About St. James - Gonzales · Gonzales, Texas
St. James Catholic Church, located at 417 N College Street in Gonzales, Texas, is the central parish of the Catholic Community of Gonzales and Waelder. Founded in 1886, St. James serves as the mother church for two mission communities — Sacred Heart in Gonzales and St. Patrick in Waelder — and the parish is part of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio. The community gathers for daily and weekend Mass in English (with one Spanish Sunday Mass at Sacred Heart and bilingual services at St. Patrick), celebrates Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays, and offers Reconciliation on Saturdays. Under pastor Rev. Jason Martini and three deacons, the parish operates a Faith Formation office serving children, youth, and adults (including OCIA) and supports a wide network of liturgical, social, and outreach ministries.
- Established
- 1886
- Patron
- St. James (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Jason Martini
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio
Why belong here
St. James is the spiritual heart of a small but deeply committed tri-church Catholic community in Gonzales and Waelder. Parishioners can attend daily and weekend Mass in English, Spanish, and bilingual settings, spend time in Friday Eucharistic Adoration, and prepare their children for the sacraments through a full K–12 Faith Formation program (with separate OCIA tracks for English- and Spanish-speaking adults). The parish also opens many ways to get involved — Lectors, Nursing Home Ministry, Pastoral and Finance Councils, the Cemetery Committee, the Guacamole Festival and Sacred Heart Festival committees — so newcomers can quickly find both liturgical service and parish fellowship.
Mass times at St. James - Gonzales
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- St. James: Saturday 4:00–4:45 PM
- St. James: Sunday 3:00–3:45 PM
- St. Patrick: Thursday 5:00–5:45 PM
- Available in English and Spanish in Ordinary Time, or by appointment
Adoration times
- St. James: Friday 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM (Eucharistic Adoration)
- St. Patrick: Thursday 5:00–5:45 PM
Catholic Community of Gonzales and Waelder
St. James Catholic Church is the parish church of the Catholic Community of Gonzales and Waelder, a three-church family formed by St. James (Gonzales), Sacred Heart Mission (Gonzales), and St. Patrick Mission (Waelder). The community's logo — three overlapping circles bound by the Cross — expresses the unity of the three churches while honoring each one's individuality. The community's stated mission is to be 'blessed with the love of the Father, through faith in Jesus Christ and with guidance from the Holy Spirit…committed to hospitality, stewardship and fellowship among diverse parishioners through religious education and a dedication to believing, living and sharing the word of God.'
- St. James — 417 N College St., Gonzales, TX 78629 (parish church)
- Sacred Heart Mission — 426 St. John St., Gonzales
- St. Patrick Mission — 613 Hwy. 90 (Railroad St.), Waelder, TX 78959
Parish Staff and Leadership
The parish is led by Rev. Jason Martini, Pastor, and is assisted by three permanent deacons. Lay staff handle the day-to-day operations of the parish office, religious education, finances, and social media. A Pastoral Council with three representatives from each church (and the three deacons) advises the pastor on spiritual direction; a Finance Council oversees stewardship of the parish's resources.
- Rev. Jason Martini — Pastor ([email protected])
- Hope Guevara — Office Manager ([email protected])
- Lisa San Miguel — Bookkeeper & Social Media ([email protected])
- Patricia Gonzalez — Director of Religious Education ([email protected])
- Tim Decker — Custodian
- Deacon Terry (Terrance/Terrence) Brennan
- Deacon John Klapuch
- Deacon Alfonso Moreno
- Pastoral Council, Finance Council, Vocation Committee, Building Committee
Faith Formation — Children, Youth, and Adults
The parish Faith Formation Office, directed by Patricia Gonzalez, provides religious education for every age. Children's classes meet on Sunday mornings for pre-K through 5th grade; youth in 6th grade through high school meet Wednesday evenings. Waelder Faith Formation serves K–8th grade on Sunday mornings. Adult formation includes OCIA (the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, offered in both English and Spanish for those 17 and up), Adult Confirmation, and ongoing 'All Things Catholic' enrichment for men and women. A Summer Vacation Bible School is offered for children K–5th grade.
- Children's Faith Formation (K–5th): Sundays 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Youth Faith Formation (6th–High School): Wednesdays 6:15 PM – 7:45 PM
- Waelder Faith Formation (K–8th): Sundays 10:30 – 11:30 AM
- OCIA for adults 17+ — English (Holly & Brandon Coco, 719-237-6205); Spanish (Patricia Gonzalez, 830-672-6291)
- First Communion I & II ($40/student), Confirmation I & II ($60/student), 7th–8th grade ($20), K & 3rd–5th ($15), 6th grade ($50 including book)
- Summer Vacation Bible School for K–5th grade
Sacraments
The parish celebrates and prepares parishioners for the seven sacraments with clear, published requirements for Baptism and Reconciliation and dedicated preparation tracks for First Communion and Confirmation (both youth and adult).
- Baptism — celebrated any Saturday or Sunday after Mass; parent/godparent class on the 4th Sunday at 5:00 PM at St. James; parent interview on the 2nd Tuesday at 6:30 PM at the parish office
- Reconciliation — Sat 4:00–4:45 PM and Sun 3:00–3:45 PM at St. James; Thu 5:00–5:45 PM at St. Patrick; English and Spanish
- First Communion and Confirmation — multi-year preparation tracks through the Faith Formation office
- Adult Confirmation and Becoming Catholic (OCIA) for those seeking full initiation
Liturgical Ministries
Lay liturgical roles are coordinated by the parish office, with a head lector named for each of the three churches. The lector must be a Catholic of excellent character who believes Sacred Scripture is the Word of God and has deep respect for God's presence in that Word. Other liturgical and music roles are organized through the parish as well.
- Lectors — St. James: Holly Coco ([email protected])
- Lectors — Sacred Heart: Gloria Moreno ([email protected])
- Lectors — St. Patrick: Rosalbal Villegas ([email protected])
- Nursing Home Ministry — bringing Communion and prayer to elderly and homebound parishioners
Parish Councils and Committees
A variety of councils and committees give parishioners structured ways to help shape parish life, from spiritual direction to long-range planning and fundraising. Members are chosen by the pastor based on involvement, life experience, and gifts.
- Pastoral Council — three reps per church plus the three deacons; advises the pastor
- Finance Council — oversees stewardship of the community's monetary gifts
- Vocation Committee — accompanies people discerning their callings
- Building Committee — plans and maintains physical spaces for worship and ministry
- Cemetery Committee — cares for St. James Catholic Cemetery and hosts All Souls Day Mass
- Sacred Heart Festival Committee — annual summer fundraiser
- Guacamole Festival Committee — annual Labor Day Weekend fundraiser for St. Patrick
Gonzales Catholic Cemetery
The parish maintains its own cemetery, St. James Catholic Cemetery, located on what was historically called Davidson Hill behind the old Cotton Mill along the Waelder highway (now St. Andrew Street, across from Gonzales Elementary School). The cemetery was donated by Rev. John Toujas — a former pastor of St. James who later became pastor of St. Anne's Catholic Church in San Antonio — and was dedicated in June 1961, with the sermon delivered by the Most Rev. Stephen A. Levenshtein, Auxiliary to the Archbishop of San Antonio. The Cemetery Committee keeps the grounds beautiful, oversees the rules of the cemetery, and each year hosts an evening All Souls Day Mass on the cemetery grounds at which the faithful departed are remembered and graves are blessed.
- Two entrances to the cemetery
- Originally enclosed by iron fence, later replaced by chain-link fence
- Annual All Souls Day Mass celebrated in the evening on the cemetery grounds
Getting Involved and Visiting
Newcomers are welcomed to register as parishioners through the parish office (online registration is available on the website) and to participate in any of the parish's many ministries. Online giving and a weekly bulletin — delivered via email through Discover Mass — help parishioners stay connected and support the community even from a distance.
- Parish Office — 417 N College St., Gonzales, TX 78629 — (830) 672-2945
- Faith Formation Office — (830) 672-6291
- Online Giving and New Parishioner Registration available on ccgaw.org
- Weekly bulletin via email (Discover Mass)
- Directions: From US-183 Hwy, turn east at St. Lawrence Street and drive east seven blocks; the church is at the corner of St. Lawrence and College Streets
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John Toujas
Former pastor of St. James who later became pastor of St. Anne's Catholic Church in San Antonio; donated the land for St. James Catholic Cemetery.