About St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal · Texas City, Texas
St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal is a Roman Catholic parish in Texas City, Texas, belonging to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. It serves Texas City and surrounding communities with a bilingual (English/Spanish) ministry, a parish school (Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School), an Early Childhood Center, a prison ministry, a Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference, and mission outreach to Guatemala. The current church building was dedicated in 2010 and continues the legacy of a parish that traces its roots to missionary priests who first celebrated Mass in private homes around 1900.
- Established
- 1911
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal)
- Rector
- Father Clint Ressler
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Why belong here
St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal welcomes both English- and Spanish-speaking Catholics into one bilingual family, with all four Sunday Masses balanced between the two languages and a Tuesday evening Spanish Mass during the week. The parish is deeply rooted in service — running a St. Vincent de Paul conference, a prison ministry at the Carol Young Medical Facility, mission trips to Guatemala, and outreach to the sick and homebound — and is supported by a full Catholic school (Our Lady of Fatima) and an Early Childhood Center. For anyone in Texas City, La Marque, Dickinson, or the surrounding bay-area communities, it offers a long-standing, historically significant parish home with daily Mass, regular confession, and an active Music & Liturgy program.
Mass times at St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday: 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM
- Saturday: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Adoration times
- Adoration Chapel with scheduled hourly visits by signed-up volunteers (contact Ana Jaramillo, 409-771-2547)
Parish History
St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal traces its origins to the missionary Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate, based in Dickinson, who traveled by horse and buggy to celebrate occasional Sunday Masses in Texas City homes and in the International Longshoreman's Hall. The first Mass was offered by Fr. Edward Kelly in the home of John A. Seibert. A first wood-frame church on Eighth Avenue North was dedicated by Bishop Gallagher in 1911; it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1943. Bishop Byrne dedicated the larger, Spanish-style white stucco replacement on March 18, 1945. After the 1947 Texas City Disaster — the deadliest industrial disaster in U.S. history — damaged the church and the nearby Our Lady of the Snows mission, the two Catholic communities eventually merged under the name St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal. The present church building was dedicated in 2010.
- First Mass in Texas City: home of John A. Seibert, said by Fr. Edward Kelly, O.M.I.
- First church: 1911 (Bishop Gallagher); wood-frame, 1,320 sq ft; destroyed by hurricane 1943
- Second church: March 18, 1945 (Bishop Byrne); Spanish-style white stucco
- Merger with Our Lady of the Snows mission (serving Hispanic Catholics) following the 1947 explosion
- Current church building dedicated 2010
Clergy & Staff
Pastor Father Clint Ressler is assisted by four permanent deacons (including one Deacon in Training) and a lay staff that includes a Business Manager, Bookkeeper, Director of Music & Liturgy, two Receptionists, Coordinators of Hispanic Ministry, Youth Ministry, and Faith Formation, and the principal of the parish school and director of the Early Childhood Center.
- Rev. Clint Ressler — Pastor
- Deacon Steve Mistretta
- Deacon Gerry Weiser
- Deacon Pete Velazquez
- Deacon Ben Mazzara — Deacon in Training
- Nina Sanchez — Parish Business Manager
- Vicky Orton — Bookkeeper
- Rachel Saines-Day — Director of Music & Liturgy
- Erika Brown — Parish Communications / Facilities Rentals
- Yesenia (Yessy) Rodriguez & Veronica Del Bosque Gonzales — Receptionists
- Josefina Vasquez — Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry (Volunteer)
- Marisol Zuniga — Missionary / Adult Confirmation
- Chrysta Joy Jaucian — Missionary
- Cheryl Aucoin — Principal, Our Lady of Fatima School
- Jessica Chambers — Director, Early Childhood Center
Faith Formation & School
Religious education is offered for children and youth, with volunteers serving as teachers, small-group leaders, and substitute teachers; the parish notes that no prior experience is necessary and all materials are provided. Adult Confirmation and OCIA preparation are led by the parish missionaries.
- Faith Formation Office: 409-948-1383
- Youth Ministry and Confirmation preparation
- Adult Confirmation / OCIA — Marisol Zuniga, 832-923-3911
- Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School — Principal Cheryl Aucoin, 409-945-3326 (caucoinfatimatc.org)
- Early Childhood Center — Director Jessica Chambers (jchambersstmarycctc.org)
Music & Liturgy
Dedicated musicians and vocalists lead the assembly at Mass. The Music & Liturgy Ministry, under Director Rachel Saines-Day, welcomes participants with or without prior music experience. Virtus / Safe Haven training is required. The parish also counts money counters, sacristans (who arrive early to set up the liturgical vessels and linens), and a full complement of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and Ministers of Hospitality (ushers and greeters) — many of whom receive their first impression of the parish from greeters at the door.
- Contact the parish office at 409-948-8448 to join the Music Ministry
- Sacristans, Extraordinary Ministers, Ushers/Greeters, and Money Counters
- Safe Haven / Virtus training required for all volunteers
Outreach & Charity
St. Mary's carries on a long missionary tradition that began with the Oblate Fathers. Locally, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul operates a distribution center at the Community Center on 21st Street and Texas Avenue every Saturday morning; volunteers undergo Virtus or Safe Haven training. Internationally, the Mission Outreach Committee organizes annual July trips to Guatemala in cooperation with the non-profit Sending Out Servants, recruiting both a Travel Team and a Home Prayer Team. The Prison Ministry serves women and men at the Carol Young Medical Facility in Texas City with Communion services, OCIA, rosary, and ACTS retreats.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society — distribution center 21st St. & Texas Ave., Saturdays 8:30–11:00 AM (Ludger Dauphine 409-594-9300)
- Mission Outreach — Guatemala trips (Deacon Steve Mistretta 979-482-6289)
- Prison Ministry at Carol Young Medical Facility, Texas City
- Sewing Ministry — prayer blankets and baptismal bibs
- Word of Life Scripture reflection, Tuesdays 5:00–6:00 PM, Church Parlor
Facilities & Visiting
The parish campus at 1604 9th Ave. N. includes the current church (dedicated 2010), an Information Booth staffed before and after Mass in the Narthex, and the parish office (open Monday–Friday, with reduced hours on Friday). The Community Center at 21st Street and Texas Avenue hosts the St. Vincent de Paul distribution center. Facility rentals are coordinated through Erika Brown in Parish Communications. Annual visitors are drawn to the April 16 memorial on the church plaza honoring the victims and Fr. Bill Roach of the 1947 Texas City Disaster.
- Parish Office — Mon & Tue 8:00 AM–5:00 PM; Wed 8:00 AM–5:00 PM (closed 8:30–9:00 for Mass); Thu 8:00 AM–5:00 PM; Fri 8:00 AM–1:00 PM
- Information Booth in the Narthex before and after Mass
- Facility Rentals — Erika Brown, ebrownstmarycctc.org
- Annual April 16 Disaster Memorial at the church plaza
The 1947 Texas City Disaster & Fr. Bill Roach
On the morning of April 16, 1947, the French freighter SS Grandcamp, loaded with more than 2,000 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, exploded at the Texas City docks — the deadliest industrial disaster in U.S. history, killing more than 500 people and damaging or destroying more than a thousand buildings. St. Mary's own first resident pastor, the Rev. William 'Bill' Roach, drove from the rectory toward the harbor when he saw smoke and was mortally wounded at the scene. The second church building on Eighth Avenue North sustained damage and was repaired; the nearby Our Lady of the Snows mission serving Hispanic Catholics was severely damaged, an event that ultimately brought the two communities together as one parish. In 2026 — the 79th anniversary — the parish unveiled a statue of Fr. Roach on the church plaza, depicting him holding a vessel used for the anointing of the sick.
- SS Grandcamp explosion: April 16, 1947, 9:12 AM
- More than 500 killed, thousands injured, more than 1,000 buildings damaged/destroyed
- Our Lady of the Snows mission severely damaged — leading to merger with St. Mary's
- Fr. William 'Bill' Roach, first resident pastor, killed in the explosion
- Fr. Roach memorial statue unveiled on the parish plaza in 2026
Parish Identity & Vision
The parish's vision statement, displayed on its website in English and Spanish, reads: 'St. Mary's is our home where we encounter Jesus. Here we are fully known and loved. We invite others to live the challenge of the Gospel with us. We live in communion by committing to worship, grow, serve, give, and connect. This is our home!' This statement frames the parish's ministries, its bilingual character, and its long history of mission outreach going back to the Oblate Fathers who first brought Mass to Texas City in private homes.
- Vision focuses on worship, grow, serve, give, and connect
- Bilingual mission (English / Spanish)
- Pastoral Council and Finance Council collaborate with the pastor in parish governance
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Edward Kelly, O.M.I.circa early 1900s
Said the first known Mass in Texas City, in the home of John A. Seibert; Oblate Father of Mary Immaculate traveling from Dickinson.
- Rev. William 'Bill' RoachUntil April 16, 1947
First resident pastor of St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal. Helped build five churches in his early priesthood. Killed in the 1947 Texas City disaster while driving toward the docks to minister to the injured.