 PM, or by appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration at Sacred Heart: Wednesday (see parish for time)
- For all other sacraments, contact Sacred Heart Parish at (361) 325-3455
Parish Staff and Leadership
As a mission church, St. Anne does not maintain its own resident clergy; it is cared for by the priests assigned to Sacred Heart Parish in Falfurrias, who also serve the wider Brooks County Catholic community.
- Parochial Administrator serving Sacred Heart / St. Anne Mission (per Diocese of Corpus Christi priests page): Rev. Joseph A. Lopez
- Priests' residence and parish office: Sacred Heart Parish, 304 S. Caldwell St., Falfurrias, TX 78355
- Shared parish phone: (361) 325-3455
Visit, Location, and Contact
St. Anne Mission sits one block east of U.S. Highway 281 Business on the east side of Encino. The community is small — about 143 residents in 2010 — and the mission is one of the most visible Catholic landmarks along the Falfurrias–Encino corridor. All enquiries about Mass times, sacraments, and parish life are best directed through Sacred Heart Parish in Falfurrias, which serves as the parish office for both communities.
- Address: 7199 US-281 Bus., Encino, TX 78355
- Phone: (361) 325-3455
- Serving parish: Sacred Heart, 304 S. Caldwell St., Falfurrias, TX 78355
- Diocesan directory: diocesecc.org/parishfinder
The Catholic Heritage of Brooks County
St. Anne is part of one of the oldest continuous Catholic presences in South Texas. From the missionary ranch visits of Fathers Claude Jaillet and Peter Bard to the establishment of the Mission of San Ysidro (1904-05) and the Parish of St. Isidore (1914) in Falfurrias — later merged to form Sacred Heart Church (1925) — the county's Catholics were sustained by clergy, religious sisters, and lay families including Lino Trevino, Charles Premont, J.J. Allan, Mrs. J.T. Maupin, and Mrs. R.E. McBryde. The Ursuline Sisters' school in Falfurrias prospered for 38 years before closing in 1965. St. Anne Mission at Encino and Sacred Heart at Falfurrias remain the living legacy of this heritage.
- 1904-05: Mission of San Ysidro (St. Isidore), Falfurrias
- 1914: Parish of St. Isidore erected
- 1925: Merger forms Sacred Heart Church, Falfurrias
- 1930: Mission of St. Anne, Encino established
- 1965: Ursuline Sisters' school in Falfurrias closes
- 1976: Texas Historical Commission marker recognizes Brooks County Catholic heritage