About St. Mary Star of the Sea · Aransas Pass, Texas
St. Mary Star of the Sea is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Corpus Christi serving the small coastal city of Aransas Pass in the Texas Coastal Bend. The parish was established in 1948, originally as a mission attached to Sacred Heart Parish in Rockport, and grew into a full parish that was formally dedicated on March 25, 1953. Today it is home to more than 400 registered Catholic families, offering weekend and weekday Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, the Holy Rosary, a parish food bank, religious education, and youth ministry under its current pastor, Father Emilio Jimenez.
- Established
- 1948
- Patron
- Our Lady, Star of the Sea (Mary, Stella Maris)
- Rector
- Rev. Emilio Jimenez
- Diocese
- Diocese of Corpus Christi
Why belong here
St. Mary Star of the Sea is a mid-sized Coastal Bend parish that combines traditional Catholic devotion with active outreach. Weekday Mass is offered every morning at 7:30 a.m. with the Holy Rosary prayed beforehand, there is a weekly Thursday Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration, and the parish runs a regular food-bank distribution for neighbors in need. With religious education for children, youth ministry, adult faith formation, and a bilingual worship life (English weekend Masses and a Spanish Mass listed by third-party directories), it offers a stable, welcoming home for Catholic families in the Aransas Pass–Ingleside–Port Aransas area.
Mass times at St. Mary Star of the Sea
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Friday of the month, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- By appointment (contact the Parish Office)
Adoration times
- Thursday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM (Holy Hour)
Parish History
St. Mary Star of the Sea was established as a parish of the Diocese of Corpus Christi in 1948. Before that it had been a mission church of Sacred Heart Parish in Rockport; once the small wooden mission church could no longer accommodate the growing congregation, a new church and rectory were built during the pastorate of Fr. Damian Hayes, and the parish was formally dedicated on March 25, 1953.
- 1948 — Established as a parish of the Diocese of Corpus Christi
- 1950 — New church and rectory built under Fr. Damian Hayes
- March 25, 1953 — Parish formally dedicated
- 1955 — Fr. Gregory Boensch succeeds Fr. Hayes
- 1970 — Mission church Our Lady of the Assumption (Ingleside) becomes a separate parish
- May 1974 — Fr. James Hamilton appointed pastor; introduces Vatican II reforms
- 1978 — Parish Church Center constructed (hall, classrooms, kitchen, restrooms)
- 2003 — 50th anniversary of dedication celebrated; more than 400 registered families
Mass and Worship Schedule
The parish offers a full schedule of weekend and weekday Masses in English, with a Spanish Mass also listed on third-party directories. The church itself is open for silent prayer on weekdays outside of Mass times.
- Saturday Vigil Mass — 5:00 PM (English)
- Sunday Masses — 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM (English); 8:00 AM (Spanish, per directory listings)
- Weekday Mass — Monday through Friday at 7:30 AM
- First Saturday Mass — 8:00 AM
- Rosary prayed before Mass on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and First Saturday at 7:00 AM
Religious Education and Faith Formation
Faith formation at St. Mary's spans the whole parish family. The parish runs a Children's Catechism program for younger students, a Youth Ministry program for teens that includes gatherings, retreats, community-service projects, and vocational discernment, and an Adult Faith Formation program with Bible studies, prayer groups, workshops, and guest speakers.
- Children's Catechism — age-appropriate Catholic teaching and activities
- Youth Ministry — gatherings, service projects, retreats, vocational discernment
- Adult Faith Formation — Bible studies, prayer groups, workshops, guest speakers
Outreach and Community Life
Beyond worship, the parish maintains active outreach to the wider Aransas Pass community, including a regular food-bank distribution that helps families in need.
- Food Bank Distribution (parish-run community outreach)
- More than 400 registered Catholic families in the parish
Clergy and Leadership
The parish is currently led by Father Emilio Jimenez as pastor, with Deacon Art Provencio serving in diaconal ministry. Both are listed publicly by the Diocese of Corpus Christi.
- Rev. Emilio Jimenez — Pastor (ordained January 9, 1999)
- Deacon Art Provencio
Visiting and Contact
St. Mary Star of the Sea sits at 342 S. Rife Street in Aransas Pass, on the Texas Gulf Coast between Corpus Christi and Port Aransas. The parish office can be reached by phone or email for questions about Mass times, sacraments, faith formation registration, or other parish matters.
- Address: 342 S. Rife Street, Aransas Pass, TX 78336
- Phone: (361) 758-2662
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://stmaryss.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stmaryss/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Charles Ordner1948–c.1950
First pastor of St. Mary's after it was established as a parish in 1948.
- Rev. Damian Hayesc.1950–1955
Oversaw fundraising and construction of the new church and rectory; parish dedicated March 25, 1953.
- Rev. Gregory Boensch1955–c.1970s
Succeeded Fr. Hayes; parish oversaw mission churches in Ingleside and Port Aransas during his tenure.
- Rev. James HamiltonMay 1974–
Introduced Vatican II religious-education reforms, Sacred Scripture study, Cursillo movement, and Spanish charismatic prayer group; oversaw construction of the Church Center in 1978.