About St. Anthony - Harper · Harper, Texas
St. Anthony Catholic Church is a small, historic rural parish in Harper, Texas, in the Texas Hill Country. Founded in 1908 by a community of German-Catholic families, it sits in the Archdiocese of San Antonio and is served by Rev. Rudy T. Carrola, Jr. The parish holds Mass four times a week, offers Monday Eucharistic Adoration, and ministries including religious education, VBS, lectors, altar servers, ushers, and extraordinary ministers — a quietly faithful mission to keep Catholic life rooted in this small Gillespie County community.
- Established
- 1908
- Patron
- St. Anthony (of Padua)
- Rector
- Rev. Rudy T. Carrola, Jr.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of San Antonio (Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio)
Why belong here
St. Anthony offers something rare — a small, multigenerational Catholic community where families whose great-grandparents prayed under that founding tree still worship in the same church today. With weekday and Sunday Mass, Monday Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation offered before and after several Masses each week, a religious education program, liturgical ministries open to youth and adults (lectors, altar servers, ushers, extraordinary ministers), and an active VBS — this is a parish where it's easy to know your pastor (Father Rudy), your council president, and the family in the next pew.
Mass times at St. Anthony - Harper
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday: 9:30 AM–10:00 AM (after the 9:00 AM Mass) — note: also listed as Thursday 6:30 PM after the 5:30 PM Mass on the parish's own page
- Friday: 9:30 AM–10:00 AM (after the 9:00 AM Mass)
- Saturday: 7:00 PM–7:30 PM (after the 6:00 PM Vigil Mass)
Adoration times
- Monday: 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
About St. Anthony Catholic Church
St. Anthony Catholic Church is a small, historic rural parish serving the community of Harper, Texas, in the heart of the Hill Country. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of San Antonio and is pastored by Rev. Rudy T. Carrola, Jr. Worship centers on four Masses each week (Saturday Vigil, Sunday, Thursday evening, and Friday morning), Monday Eucharistic Adoration from 3 to 8 PM, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation offered before and after several weekly Masses. The parish also runs a religious education program, a Vacation Bible School, and an active stable of liturgical ministries open to both youth and adults.
Our Parish History — A Community Founded on Perseverance
St. Anthony's was founded in 1908 by a tight-knit community of German Catholic settlers whose nearest church had been St. Mary's in Fredericksburg — twenty-five miles of bad road away. The founders traveled ~90 miles by horse-drawn wagon to San Antonio to ask the bishop for a parish in Harper; when told thirty-four families were needed, they returned at the required strength and were still turned away, until they reminded the bishop of his own promise. The first Mass was offered on March 17, 1908 (St. Patrick's Day) at the Jacob Fiedler house by Father Fassbender, O.M.I., who had driven a one-horse gig forty-two miles from Mason.
- March 17, 1908 — First Mass in Harper at the Jacob Fiedler house, with seven families present
- December 13, 1908 — Parish formally organized; thirty-four original members enrolled
- Two acres purchased from Henry Mund for $175 — site of the present church and rectory
- Father Fassbender, O.M.I. — first pastor (Oblates of Mary Immaculate, from Mason)
- Sixteen of the original thirty-four families still represented in the parish today
- 220 baptisms, 45 burials, and 59 marriages recorded in the early parish registers
Parish Staff & Pastoral Leadership
The parish is led by Pastor Rev. Rudy T. Carrola, Jr., supported by a small, dedicated lay staff and two parish councils. The Archdiocese of San Antonio is currently headed by Most Reverend Gustavo Garcia-Siller, MSpS.
- Pastor: Rev. Rudy T. Carrola, Jr.
- Parish Secretary: Estella Schlueter (Office hours Mon–Thurs 8:30 AM–4:00 PM; 830-864-4026; [email protected])
- Bookkeeper: Lois Pariseau
- Pastoral Council President: Mary Krebs
- Financial Council President: Jenny Millican
- Director of Religious Education: Estella Schlueter
- VBS Coordinators: Sandra & Billy Richardson (VBS 2024)
- Archbishop (Archdiocese of San Antonio): Most Reverend Gustavo Garcia-Siller, MSpS
Liturgical Ministries
Liturgical ministry at St. Anthony's is open to both adults and youth, with training provided for each role. Father Rudy Carrola himself trains Extraordinary Ministers and altar servers; ushers train through the parish office; and lectors are coordinated by Shannon Kramer.
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion — trainer: Father Rudy Carrola
- Altar Servers (adults and youth) — trainer: Father Rudy Carrola
- Ushers — training available, call the parish office (830-864-4026)
- Lectors (adults and youth) — coordinator: Shannon Kramer
- Office / scheduling contact: Estella Schlueter — [email protected]
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education for the parish's children and youth is coordinated through the parish office under the Director of Religious Education. The parish also runs a Vacation Bible School each summer, a popular Hill Country tradition.
- Director of Religious Education: Estella Schlueter
- Vacation Bible School: annual (most recent coordinated by Sandra & Billy Richardson, 2024)
Sacramental Life
St. Anthony's celebrates the Sacraments of the Eucharist, Reconciliation, Baptism, and Marriage, and ministers at funerals for parishioners and community members. Records of 220 baptisms and 59 marriages from the parish's first generations are preserved in the parish archives.
- Holy Eucharist — four Masses per week (Sat Vigil 6 PM, Sun 9 AM, Thu 5:30 PM, Fri 9 AM)
- Reconciliation — three weekly slots (Thu, Fri, Sat after Mass)
- Baptism — contact the parish office
- Marriage — contact the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick and Funeral rites — by request through the parish office
Communications & Catholic Media
The parish publishes a monthly newsletter (with Father Rudy's letter to parishioners as a centerpiece), an archive of weekly bulletins, and is reachable via the diocesan-wide Flocknote messaging platform. The website also embeds Word on Fire video content and the day's Mass readings.
- Parish newsletters (monthly, including Father Rudy's letters)
- Weekly bulletins archive
- Flocknote email/SMS alerts
- Embedded Word on Fire video ministry
- Daily Mass readings and Vatican news from the homepage
Catholic Radio for the Hill Country
The parish promotes local Catholic radio coverage as part of its outreach to the wider Hill Country.
- 97.9 FM — Harper, Kerrville, Comfort
- 9.11 FM — Fredericksburg
Visit Us — Location & Contact
St. Anthony Catholic Church sits in the heart of Harper, Texas, just off US-290. Visitors are warmly welcomed at any of the weekly Masses or during Monday Adoration.
- Address: 163 N. Third Street, Harper, TX 78631
- Mailing Address: PO Box 309, Harper, TX 78631-0309
- Phone: (830) 864-4026
- Email: [email protected]
- Directions: From US-290, travel north 1.5 blocks and turn left into the parish driveway.
- Office Hours: Monday–Thursday, 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Fassbender, O.M.I. (Oblates of Mary)1908
First priest to serve Harper; came from Mason, offered the first Mass in Harper on March 17, 1908 at the Jacob Fiedler house; ministered to seven counties.