About St. Mary Of The Epiphany · Timpson, Texas
St. Mary of the Epiphany is a Roman Catholic mission church in the small East Texas town of Timpson, one of a handful of missions served from St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in nearby Center. The mission shares its worship life and its website (sttcentertx.com) with the Center parish. It is currently pastored by Rev. Luis Pena, STL, and ministers to a bilingual English-and-Spanish Catholic community under the Diocese of Tyler.
- Established
- 1996
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of the Epiphany (Mary of the Epiphany)
- Rector
- Rev. Luis Pena, STL
- Diocese
- Diocese of Tyler
Why belong here
St. Mary of the Epiphany is a small, bilingual mission with a deep sense of family — the kind of place where a community of mostly-Protestant East Texas once worked for years just to have a Catholic church of their own. Today it continues to serve local Catholics with weekend Masses in both English and Spanish, Eucharistic Adoration on First Saturdays, and the Sacramental life of the Diocese of Tyler, all from a converted home chapel on Highway 59 South. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a fellowship that describes itself as 'a place to believe, belong, and become.'
Mass times at St. Mary Of The Epiphany
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:00 PM
Adoration times
- First Saturday 3:30 PM
Our Story
St. Mary of the Epiphany Mission grew out of the prayers and persistence of a small group of Catholics in the East Texas town of Timpson, where for years the faithful met in private homes because there was no Catholic church. After contacting Bishop Carmody of the Diocese of Tyler and being told, "You Catholics of Timpson need a church," they organized as the Epiphany Catholic Mission and worshipped at the First United Methodist Church while they searched for a permanent home.
- First Mass celebrated January 6, 1996 by Bishop Carmody with Fr. Devaraj Arulappa of St. Therese, Center
- First parishioner-owned chapel dedicated Palm Sunday, April 3, 1998
- Founding lay leaders: Charles Dalen and Ed Konderla
Mass & Worship Schedule
The mission offers bilingual weekend Masses — English on Saturday afternoon and Spanish on Saturday evening, with an additional Sunday Spanish Mass — plus a Spanish weekday Mass on Thursday evenings. Because the mission shares pastoral staff with St. Therese of Lisieux in Center, schedules are coordinated across both communities and posted on the shared parish website.
- Saturday 4:00 PM — English
- Saturday 6:00 PM — Spanish (Vigilia del Domingo)
- Sunday 8:00 AM — Spanish
- Thursday 6:00 PM — Spanish
Clergy & Staff
The mission is served from St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Center, Texas, sharing pastoral leadership across the East Texas missions of the Diocese of Tyler. Day-to-day parish life is supported by an assistant administrator and a seminarian on pastoral year.
- Rev. Luis Pena, STL — Pastor
- Mrs. Yolanda Contreras — Assistant Administrator
- Roselio Fuentes — Seminarian
Formation & Ministries
As a smaller mission church, St. Mary of the Epiphany focuses its ministry on faith formation for children and youth and on local outreach to the surrounding community, alongside its bilingual worship life.
- Sunday School / Children and Youth Activities
- Local outreach and community activities
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) parish life
Worship Languages
The mission is intentionally bilingual, with Masses celebrated in both English and Spanish to serve the full range of Catholics in the Timpson area and the wider East Texas region.
- English
- Spanish
Visiting & Contact
The mission chapel sits along U.S. Highway 59 South on the south side of Timpson, in what was once a private home. Parishioners and visitors can reach the office through the shared St. Therese of Lisieux phone line, and the mission maintains an active Facebook presence with Sunday Mass videos and parish updates.
- Address: 3072 US Hwy 59 S, Timpson, TX 75975-9350
- Phone: 936-254-9662
- Pastor line: 936-505-8402
- Facebook: facebook.com/stmarytimpson/
- Shared parish website: sttcentertx.com
Diocese of Tyler
St. Mary of the Epiphany Mission is a parish of the Diocese of Tyler, which covers the Catholic communities of East Texas. The mission is shepherded by the diocese's bishop and shares pastoral resources with St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Center, TX.
- Diocese: Diocese of Tyler
- Shared pastoral home: St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church, Center, TX
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Father Devaraj Arulappa1996–1998 and beyond
Founding pastor from St. Therese Catholic Church in Center, TX; celebrated the mission's first Mass on January 6, 1996 and the first Mass in the new chapel on Palm Sunday, April 3, 1998.
- Rev. Luis Pena, STL
Current pastor; listed as mission pastor on the parish's online profiles.