About St. Edward · Athens, Texas
St. Edward's Catholic Church is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Catholic parish in Athens, Texas, belonging to the Diocese of Tyler and serving the greater Henderson County area. The parish was founded in 1946 by Father Wolfe and dedicated on July 20, 1947, after first meeting at the Henderson County Courthouse. Today St. Edward's operates from two campuses — the historic church at 800 E. Tyler Street and the St. Edward Education and Ministry (SEEM) Center at 1310 S. Palestine Street, acquired in 2019 — offering daily Mass in English and Spanish, the sacraments, faith formation, and outreach through ministries like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Knights of Columbus. The parish is currently pastored by Very Rev. Fr. Nolan Thomas Lowry, who also serves as Dean of the Diocese of Tyler's West Central Deanery.
- Established
- 1947
- Patron
- St. Edward the Confessor
- Rector
- Fr. Nolan Thomas Lowry
- Diocese
- Diocese of Tyler
Why belong here
St. Edward's is a bilingual Catholic home for English- and Spanish-speaking families in Athens and Henderson County, with three Sunday Masses (8:00 AM English, 10:00 AM English, 12:30 PM Spanish) plus a Saturday Vigil and a full weekday Mass schedule. Parishioners grow in faith through Sacramental preparation, RCIA, and a faith formation program directed by a dedicated director, while serving neighbors through the St. Vincent de Paul Athens Conference (serving all of Henderson County) and the Knights of Columbus. The recently acquired SEEM Center at 1310 S. Palestine gives the parish a chapel, classrooms, a fellowship hall, a gymnasium, and a kitchen — real space for community life and evangelization.
Mass times at St. Edward
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM (Historic church, 800 E. Tyler St.)
- Wednesday 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM (SEEM Center, 1310 S. Palestine St.)
- Friday 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM (Historic church, 800 E. Tyler St.)
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (Historic church, 800 E. Tyler St.)
Adoration times
- First Friday 12:00 PM, English — St. Edward the Confessor Chapel (SEEM Center, 1310 S. Palestine St.)
Our Story & History
St. Edward's began as a mission of Immaculate Conception Church in Tyler, with priests driving in on weekends to celebrate Mass, baptize, and officiate marriages. The parish was formally organized in 1946 by Father Wolfe, sent to Athens by Bishop Lynch of Dallas, and the first Catholic services in Athens were held at the Henderson County Courthouse. After three such services, worship moved to the Women's Building while parishioners worked to build a proper church. With the help of the Church Extension Society, the church was dedicated on July 20, 1947.
- 1946–1947: Parish formed by Father Wolfe; first Masses at the Henderson County Courthouse, then the Women's Building
- July 20, 1947: St. Edward's Catholic Church dedicated (Church Extension Society)
- 1972: Parish hall added in May under Father John Fowler
- 1980: Raised to parish status; Msgr. James Tucek becomes first resident pastor; rectory built
- 1984: Fr. Samuel S. Metzger becomes second resident pastor
- 1995: Faith Formation Center converted from the white house next door, blessed by Bishop Edmond Carmody
- 1998: Fr. Pancras Savarimuthu arrives; congregation grown to 330 families; Finance Council and Parish Council founded
- June 2015: Fr. Nolan Thomas Lowry arrives as pastor
- 2019: SEEM Center acquired at 1310 S. Palestine St.
Mission & Patron
The parish mission is rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit: to teach the youth, evangelize the community, and renew the faithful, promoting the Catholic Church's principles through Scripture, Sacraments, prayer, almsgiving, and penance — helping each other seek eternal salvation with God. The patron is St. Edward the Confessor, the first Anglo-Saxon and only king of England to be canonized, whose feast day is October 13. He was canonized in 1161 by Pope Alexander III.
- Patron: St. Edward the Confessor
- Feast Day: October 13
- Canonized in 1161 by Pope Alexander III
- Called 'Confessor' — lived a saintly life but was not a martyr
Faith Formation & RCIA
St. Edward's provides Sacramental Preparation following Diocese of Tyler guidelines for both infants/children and adults. The Faith Formation program is led by Faith Formation Director Trinidad Garcia. Adults wishing to become Catholic — whether unbaptized, baptized in another Christian tradition, or Catholic but seeking Confirmation and First Communion — are welcomed through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), coordinated in part by Aurora Miranda.
- Faith Formation Director: Trinidad Garcia (903-675-2509 x103, [email protected])
- RCIA / RICA for adults
- Sacramental Preparation for infants and children
The SEEM Center
In 2019, St. Edward's acquired the former Hope Church property at 1310 S. Palestine Street and rededicated it as the St. Edward Education and Ministry (SEEM) Center. The complex gave the parish a chapel, multiple faith formation classrooms, a fellowship hall, a gymnasium, and a kitchen — twice the size of what the parish had originally planned to build, at roughly a third of the cost — along with over five acres of land. Many weekday and Sunday Masses, the Wednesday noon Mass, and First Friday Adoration are now held in the St. Edward the Confessor Chapel within the SEEM Center.
- Address: 1310 S. Palestine Street, Athens, TX
- St. Edward the Confessor Chapel (on-site)
- Faith formation classrooms
- Fellowship hall, gymnasium, and kitchen
- Five+ acres of land
- Acquired in 2019
Outreach & Charity
St. Edward's parishioners extend Christ's love to neighbors in need through the parish's ministries. The parish sponsors the St. Vincent de Paul Athens Conference, which serves all of Henderson County with food, clothing, rent and utility assistance, and home visits — beginning each encounter with prayer. The Knights of Columbus Council meets monthly at the parish beginning with 6:00 PM Mass.
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Athens Conference (President: Sally Forrest; 903-675-0076; [email protected])
- Meetings: First Mondays, 6:45 PM, St. Edward's Historic Church Hall, 800 E. Tyler St.
- Serves all of Henderson County
- Knights of Columbus — meets the second Monday at 6:00 PM (beginning with Mass)
Parish Staff & Liturgical Volunteers
Day-to-day parish life is supported by a small staff and a large corps of liturgical volunteers — Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, lectors, acolytes, and the website/reader coordinator. Volunteers include both English- and Spanish-speaking parishioners, reflecting the parish's bilingual identity.
- Fr. Nolan Lowry — Pastor ([email protected]; 903.675.2509 x102)
- Trinidad Garcia — Faith Formation Director ([email protected]; 903.675.2509 x103)
- Maria de Jesus Miranda — Parish Administrative Assistant ([email protected]; 903.675.2509 x106)
- Pat Calderon — Ethics Integrity Coordinator ([email protected]; 903.675.2509 x104)
- Kathi Murphy-Boley — Website Administrator / Reader Coordinator / EMHC
- Aurora Miranda — RICA / EMHC
- Joyce Williams — EMHC / Reader (903.288.0013)
Diocese of Tyler & West Central Deanery
St. Edward's is a parish of the Catholic Diocese of Tyler in East Texas. It belongs to the West Central Deanery, which covers Henderson, Rains, and Van Zandt counties, and whose dean is Very Rev. Nolan Lowry — the parish's own pastor. Other parishes in the deanery include St. Theresa (Canton), St. Boniface (Chandler), St. John the Evangelist (Emory), St. Jude (Gun Barrel City), Mary Queen of Heaven (Malakoff), and St. Luke (Wills Point), with St. Celestine (Grand Saline) as a mission.
- Diocese of Tyler
- West Central Deanery (Henderson, Rains, Van Zandt counties)
- Dean: Very Rev. Nolan Lowry
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Wolfe1946–1947
Sent by Bishop Lynch from Dallas; founded the parish; first Masses at Henderson County Courthouse, then Women's Building; oversaw construction of the church.
- Father John Fowler1972
During his residency the parish hall was added in May 1972.
- Msgr. James Tucekfrom 1980
First resident pastor; under his tenure St. Edward's was raised to the status of a parish and a rectory was built.
- Fr. Samuel S. Metzgerfrom 1984
Second resident pastor; continued building up the faith community.
- Fr. Pancras Savarimuthufrom June 1998
Arrived to a congregation of 330 families; founded the Finance Council and Parish Council; began planning a new St. Edward's Campus.
- Fr. Nolan Thomas Lowryfrom June 2015
Ordained for the Diocese of Tyler on July 17, 2010; STB from the Pontifical Gregorian University and STL from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross; serves on the Diocesan Liturgical Commission and Diocesan Vocations Team; also Dean of the West Central Deanery.