About St. Mary · Austin, Texas
Saint Mary Cathedral is the mother church and seat of the Catholic Diocese of Austin, Texas, serving as the historic center of Catholic life in central Texas for more than 170 years. Located at 203 East 10th Street in downtown Austin, the Gothic Revival limestone cathedral was designed by Nicholas J. Clayton and completed in 1884, making it one of the oldest Catholic churches in the city. Originally a parish of the Diocese of Galveston, it became a cathedral when the Diocese of Austin was erected in 1948 and currently serves as home church for Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, the diocese's sixth ordinary. The cathedral offers daily Mass in English, two Extraordinary Form Latin Masses on Sundays, and a weekly Mass in Spanish, and is home to the Cathedral School of Saint Mary — Austin's oldest school in continuous operation.
- Established
- 1866 (as parish); cornerstone laid 1872; consecrated 1884
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Very Rev. Daniel Liu (Rector)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Austin
Why belong here
St. Mary Cathedral offers an unusual combination of historic Catholic identity, downtown accessibility, and liturgical breadth. As the mother church of the Diocese of Austin, it is home to one of the few regular Extraordinary Form (Latin) Mass schedules in central Texas — two Sunday Latin Masses plus a First Friday Latin Mass — alongside a vibrant weekly Spanish Mass and full English schedule with daily Mass and confession. It hosts the Cathedral School of Saint Mary (Austin’s oldest continuously operating school), an active Young Adults group, RCIA, monthly community meals, devotions such as First Friday Holy Hour and Benediction, and annual celebrations for Our Lady of Guadalupe and Las Posadas. Pilgrims and downtown workers alike are welcomed into a parish whose 180-year history, Gothic Revival architecture, and place at the heart of diocesan life make it a true center of Catholic worship in central Texas.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday–Saturday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Saturday: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
- 1st Friday: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM (sign-up required)
Adoration times
- First Friday Holy Hour and Benediction: after the 12:05 PM daily Mass at 1:30 PM, monthly
- Adoration during Holy Thursday at 9:00 PM (Mass of the Lord's Supper followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
- Exposition/Adoration on occasional holy days and feast days as announced
History of Saint Mary Cathedral
Saint Mary's origins lie in the 1850s, when Austin's Irish and German Catholics built a small stone church named St. Patrick's at 9th and Brazos. After a 1866 compromise, the parish rededicated itself to the Blessed Virgin Mary; cornerstone was laid in 1872 on a site one block north; the building was finished in 1874 and consecrated on April 20, 1884. When the Diocese of Austin was erected in 1948, Saint Mary's was chosen as the cathedral — the cathedra, or chair, of the new bishop. A 1948 remodel replaced neo-Gothic altars with 20th-century marble and added a baldachino of cactus and bluebonnets. Towers and spires were completed in 1907; the 2013 restoration cleaned the limestone, replaced blocks and mortar, and restored the great rose window.
- 1850s — St. Patrick's stone church built at 9th & Brazos
- 1866 — Parish renamed Saint Mary (Irish/German compromise)
- 1872 — Cornerstone laid at 203 East 10th Street
- 1874 — Construction completed
- 20 April 1884 — Consecration
- 1890s — Additional stained glass added
- 1907 — Neo-Gothic towers and spires completed
- 1948 — Becomes cathedral of the new Diocese of Austin
- 1950s — Original finials removed
- 1973 — Listed on National Register of Historic Places (#73001981)
- 1977 — Designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (#14676)
- 2013 — Exterior restoration and rose window restoration
Architecture & Art
Designed by Nicholas J. Clayton in Gothic Revival style, Saint Mary's is built of locally quarried limestone in a basilica-shaped plan. Tree-like columns with foliage-carved capitals support arches that meet in tracery of vines and leaves; pointed arches on doors and windows and the soaring spires evoke mountains, while the ceiling and the blue dome spangled with stars reflect the heavens. The original neo-Gothic altars were replaced in 1948 with marble and a Central Texas–inspired baldachino. The large rose window on the front facade — restored in 2013 — features a central quincunx design interpreted as the four evangelists carrying the Word to the four corners of the world.
- Architect: Nicholas J. Clayton (Irish-born, 1840–)
- Style: Gothic Revival (Victorian)
- Material: locally quarried limestone
- Bell: donated by the Butler family — one of the largest in Texas
- Rose window: central quincunx, restored 2013
- Baldachino: cactus and bluebonnets motif (1948)
- Towers & spires: completed 1907
Worship at the Cathedral
Saint Mary Cathedral offers daily Mass in English, two Extraordinary Form (Latin) Masses on Sunday, a weekly Spanish Mass, a monthly First Friday Latin Mass, and a robust schedule of confessions. The cathedral is the host parish for Austin's thriving Latin Mass community and welcomes pilgrims and downtown workers throughout the week.
- Sunday: 7:30 AM Latin (OF), 9:30 AM English, 12:00 PM English, 1:45 PM Spanish, 3:30 PM Latin (OF, Sung), 5:30 PM English
- Saturday Vigil: 5:30 PM English
- Daily (Mon–Fri): 6:30 AM and 12:05 PM English
- Saturday: 12:05 PM English
- First Friday: 9:30 AM English/Latin
Holy Days of Obligation & Christmas
The cathedral publishes a full schedule for Holy Days of Obligation in the United States (Mary Mother of God, Assumption, All Saints, Immaculate Conception, Nativity). Christmas brings five Masses on December 24 and four more across December 25 and January 1, including English, Latin, and Spanish celebrations.
- Christmas Eve: 4:00, 6:00, 8:00 (Latin), 11:15 PM Lessons & Carols, 12:00 AM Midnight
- Christmas Day: 7:30 AM Latin, 9:30 AM English, 12:00 PM English, 1:45 PM Spanish
- Jan 1 (Solemnity of Mary): 8:00 AM Latin, 10:00 AM English, 12:00 PM Spanish
Lent & the Easter Triduum
The cathedral publishes a complete schedule for Lent and the Paschal Triduum, including Stations of the Cross each Friday evening, the Mass of the Lord's Supper with evening Adoration on Holy Thursday, the Commemoration of the Lord's Passion and Tenebrae on Good Friday, the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, and a full slate of English, Latin, and Spanish Masses on Easter Sunday.
- Fridays in Lent — Stations of the Cross 6:30 PM
- Holy Thursday — 7:00 PM Mass of the Lord's Supper; 9:00 PM Adoration
- Good Friday — 12:00 PM Stations; 2:00 PM Passion; 8:00 PM Tenebrae
- Holy Saturday — 8:30 PM Easter Vigil
- Easter Sunday — 7:30 AM Latin, 9:30 AM English, 12:00 PM English, 1:45 PM Spanish, 3:30 PM Latin, 5:30 PM English
Parish Life & Ministries
Although the cathedral sits amid downtown Austin rather than a residential neighborhood, it maintains a vibrant set of ministries. The Cathedral Young Adults group is reportedly the most active group in the parish, RCIA welcomed nine catechumens at a recent Easter, and the Austin Rosary Crusade (a Spanish-language ecclesial movement) regularly meets at Saint Mary's. Monthly community meals and annual celebrations for Our Lady of Guadalupe, Las Posadas, and feast-day processions anchor the parish's Hispanic ministry, supported by religious education classes in Spanish.
- Cathedral Young Adults
- RCIA — Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
- Parish Religious Education (PREP), with Spanish-language classes
- Austin Rosary Crusade (Spanish ecclesial movement)
- Monthly community meals
- Our Lady of Guadalupe, Las Posadas, and feast-day processions
- Vocations support: seminarians Ladd Spears and Jack Graves
- Music / Cathedral Choir (English and Latin)
- Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Ushers, Altar Servers
Cathedral School of Saint Mary
Founded in 1866, the Cathedral School of Saint Mary is the parish's largest ministry and holds the distinction of being Austin's oldest school in continuous operation. Students from 35 ZIP codes attend the K-8 school, which serves families from several surrounding parishes (notably Sacred Heart in east Austin). Spiritual life centers on weekly Wednesday school Masses in the Cathedral, monthly First Friday adoration, daily Gospel reflections, regular class visits for confession and rosary, and Stations of the Cross led by 8th graders during Lent. Parents gather on Thursday mornings at 8 AM in Bishop's Hall to pray the rosary. The Our Kids at Heart Foundation plays a crucial role in sustaining the school's vitality.
- Founded 1866 — Austin's oldest continuously operating school
- K-8, families from 35 ZIP codes
- Wednesday school Masses in the Cathedral
- Monthly First Friday adoration
- Daily Gospel reflection
- 8th graders lead Stations of the Cross in Lent
- Parents' Thursday morning rosary in Bishop's Hall
- Our Kids at Heart Foundation
Sacraments
The cathedral celebrates the full sacramental life of the Church. In a typical year the parish baptizes about 100 people, prepares roughly 70 children for First Holy Communion, confirms about 60, celebrates around 55 weddings, and offers about 13 funerals. Sacramental preparation is the parish's highest-demand ministry, with the staff working closely with parents and families — including homeschooling families — to educate children in the faith.
- Baptism (~100/yr)
- First Holy Communion (~70/yr)
- Confirmation (~60/yr)
- Marriage (~55/yr)
- Anointing of the Sick & funerals (~13/yr)
- RCIA for adult initiation
Visiting the Cathedral
Saint Mary Cathedral is open throughout the week for daily Mass, confession, and quiet prayer. Visitors and pilgrims are warmly welcomed, and the cathedral staff has coordinated with area parishes that bring groups seeking a plenary indulgence. A handicap-accessible entrance is on the east side, where a ramp leads to a side entrance; the main entrance is on the west side. Visitors are asked to dress modestly and to arrive 10–15 minutes before Mass; silence and reverence are expected, especially during First Friday Holy Hour and Benediction.
- East-side handicap-accessible ramp entrance
- Main entrance on the west side
- Dress modestly; arrive 10–15 minutes early
- Plenary indulgence available for pilgrims (esp. Diocese 75th anniversary)
- Open for daily Mass and Confession throughout the week
Contact & Location
Saint Mary Cathedral is located at 203 East 10th Street, Austin, TX 78701, one block north of the Texas State Capitol in downtown Austin. The parish office can be reached at (512) 476-6182 or [email protected].
- Address: 203 East 10th Street, Austin, TX 78701
- Phone: (512) 476-6182
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://smcaustin.org/
- Latin Mass microsite: http://www.austinlatinmass.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Very Rev. Daniel Liu
Current Rector; installed as rector and assists the diocese's sixth bishop, Daniel E. Garcia. Mentioned in diocesan coverage in 2020 (re-opening during COVID-19) and 2024.
- Very Rev. Doug Jeffers
Current Parochial Vicar; assists the rector in parish responsibilities.
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