About St. George Catholic Church · George West, Texas
St. George Parish is a Roman Catholic community in the small town of George West, Texas, part of the Diocese of Corpus Christi. The parish grew out of Catholic ranching families who settled on land divided from the estate of Mr. George West in the early 1900s and traces its formal founding as a parish to 1922. Today the parish is served by Fr. Romeo Salinas and worships in a church built in 1952, offering Mass in both English and Spanish, daily and weekend schedules, two periods of Eucharistic Adoration each week, and a full K-12 Faith Formation program. Parishioners describe themselves as a welcoming community committed to the mercy of God and to being messengers of love in Live Oak County.
- Established
- 1922
- Patron
- St. George the Martyr
- Rector
- Fr. Romeo Salinas
- Diocese
- Diocese of Corpus Christi
Why belong here
St. George Parish is the spiritual heart of Catholic life in George West and the wider ranching communities of Live Oak County, with Mass offered in both English and Spanish every Sunday. The parish runs a K-12 Faith Formation program for children and youth, an OCIA process for adults and children seeking full initiation, a youth and young adult ministry, a parish choir, altar servers, a Finance Council and Parish Pastoral Council, and the St. George Cemetery. A dedicated Day Chapel allows parishioners to spend quiet time with the Eucharistic Lord at any hour of the day or night, and the parish has a long tradition of lay stewardship going back to the ranching families who literally built the first church with their own donations in 1916.
Mass times at St. George Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
- Wednesday: 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Adoration times
- Thursday: 6:00 am - 6:00 pm (in the main church)
- 24-hour Adoration available in the Day Chapel (combination-lock code provided by the parish office)
Welcome from Fr. Romeo Salinas
The parish homepage opens with a greeting from Pastor Fr. Romeo Salinas and the parish mission statement: "We are a welcoming Catholic Community who believe in the mercy of God and is ever aware of his invitation to be messengers of love. When we come together to worship as a Parish community, we join our hands in prayer with the family of God and bring the needs of everyone before the Altar of Christ." Visitors are warmly invited to register as parishioners, request prayer intentions, or simply join the community in prayer and worship.
Parish History
St. George Parish traces its roots to 1915, when Father Harold Purcell arrived in the George West area with a chapel car and organized the local Catholic ranching families. Construction of the first church began in 1916 on land donated by Mr. George West. The parish was formally established in 1922 as its own parish with a resident pastor, breaking away from its status as a mission of Sacred Heart Church in Sinton. The current church was built and dedicated in 1952 by Bishop Mariano Garriga; a new rectory followed in 1959 and a parish school (K-2) taught by the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary opened in 1960. The original 1916 church stood as a parish hall until destroyed by Hurricane Celia in 1970.
- 1915 — Father Harold Purcell arrives with chapel car
- 1916 — Construction of first church begins on land donated by Mr. George West
- 1922 — Becomes an independent parish with its own resident pastor
- 1952 — New church built and dedicated by Bishop Mariano Garriga
- 1959 — New rectory added
- 1960 — Parish school opens (K-2), taught by Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary
- 1970 — Original 1916 church destroyed by Hurricane Celia
Parish Staff
The parish is led by Pastor Fr. Romeo Salinas and supported by a small staff and volunteer councils. Office staff handle parish administration, Faith Formation, OCIA, Youth & Young Adult Ministry, and music. Council members guide the parish's pastoral, financial, and cemetery affairs.
- Fr. Romeo Salinas — Pastor
- MaryAnn Pate — OCIA Coordinator (Adults & Children)
- Aubrey Bird — Faith Formation Coordinator (K-12)
- Debbie Brown — Office Manager
- Administrative Assistant (staff)
- Youth & Young Adult Coordinator (staff)
- Joyce Stewart — Choir Director
- Cherish Alaniz & Virg Crawford — Parish Pastoral Council
- Finance Council (Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Members)
- Cemetery Association
Faith Formation & Religious Education
St. George Parish runs a K-12 Faith Formation program under the direction of Faith Formation Coordinator Aubrey Bird. The parish also oversees the OCIA process (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) for adults and children seeking full reception into the Catholic Church, coordinated by MaryAnn Pate. Together these ministries serve school-age Catholics, returning Catholics, and those unbaptized or uncatechized who wish to become Catholic.
- Faith Formation (K-12) — Aubrey Bird
- OCIA for Adults & Children — MaryAnn Pate
- Safe Environment Program
- Returning Catholics pathway (via Newcomers ministry)
Youth & Young Adult Ministry
A dedicated Youth & Young Adult Coordinator works with the teens and young adults of the parish, building on the long Catholic ranching tradition of passing the faith to the next generation. The parish also enlists Altar Servers from among the youth of the parish.
- Youth & Young Adult Coordinator (staff)
- Altar Servers ministry
- Safe Environment Program for youth volunteers
Parish Pastoral Council & Finance Council
Lay leadership at St. George is exercised through the Parish Pastoral Council and the Finance Council. The Pastoral Council discerns the spiritual and pastoral direction of the parish, while the Finance Council oversees the temporal goods and stewardship of parish resources. Both councils are supported by the pastor and staffed by named parishioners.
- Parish Pastoral Council — including Cherish Alaniz and Virg Crawford
- Finance Council — Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Members
St. George Cemetery & Association
The parish maintains St. George Cemetery, which is administered through a Cemetery Association overseen by the parish. Inquiries about plots, burials, and cemetery records should be directed to the parish office at (361) 447-2893.
- St. George Cemetery — administered by the parish Cemetery Association
- Contact: (361) 447-2893
Music & Liturgical Ministries
Liturgical life at St. George is supported by a parish choir led by Choir Director Joyce Stewart and by an active corps of Altar Servers. These ministries help the community worship reverently at the English and Spanish Sunday Masses and at weekday services.
- Parish Choir — Joyce Stewart, Director
- Altar Servers
- English and Spanish Mass settings supported
Newcomers & Becoming a Parishioner
The parish maintains a dedicated Newcomers ministry welcoming visitors, those looking for a new parish home, returning Catholics, and those inquiring about the Catholic faith. Registration forms, returning-Catholic resources, and inquiry materials are all available through the Newcomers page on the parish website.
- Register as a new parishioner
- Returning Catholic resources
- Inquire about the Catholic Church
- Become Catholic (link to OCIA)
Visit Us & Contact
St. George Parish is located at 304 Crockett Street, George West, TX 78022, in Live Oak County. The parish office can be reached by phone at (361) 447-2893 or by email at [email protected]. Fr. Salinas can also be reached directly at [email protected].
- Address: 304 Crockett Street, George West, TX 78022
- Phone: (361) 447-2893
- Email: [email protected]
- Pastor's email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.st-george-parish.org/
- Diocese: Diocese of Corpus Christi