About St. Isidore · San Isidro, Texas
St. Isidore is a small Roman Catholic parish in the rural community of San Isidro, in northeastern Starr County, Texas, belonging to the Diocese of Brownsville. The parish was formally established in 1965 in the same year the Diocese of Brownsville was created from the Diocese of Corpus Christi, and it serves a farming and ranching population in one of the most rural corners of the Rio Grande Valley. Mass is offered in both English and Spanish, reflecting the bilingual character of the community, and the parish is a recognized mission of its diocese under the patronage of St. Isidore the Labourer, the patron of farmers.
- Established
- 1965
- Patron
- St. Isidore the Labourer (San Isidro Labrador), patron of farmers
- Rector
- Rev. Pedro Hernandez (effective 05/06/2024)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Brownsville
Why belong here
St. Isidore is a small, bilingual country parish where Spanish and English Masses are celebrated each week, making it a spiritual home for the farming and ranching families of northern Starr County. Worshippers find a close-knit Catholic community that traces its roots to the late 1800s, with a sanctuary built in the early 1960s and a faith life tied to the rhythms of rural South Texas. Visitors are welcomed to a parish that has continued to serve its neighbors for six decades under the care of the Diocese of Brownsville.
Mass times at St. Isidore
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity & History
St. Isidore Parish in San Isidro, Texas, was formally established in 1965 as a Roman Catholic parish of the newly created Diocese of Brownsville. The community it serves, however, has a much older Catholic identity: San Isidro was founded in 1877 by Santiago Peña, who named it after St. Isidore (the patron of farmers) and even imported a statue of the saint from Spain. An old Catholic church was built about 1900, and a new church and parish hall were constructed in 1963 under Oblate priest Father Fortunato Herrero, O.M.I. The canonical parish was erected two years later, the same year the Diocese of Brownsville itself was born.
- Parish established 1965
- Community named for St. Isidore since 1877
- Old church built c. 1900
- New church & parish hall built 1963 under Fr. Fortunato Herrero, O.M.I.
Diocese of Brownsville
St. Isidore is one of the parishes of the Diocese of Brownsville, which was extracted from the Diocese of Corpus Christi in 1965. The first bishop of Brownsville, the Most Rev. Adolph Marx, was installed in September 1965 and died just two months later. Under his successor, Bishop Louis J. Reicher, the diocese grew from 35 to 58 parishes. St. Isidore was among the original parishes founded that inaugural year, alongside Sacred Heart in Elsa and St. Cecilia in Los Fresnos.
- Diocese established 1965
- St. Isidore listed as a 1965 foundation parish
Clergy & Leadership
The parish is served by diocesan priests assigned through the Diocese of Brownsville. As of the most recent diocesan directory, the pastor is Rev. Pedro Hernandez (effective May 6, 2024), with Rev. Ernest E. Ukwueze also listed (effective September 4, 2024). Historically, the rural mission was served for many years by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, including Fr. Fortunato Herrero, O.M.I., who built the new church in 1963.
- Rev. Pedro Hernandez, pastor (eff. 05/06/2024)
- Rev. Ernest E. Ukwueze (eff. 09/04/2024)
- Rev. Fortunato Herrero, O.M.I. (longtime pastor through 1963)
Sacraments & Devotions
As a small rural parish in the Diocese of Brownsville, St. Isidore celebrates the sacraments for the faithful of northern Starr County. Schedules for Reconciliation, adoration, quinceañeras, weddings, baptisms, and quinceañeras are coordinated through the parish office; visitors should call (956) 481-3392 for current arrangements. No public list of confession, adoration, or devotional times is published online for this parish.
- Contact parish office for Reconciliation, baptism, marriage, quinceañera, and anointing of the sick
Visiting & Location
St. Isidore is located at 5160 FM 1017 in San Isidro, Texas 78588, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 60. The parish sits at the intersection of Farm Roads 1017 and 2294 in northeastern Starr County. Travelers from the south reach the parish by exiting FM 1017 from Highway 755 North. The parish phone line is (956) 481-3392 and the email is [email protected].
- Address: 5160 FM 1017, San Isidro, TX 78588
- Mailing: P.O. Box 60, San Isidro, TX 78588
- Phone: (956) 481-3392
- Email: [email protected]
- Directions: From Hwy. 755 North, exit FM 1017
Community & Cultural Roots
San Isidro is a small ranching and dry-land farming community in northeastern Starr County, settled in 1877 by Santiago Peña and named for St. Isidore. By the early 1990s the community supported a dozen businesses, a volunteer fire department, a consolidated K-12 school, and a post office (re-established in 1948). Farming, ranching, and neighboring gas and oilfields remain the local economy. The Catholic parish has been the spiritual center of this rural community for well over a century, with a documented church since about 1900.
- Named for St. Isidore (patron of farmers) in 1877
- Old Catholic church built c. 1900
- Population ~300 (1990); ~270 (2000)
- Dry-land farming, ranching, and oil/gas are the local economy
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fortunato Herrero, O.M.I.through 1963
Longtime Oblates of Mary Immaculate pastor who oversaw construction of the new church and parish hall in 1963 before the canonical parish was formally erected in 1965.