About St. Mary · Clarendon, Texas
St. Mary's Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in Clarendon, Texas (Donley County), in the Diocese of Amarillo. The parish traces its roots to 1892, when the one-story wooden-frame church on the corner of McClelland and Montgomery became the first Catholic church building ever raised in the Texas Panhandle. After the original 1892 church was damaged beyond repair in April 2017 and demolished in September 2019, the parish has worshipped out of its adjoining Parish Hall while raising funds and breaking ground on a new church building that will reuse the original altar, prayer rail, bead board, and stained-glass windows.
- Established
- 1892
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception (formal Latin dedication: Beatae Mariae Virginis Immaculatae Conceptionis)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Amarillo
Why belong here
St. Mary's is a close-knit frontier Catholic community with more than 130 years of history in the Texas Panhandle. Parishioners gather for Sunday Mass, weekly Wednesday adoration and the Rosary or other chaplets, parish meals, summer fundraisers like the St. Mary's Fish Fry, and a shared effort to build a new church that honors the original 1892 building. For Catholics in Clarendon and across Donley County, St. Mary's offers a quiet, faithful place to worship, serve, and stay connected to the Panhandle's first Catholic parish.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment — please schedule a time with Father
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
About St. Mary's Catholic Church
St. Mary's Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in Clarendon, Texas, in the rolling plains of Donley County. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Amarillo and serves Catholics across the Clarendon area with Sunday Mass, weekly adoration, and ongoing community life. The parish's most prominent project at present is the construction of a new church to replace the historic 1892 building that was lost in 2017–2019.
- Diocese: Amarillo
- Sunday Mass: 11:00 AM (English)
- Wednesday Adoration: 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
- Confession: by appointment with Father
History & Heritage
St. Mary's traces its history to the arrival of Irish and German Catholic immigrants to Clarendon in the 1880s, when the Fort Worth and Denver Railway made the town a Panhandle division point. Priests had celebrated Mass in homes and public buildings across the region for years before the parish got its own building. In March 1892, Bishop Thomas Francis Brennan purchased a church site from R.E. Montgomery, and the one-story wooden-frame church was completed that July for about $1,700. The parish's 1898 St. Mary's Academy educated day and boarding students until 1911. The church was designated the Shrine of Our Lady of the Panhandle in 1951 and received a Texas Historical Commission marker in 1996.
- First Catholic church building in the Texas Panhandle (July 1892)
- Built for approximately $1,700
- St. Mary's Academy operated 1898–1911
- Designated Shrine of Our Lady of the Panhandle in 1951
- Texas Historical Commission Marker No. 14341, erected 1996
The Original 1892 Church Building
The original St. Mary's church was a one-story wooden-frame structure on the corner of McClelland and Montgomery in Clarendon. It served the Panhandle's first Catholic congregation for 125 years, functioning as both a parish church and a mission headquarters for priests traveling the surrounding frontier. On April 23, 2017, a vehicle struck the building, pushing it off its foundation and breaking the sill plate; engineers and an architect deemed the damage too great to salvage. The historic structure was demolished on September 9, 2019. The parish's most cherished items — stained-glass windows, bead board, the original altar, and the prayer rail — were saved and will be incorporated into the new church.
- One-story wooden-frame church, corner of McClelland and Montgomery
- Damaged April 23, 2017 by a vehicle strike
- Demolished September 9, 2019
- Saved for re-use: stained-glass windows, bead board, original altar, prayer rail
Building the New Church
After the 1892 building was demolished, the parish worshipped out of the adjoining Parish Hall (completed in 2016) and began an extended planning and fundraising effort. Dirt work on the new St. Mary's began in August 2025, after nine years of planning and fundraising. The new church will be an 80-by-40-foot structure extending from the west end of the Parish Hall. Building committee member Chriss Clifford estimated construction would take six to seven months, with hopes of being in by Christmas 2025. As of mid-2025, the parish had raised about $384,000 of its $670,000 goal (57%).
- Dirt work began August 2025
- 80 ft × 40 ft new building attached to the west end of the Parish Hall
- Stained-glass windows, bead board, original altar, and prayer rail incorporated into the design
- Fundraising goal: $670,000 (approximately 57% raised as of mid-2025)
- Parish Hall (completed 2016) continues to host Mass and parish events during construction
Parish Life, Fellowship & Fundraisers
As a small Panhandle parish, St. Mary's life revolves around shared meals, community events, and fundraising to complete the new church. The parish hosts periodic Parish Meals for parishioners, runs a food booth at the annual Summer Celebration on the Courthouse square, and holds a popular St. Mary's Fish Fry as a building-fund fundraiser. Call-in orders for the fish fry are taken at the parish office (806-874-3910).
- Parish Meal (fellowship gathering for parishioners)
- Summer Celebration food booth on the Courthouse square
- St. Mary's Fish Fry (building-fund fundraiser; tickets $15 adults / $7 children)
- Building Committee (e.g., member Chriss Clifford)
- Call-in orders and information: (806) 874-3910
St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
The parish maintains a small historic cemetery on the west side of the highway in Clarendon. A 300-square-foot plot was purchased on March 17, 1898 for the price of $2 by Rev. Ed. J. Dunn (then bishop). The first recorded burial there took place on February 2, 1901.
- Located on the west side of the highway in Clarendon
- Plot purchased March 17, 1898 for $2 by Rev. Ed. J. Dunn
- First recorded burial: February 2, 1901