About St. Mary - Somerset · Somerset, Texas
St. Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the small community of Somerset, Texas, located in southern Bexar County about 20 miles southwest of San Antonio. It is a bilingual (English/Spanish) faith community within the Archdiocese of San Antonio, currently served by Father Kishore Bathula, with Deacon Estevan Bautista assisting in ministry. The parish's story stretches back to the 1890s pioneer Catholic community around St. Patrick's Church, and the current church was built in 1933–1934 by a small group of determined families, formally becoming a parish in 1947. Today St. Mary's welcomes families for daily and Sunday Mass, faith formation (CCD/OCIA), lively prayer groups, and traditional Lenten and Marian devotions.
- Established
- 1933 (church built and named; 1934 dedicated); formally established as a parish on April 16, 1947
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (church named in 1933 after St. Mary's University)
- Rector
- Father Kishore Bathula
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas
Why belong here
St. Mary's offers a tight-knit, bilingual Catholic community where families are known by name. Weekday Mass three days a week, a Saturday vigil, and two Sunday Masses (one in Spanish, one in English) make it easy to fit worship into a working schedule. Active CCD classes for children, OCIA (formerly RCIA) for adults, a men's prayer group, a Spanish prayer group, and a Marian women's study ("She Shall Be Called Woman: Ten Virtues of Mary") give every age and stage a place to grow. Bilingual Friday Stations of the Cross in Lent, Friday Holy Hour, and bilingual Ash Wednesday and Lenten-mission Confessions root the parish in classic Catholic devotional life.
Mass times at St. Mary - Somerset
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday before the 4:00 pm Mass
- By appointment — call the parish office
Adoration times
- Holy Hour on Fridays following the 8:00 am Mass (with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament)
Parish History
Catholic life in the Somerset district began with Mass celebrated in the home of Mr. Patrick Kenney in 1883. The community built St. Patrick's Church in 1891 and St. Mary's Church in 1933–1934, with St. Mary's formally becoming an independent parish in 1947 and absorbing St. Patrick's congregation entirely in 1958. The historic St. Patrick's bell still stands in front of St. Mary's.
- 1891 — St. Patrick's Church built in the community called 'La Colorada'
- 1933 — Land for new church donated by Mrs. Virginia Pyron; Catholic Extension Society of Chicago contributes funding
- Nov 12, 1933 — Cornerstone laid
- March 4, 1934 — St. Mary's Church dedicated
- 1937 — Parish debt paid off by the Catholic Ladies Auxiliary
- April 16, 1947 — St. Mary's officially becomes a parish; St. Patrick's becomes a mission
- 1958 — St. Patrick's church closed by decree of the Archbishop; all Somerset Catholics worship at St. Mary's
St. Ann's Catholic School
Father William Lamm, S.M. arranged for the Sisters of the Daughters of Mary, a Chaminade-founded order from Spain, to come to Somerset and run St. Ann's Catholic School from 1950 to 1960. After the school closed, the convent and school buildings continued to serve the parish as classrooms for religious education for school-aged children.
Parish Cemeteries
The parish maintains two historic cemeteries. St. Patrick's (San Patricio / La Colorada) is the oldest, located on the site of the old church; the Breckenridge Coal Company donated additional cemetery land there in 1938. St. Mary's Cemetery lies across the street from the old St. Patrick's site and is the resting place of many descendants of the founding families.
Somerset Free Clinic
In 1941 the parish helped establish a community-wide Somerset Free Clinic, staffed by volunteer physicians and nurses including Dr. Stanley T. Lowry, Dr. John Callon, Mrs. Walter Kurz, R.N., and interpreter Miss Guadalupe (Ruby) Casias. Open to all regardless of faith, the clinic served 203 adults and 164 children in its first year and is credited with improving overall community health and bringing many back to regular Mass and the sacraments.
Lent & Holy Week Devotions
During Lent the parish offers bilingual Stations of the Cross, a Lenten-mission evening of Confessions, and bilingual Ash Wednesday services with Holy Communion and distribution of ashes.
- Stations of the Cross — Fridays in Lent: after 8:00 am Mass (English) and 6:30 pm (Bilingual)
- Lenten Mission Confessions — 6:00 pm–8:30 pm at St. Mary's (and at St. Peter the Fisherman the night before)
- Ash Wednesday — 7:00 am (Spanish), 8:00 am (English), 6:30 pm (Bilingual Communion Service)
Faith Formation & OCIA
Children's religious education (CCD) is offered in both Spanish and English with separate weekly sessions, and adults seeking to become Catholic or complete their sacraments go through OCIA (formerly RCIA) on Thursday evenings.
- CCD in Spanish — Saturdays 9:00 am–10:30 am
- CCD in English — Sundays 9:45 am–11:00 am
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) — Thursdays at 6:30 pm
Parish Prayer Groups & Devotions
Beyond Sunday Mass, St. Mary's supports a bilingual men's prayer group shared with St. Peter the Fisherman, a Spanish-language prayer group that meets two evenings a week, and a women's Marian study built around the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- Men's Prayer Group — Saturdays, ages 18+, led by Deacon Estevan
- Spanish Prayer Group — Mondays/Tuesdays 7:00 pm–8:45 pm (contact Juan Lara)
- She Shall Be Called Woman: Ten Virtues of Mary — women's Marian study (contact Patricia Bautista)
- Friday Holy Hour with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Sacraments
Information for arranging the three sacraments most often requested by families is published on the parish website. Preparation classes, paperwork, and lead-time requirements follow the norms of the Texas bishops.
- Baptism — Contact the office; parents and godparents must attend a Baptism preparation class
- Marriage — Arrange with pastor or deacon at least six months in advance; preparation classes required
- Anointing of the Sick — Notify the office, pastor, or deacon when a parishioner is sick
Parish Staff
A small core of clergy, parish staff, and volunteers run the parish's day-to-day life, religious education, safe-environment compliance (OVASE), and bookkeeping.
- Pastor — Father Kishore Bathula
- Deacon — Deacon Estevan Bautista
- Director of Religious Education — (staff listed on parish website)
- Secretary — Maddie Casares
- Bookkeeper — Mary Turrin
- OVASE (Safe Environment) Coordinator — Sylvia Cruz, (210) 415-1364, [email protected]
- Volunteer Staff — Becky Martinez, David Villa, Diane Cuellar, Dorothy Ledesma
- Victim's Assistance / Safe Environment (Pastoral Center) — 1-877-700-1888
Coordinated Schedule with St. Peter the Fisherman
St. Mary's shares sacramental scheduling with its companion mission St. Peter the Fisherman so Catholics in the wider Somerset area can worship on alternating evenings and in both languages.
- St. Mary's — Saturday 4:00 pm; Sunday 7:45 am (Spanish), 11:30 am
- St. Peter the Fisherman — Saturday 6:00 pm (Spanish); Sunday 9:45 am
Contact & Registration
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Mary's by phone, email, or in person at the parish office on N. Dixon Road. A downloadable parish-registration form is available on the website for those who wish to join the parish.
- Phone — (830) 701-3123
- Email — [email protected]
- Office hours — refer to the website (Tuesday & Thursday 10:00 am–5:00 pm; Monday/Wednesday/Friday 10:00 am–1:00 pm per home page posting)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Domingo Vento1892
Served the original St. Patrick's and surrounding Catholic families in the Somerset district
- Father Joseph MouleDecember 1894
- Father John A. DuMoulin ("Padre Juan")
- Priests from the Claretian Order and San Fernando Cathedral
Period of supply clergy
- Father Albert Mitchel, S.M.1933
Announced and oversaw construction of the new St. Mary's church
- Father William Lamm, S.M.1934–1964
Longest-serving pastor; taught at St. Mary's University; founded St. Ann's Catholic School (1950–1960) staffed by Sisters of the Daughters of Mary
- Father Cayetano Romero1937–1938
- Father Hilary van de Velde, C.I.C.M.1964–1970
First of the CICM (Missionhurst) priests serving the parish
- Father Marcel Van Hemelryck, C.I.C.M.1970–1975
- Father Felix Avau, C.I.C.M.1975–1983
- Father Paul Newhouse, C.I.C.M.1983–2003
- Father Walter A. (Mike) Mushalla1989–1998
- Father Ed Pavlicek, Jr.2003–2011
- Father Rolando2011–2012
- Father Alex Pereida2012–2018
- Father James Kotara2018 to listed present
Listed in parish history as latest pastor at time of writing
- Deacon Joseph Merlin1980
Deacon
- Deacon Roberto Cruz2001–2018
Deacon
- Deacon Estevan Bautista
Current deacon; leads the Men's Prayer Group with St. Peter the Fisherman