St. Louis

About St. Louis Catholic Church

St. Louis Catholic Church is a parish in the Diocese of Austin, dedicated to fostering saints through the liturgy, the sacraments, prayer, tradition, intentional discipleship, and warm fellowship. The community was established in 1964 and grew out of the Catholic educational mission in North Waco that began with the opening of Waco Catholic High School (now Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School) in 1954. The parish invites every member to live out four characteristics of parish life: Worship Here, Serve Here, Give Here, and Build Community Here. Today, more than 2,900 families call St. Louis their spiritual home.

History of the Parish

The parish traces its roots to 1954, when Bishop Louis J. Reicher opened Waco Catholic High School on the North 25th Street campus. The adjacent parish school, St. Louis Catholic School, was completed in 1963 under the supervision of Father Mark Deering, who had come to Waco from Ireland in 1953. Father Deering was appointed the first pastor of the new St. Louis Parish on September 1, 1964, and the parish welcomed its first 668 families. Masses were initially celebrated in the school cafetorium while the permanent church was built over the next four years. The current church building opened with its first Sunday Mass on June 9, 1968, and is celebrated for its 69 stained-glass windows by the Harry Clark Stained Glass Studios of Dublin, Ireland. Monsignor Deering served the parish for 47 years until his retirement in October 2000.

• 1954 — Waco Catholic High School opens on the North 25th Street campus under Bishop Louis J. Reicher.
• 1963 — St. Louis Catholic School completed.
• September 1, 1964 — St. Louis Parish formally established; Father Mark Deering named first pastor.
• 1964 — Parish opens with 668 families; Masses initially held in the school cafetorium.
• June 9, 1968 — Permanent church building opens; first Sunday Mass celebrated.
• December 28, 1976 — Pope Paul VI awards Father Mark Deering the title of Monsignor.
• 1979 — Kindergarten added at St. Louis Catholic School.
• 2001 — Monsignor Mark Deering Activities Center dedicated at the high school.
• 2007 — PreK-3 and PreK-4 programs added at the parish school.
• October 2000 — Msgr. Deering retires after 47 years as pastor.
• 2019 — St. Louis Catholic School merges with Reicher Catholic High School to form Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School.
• 2020s — 'Fostering Saints Campaign' launched to renew the parish campus.

Architecture & Sacred Art

The signature of St. Louis Catholic Church is its 69 stained-glass windows, designed and executed by the Harry Clark Stained Glass Studios of Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 1930, the Harry Clark Studios is internationally renowned for ecclesiastical stained glass, and the St. Louis windows are among the studio's notable works outside Ireland. The windows were personally commissioned by founding pastor Monsignor Mark Deering when the church was built in the mid-1960s and opened on June 9, 1968. The current Fostering Saints Campaign dedicates roughly $2 million to church renovation, sanctuary enhancements, and the creation of a dedicated, permanent baptismal space.

• 69 stained-glass windows by Harry Clark Stained Glass Studios, Dublin.
• Permanent church building opened June 9, 1968.
• New baptismal space planned as part of the Fostering Saints Campaign.
• Fostering Saints Campaign church renovation budget: $2,000,000.

Pastoral Leadership

The parish is currently served by Rev. John Guzaldo as pastor, with Fr. (Peré) Augustine Ariwaodo serving as Parochial Vicar and Donna Brown as Office Administrator. The parish's founding pastor, Monsignor Mark Deering (1921–2016), served the community for 47 years from 1964 until his retirement in October 2000 and remained a beloved Waco figure until his death. In 2019, then-pastor Father Ryan Higdon oversaw the historic merger of the parish elementary school with Reicher Catholic High School to form Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School.

• Rev. John Guzaldo — Pastor
• Fr. (Peré) Augustine Ariwaodo — Parochial Vicar
• Donna Brown — Office Administrator
• Monsignor Mark Deering — Founding Pastor, 1964–2000

Ministries & Parish Life

St. Louis offers a broad and active ministry landscape. Liturgical ministries include Lectors, Altar Servers (5th–12th grade), Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, the Music/Choral ministry, Ushers, and Sacristans. The parish also operates formation ministries (Family Faith Formation, RCIA), youth and family ministries (Family Ministry, Core Teams for Middle School and High School), pastoral-care ministries (Homebound Ministry, Bereavement Committee), and the parish's signature vocational discernment group, Manus Dei, for boys in 7th grade and up interested in cultivating priestly vocations.

• Lectors
• Altar Servers (grades 5–12)
• Manus Dei — vocations discernment for boys grades 7+
• Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
• Music / Choral
• Ushers
• Sacristans
• Television Ministry — Sunday Mass broadcast
• Homebound Ministry
• Family Ministry
• Family Faith Formation
• Ladies Altar Society
• Core Team — High School
• Core Team — Middle School
• Bereavement Committee

Sacraments

The parish prepares members for and celebrates all seven Catholic sacraments, including Baptism, Confirmation, First Eucharist, Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick, Reconciliation, and RCIA / OCIA for adult initiation. The Fostering Saints Campaign is creating a dedicated, permanent baptismal space within the church to support this sacramental life. Bereavement support is offered through the parish's Bereavement Committee.

• Baptism — new permanent baptismal space coming through Fostering Saints Campaign
• Confirmation
• First Eucharist
• Matrimony
• Anointing of the Sick
• Reconciliation (Confession)
• RCIA / OCIA (adult initiation)
• Funerals / Bereavement support

Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School

St. Louis Catholic Church shares its North 25th Street campus with Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School, formed in 2019 by the merger of the parish's St. Louis Catholic School (founded 1963) and Reicher Catholic High School (founded 1954 as Waco Catholic High School under Bishop Louis J. Reicher). The merger, announced under the blessing of Bishop Joe S. Vasquez and then-pastor Father Ryan Higdon, united the parish elementary school and the diocesan high school into a single PreK-12 Catholic institution described as 'the premier Catholic school in Central Texas.'

• 1954 — Waco Catholic High School opens under Bishop Louis J. Reicher.
• 1960 — School renamed Reicher Catholic High School.
• 1963 — St. Louis Catholic School established as the parish school.
• 1979 — Kindergarten added at the parish school.
• 2007 — PreK-3 and PreK-4 programs added.
• 2019 — Merger forms Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School.
• The merged school serves PreK through 12th grade on the North Waco campus.

Fostering Saints Campaign

The Fostering Saints Campaign is the parish's $12 million capital initiative to renew its campus. Launched in response to decades of growth (from 668 founding families in 1964 to more than 2,900 today), the campaign addresses worn and uneven church floors that create safety concerns, an institutional-feeling Activity Center, parking designed for a much smaller parish, and the lack of a permanent, dedicated adoration chapel.

• Total campaign goal: $12,000,000
• Church Renovation (sanctuary enhancements, new baptismal space): $2,000,000
• Activity Center refresh
• New Rectory
• Permanent, dedicated adoration chapel for the Blessed Sacrament
• Parking improvements

Visiting & Contact

Visitors are warmly welcomed at all Masses and devotional times. The parish office can be reached by phone at (254) 754-1221, and the parish email is [email protected]. The church address is 2001 N. 25th Street, Waco, TX 76708. The signature sight for visitors is the suite of 69 stained-glass windows by the Harry Clark Stained Glass Studios of Dublin, Ireland.

• Address: 2001 N. 25th Street, Waco, TX 76708
• Phone: (254) 754-1221
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://stlouiswaco.com
• Diocese: Diocese of Austin