About St. Cecilia · San Antonio, Texas
St. Cecilia Catholic Church is a bilingual Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, located at 125 West Whittier Street in the historic St. Cecilia neighborhood about two miles south of downtown San Antonio. Founded in 1919, the parish grew from 40 founding families to more than 3,000 families at its mid-century peak and today serves approximately 1,400 families, now overwhelmingly Hispanic. The parish offers daily Mass in English, a Sunday Mass in Spanish, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, preparation for Baptism and Marriage, and a wide array of lay ministries including St. Vincent de Paul, Legion of Mary, Guadalupanas, Knights of Columbus, ACTS, and a parish choir.
- Established
- 1919
- Patron
- St. Cecilia (patroness of music)
- Rector
- Rev. Robert Rosales (Pastor/Administrator)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of San Antonio (Metropolitan)
Why belong here
St. Cecilia offers a classic, neighborhood-centered parish experience just south of downtown San Antonio, with daily Mass, a Spanish-language Sunday Mass, weekly Confession, and Eucharistic adoration through the Divine Mercy devotion. The parish is home to long-standing apostolates such as the Legion of Mary, Guadalupanas, St. Vincent de Paul, Knights of Columbus, and ACTS, as well as catechesis, youth ministry, and a parish choir, giving new members many ways to get involved in faith and service.
Mass times at St. Cecilia
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM (also by appointment)
Adoration times
- Friday: Divine Mercy devotion at 3:00 PM
Welcome and Mission
St. Cecilia Catholic Church describes its mission as living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ by fostering a welcoming and inclusive community, growing in faith, serving neighbors with compassion, and sharing the love and teachings of Christ through worship, education, and outreach. The parish positions itself as a beacon of hope and light for the historic St. Cecilia neighborhood on San Antonio's near-south side.
Parish History
St. Cecilia Parish was established in 1919 in a neighborhood platted a decade earlier by developers C.S. Fowler, Empire Realty, and W.A. Baity, whose ads promised downtown in only eight minutes via the Hot Wells streetcar line. The congregation grew from 40 founding families to over 3,000 families by 1950 before the construction of Interstates 37 and 10 displaced about 500 families from the area. Today the parish serves approximately 1,400 families and is the heart of a neighborhood that is now almost entirely Hispanic.
- 1919: parish founded with 40 families
- 1950: peak of over 3,000 families
- 1950s–60s: 500 families displaced by expressway construction; bilingual Masses begin
- Today: approximately 1,400 families
St. Cecilia School
St. Cecilia School was founded in 1930 as a Catholic, co-educational parish elementary school serving Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8 at 118 Lowell Street. After more than eight decades of service, the school closed at the end of the 2014–2015 school year due to declining enrollment and tuition debt, with operations merged into another local parochial school.
- Established 1930
- Closed at end of 2014–2015 school year
- Merged with another San Antonio parochial school
Devotions
In addition to the Mass and Confession schedule, the parish gathers for the Divine Mercy devotion on Friday afternoons, a regular prayer time of mercy and intercession in the parish's devotional life.
- Friday: Divine Mercy devotion, 3:00 PM
Parish Ministries and Organizations
St. Cecilia supports a broad network of lay ministries and parish organizations that span catechesis, evangelization, service, and devotion. These groups give parishioners of all ages — from children in youth programs to adults in service organizations — concrete ways to live out the parish's mission of worship, education, and outreach.
- Catechesis (religious education)
- Youth Group / CYO
- St. Vincent de Paul (outreach to the poor)
- Pro-Life ministry
- Faith Sharing groups
- Legion of Mary
- Guadalupanas
- Altar Society
- Knights of Columbus
- ACTS (men's and women's retreats)
- Parish Choir
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the Eucharist daily and prepares parishioners for the Sacraments of Baptism and Matrimony. Reconciliation is offered on Sundays and by appointment.
- Eucharist: daily and Sunday Masses
- Reconciliation: Sundays and by appointment
- Baptism: preparation provided
- Matrimony: preparation provided
Clergy and Leadership
St. Cecilia Parish is currently led by Rev. Robert Rosales as Pastor/Administrator, a priest of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. He was assigned as administrator of St. Cecilia Church in the Archdiocese's official 2023 clergy assignments, effective July 1, 2023.
- Rev. Robert Rosales — Pastor/Administrator
Visit and Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone or email, follow updates on Facebook, and visit the parish website. The office is open weekdays during the morning and early afternoon.
- Address: 125 West Whittier Street, San Antonio, TX 78210
- Phone: (210) 533-7109
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.stceciliasa.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/saintceciliasa
- Office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location and Neighborhood
St. Cecilia sits at the heart of the historic St. Cecilia neighborhood, roughly two miles south of downtown San Antonio. The neighborhood is bounded by the Union Pacific Railroad tracks to the north, Interstate 37 to the east, Interstate 10 to the south, and Roosevelt Avenue to the west, and is reached via Presa Street and Whittier Street.
- Approximately 2 miles south of downtown San Antonio
- Bordered by I-37, I-10, Union Pacific tracks, and Roosevelt Avenue
- Directions: Hwy 10 East to Presa St. north, then west onto Whittier St.