About St. Helena Mission (Helena) · Karnes City, Texas
St. Helena Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church in the historic community of Helena, Karnes County, Texas, situated about five miles east of Panna Maria on Farm Road 81. It belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio and is administered from the neighboring parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Panna Maria. The mission is staffed by Fr. Wieslaw Iwaniec, who serves as Administrator, and serves the faithful of this once-bustling county-seat-now near-ghost town alongside other missions in the Panna Maria pastoral cluster (which includes Nativity of the BVM in Cestohowa, St. Anthony in Runge, St. Boniface in Hobson, and others).
- Established
- 1904
- Patron
- St. Helena
- Rector
- Fr. Wieslaw Iwaniec
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio
Why belong here
St. Helena Mission offers faithful Catholics in rural eastern Karnes County a place to continue the Polish Catholic heritage brought to the area in 1854, with regular Sunday Mass in a quiet historic community. As part of the Panna Maria pastoral family, the mission connects parishioners to a wider cluster of small Polish-heritage churches (Nativity of the BVM in Cestohowa, St. Boniface in Hobson, St. Anthony in Runge, etc.), making it a true faith community for those who believe, belong, and become together.
Mass times at St. Helena Mission (Helena)
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. Helena Mission
St. Helena Mission is a small Catholic mission church located in the historic community of Helena in Karnes County, Texas, about five miles east of Panna Maria on Farm Road 81. It belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio and is served by Fr. Wieslaw Iwaniec, who also serves as Administrator of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Panna Maria.
History of the Parish
According to GCatholic, St. Helena was established as a mission in 1904 and was raised to parish status in 1945. The town of Helena itself was founded in 1852 by Thomas Ruckman and Dr. Lewis S. Owings, who named it after Owings' wife Helen, and it briefly served as Karnes County's original county seat. After being bypassed by the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway in 1886, Helena steadily declined, and the Catholic mission was founded there in 1904 to serve the remaining Polish and other immigrant faithful connected to nearby Panna Maria.
- Established as a mission in 1904
- Raised to parish status in 1945
- Located in Helena, the original county seat of Karnes County (est. 1854)
Leadership and Clergy
The mission is administered by Fr. Wieslaw Iwaniec, who also pastors the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Panna Maria. As Administrator, Fr. Iwaniec oversees pastoral care for St. Helena and the other missions in the cluster.
- Fr. Wieslaw Iwaniec — Administrator
Parish Cluster and Surrounding Missions
St. Helena is one of several Catholic missions in the Panna Maria pastoral cluster of Karnes County. The cluster serves the small Polish-heritage communities founded in the mid-1800s along the San Antonio River.
- Immaculate Conception of the BVM — Panna Maria
- Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary — Cestohowa
- St. Anthony — Runge
- St. Boniface — Hobson
- Holy Cross — Yorktown
- Holy Trinity — Falls City
Visiting Helena
Helena is a small historic community in Karnes County that once served as the county seat and bustled as a stop on the old Ox-Cart Trail between San Antonio and Goliad. Today it has only about 30–35 residents, but retains several restored 19th-century buildings including the 1873 courthouse, the old post office, the John Ruckman Home, the Sickenius farmhouse, and the jail, all maintained as museum pieces. Four historical markers are located in the area.
- About 5 miles east of Panna Maria on FM 81
- Originally the Karnes County seat (1854–1894)
- Population approximately 30–35 today
Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the mission through the parish office, which is shared with the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Panna Maria.
- Phone: (830) 780-2748
- Address: 8275 FM 81, Helena, TX 78118
- Website: http://www.pannamariachurch.com