About St. Francis Xavier · Tynan, Texas
St. Francis Xavier Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church serving the rural community of Tynan, Texas, in Bee County. It is administered as a dependent mission of Immaculate Conception Parish in nearby Skidmore and lies within the Diocese of Corpus Christi. The mission is staffed by an administrator priest who also serves the parent parish, and Mass is offered bilingually in English and Spanish for the surrounding farming and ranching families of South Texas.
- Patron
- St. Francis Xavier
- Rector
- Rev. Tom Goodwin (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Corpus Christi
Why belong here
St. Francis Xavier Mission offers a small, bilingual (English/Spanish) worship community rooted in the long Catholic heritage of the Tynan area, where nearly two-thirds of local residents identify as Roman Catholic. As a mission of Immaculate Conception in Skidmore, it brings the Sunday Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation to a rural farming community, giving parishioners a close-knit parish family and a priest-administrator personally known to the congregation.
Mass times at St. Francis Xavier
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 10:40 AM – 11:00 AM
- Or anytime by appointment
About St. Francis Xavier Mission
St. Francis Xavier Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church in the unincorporated community of Tynan, Texas, in Bee County. It is one of the rural ministries of the Diocese of Corpus Christi and is administered as a mission of Immaculate Conception Parish in Skidmore. Worship is bilingual, with Mass celebrated in both English and Spanish to serve the surrounding farming and ranching families of the South Texas coastal plain.
History and Catholic Heritage of Tynan
The mission grew out of the rural Catholic ministry of Immaculate Conception Parish in Skidmore, the mother parish for the Tynan mission. Diocesan reporting by Alfredo E. Cárdenas in the South Texas Catholic describes how Bishop Michael Mulvey visited both Immaculate Conception and St. Francis Xavier on Mother's Day, recognizing the deep Catholic roots of the Skidmore–Tynan area. Father Tom Goodwin, the mission's administrator, has noted that roughly 63 percent of the local census area identifies as Roman Catholic — a striking concentration that reflects generations of South Texas Catholic families. The mission continues that heritage by bringing the Eucharist and sacraments directly to the small community of Tynan.
- Served as a dependent mission of Immaculate Conception, Skidmore
- Bishop Michael Mulvey made a pastoral visit on Mother's Day alongside Immaculate Conception
- Approximately 63% of the surrounding census area is Roman Catholic
Patron: St. Francis Xavier
The mission is named for St. Francis Xavier (1506–1552), a Spanish Jesuit priest and one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus alongside St. Ignatius of Loyola. He is widely regarded as the greatest Catholic missionary of the modern era, having evangelized across India, Southeast Asia, and Japan in just a decade of work. He was canonized in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV and named patron of all Catholic missions by Pope Pius X. His feast day is December 3.
- Co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
- Patron saint of Catholic missions
- Feast day: December 3
- Canonized March 12, 1622
Clergy and Administration
St. Francis Xavier Mission does not have a resident pastor of its own; it is administered by Rev. Tom Goodwin, who also serves as administrator of Immaculate Conception Parish in Skidmore. Father Goodwin celebrated his 29th anniversary of priestly ordination during Bishop Mulvey's pastoral visit to the two communities.
- Administrator: Rev. Tom Goodwin
- Parent parish: Immaculate Conception, Skidmore, TX
- Diocese: Corpus Christi
Visit and Contact
The mission is located at 323 Frio Street in Tynan, Texas (ZIP 78389), and is reached via the same roads serving Immaculate Conception Parish in nearby Skidmore. The parish office can be reached by phone for sacramental needs, appointments, and information about visiting.
- Address: 323 Frio Street, Tynan, TX 78389
- Phone: (361) 287-3256
- Served through Immaculate Conception Parish, Skidmore