About St. Michael · Big Wells, Texas
St. Michael Mission is a small Catholic mission church in the rural South Texas town of Big Wells, Dimmit County. It is a mission of the Diocese of Laredo, currently clustered under Sacred Heart Church in Cotulla as its mother parish, and serves the local faithful with a Sunday Mass celebrated in both English and Spanish at 1:00 p.m. The mission has deep roots in the ranching communities of the region and is associated with the historic St. Michael's Cemetery located just north of the town along Farm Road 1867.
- Patron
- St. Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Fr. Pawel Antoszewski
- Diocese
- Diocese of Laredo
Why belong here
St. Michael Mission offers the small-town, rural South Texas Catholic faithful a regular Sunday Mass in both English and Spanish — a true bilingual community gathering in Dimmit County. As a mission under Sacred Heart Church in Cotulla, it is pastored by Fr. Pawel Antoszewski and connected to the wider sacramental life of the Diocese of Laredo, with sacraments arranged through the mother parish. Visitors looking for a welcoming, family-style Catholic worship in Big Wells will find it here.
Mass times at St. Michael
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. Michael Mission
St. Michael Mission is a small Catholic mission church serving the rural community of Big Wells in Dimmit County, South Texas. It is part of the Diocese of Laredo and is currently clustered as a mission of Sacred Heart Church in Cotulla, its mother parish. The mission's address is 250 Commerce St., Big Wells, TX 78830, and it is pastored by Fr. Pawel Antoszewski, who also ministers to the wider parish family in Cotulla.
- Type: Mission
- Diocese: Diocese of Laredo
- Mother Parish: Sacred Heart Church, Cotulla, Texas
- Pastor: Fr. Pawel Antoszewski
- Address: 250 Commerce St., Big Wells, TX 78830
- Phone: 830-483-5207
- Email: [email protected]
Mass and Worship
St. Michael Mission offers a weekly Sunday Mass at 1:00 p.m. celebrated in both English and Spanish, serving the bilingual Catholic population of Big Wells and the surrounding ranch country. The mission does not list a separate weekday Mass schedule; for weekday Masses, holy day schedules, and additional devotions, parishioners are encouraged to travel to the mother parish, Sacred Heart Church in Cotulla, or to contact the parish office.
- Sunday Mass: 1:00 p.m. (English and Spanish)
- Weekday Mass: not listed; contact the mother parish in Cotulla
- Parish office phone: 830-483-5207
Sacraments
Because St. Michael is a mission rather than a full parish, the celebration of most sacraments is coordinated through the mother parish, Sacred Heart Church, Cotulla, Texas. Parishioners preparing for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, or Marriage are asked to contact the mother parish office for details and preparation requirements.
- Baptism: contact Sacred Heart Church, Cotulla
- Marriage: contact Sacred Heart Church, Cotulla
- First Communion / Confirmation: through mother parish programs
- Anointing of the Sick and other sacraments: through the pastor, Fr. Pawel Antoszewski
Parish History and Catholic Heritage
St. Michael Mission in Big Wells traces its origins to the missionary work of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (O.M.I.), who were given charge of the Catholic families and ranches of the Dimmit County area in 1880 and traveled the region for more than 30 years. The mission was historically attached to Immaculate Conception Parish in Asherton, founded in 1917; a 1948 census of the Immaculate Conception cluster — which then included St. Michael's Mission in Big Wells and stations at Catarina and Valley Wells — recorded almost 1,000 souls. When Pope John Paul II erected the Diocese of Laredo on July 3, 2000, parishes in the region were re-clustered, and St. Michael Mission in Big Wells was grouped with Sacred Heart Church in Cotulla.
- 1880: Oblate Fathers (O.M.I.) given charge of the Dimmit County ranches and Catholic population from Eagle Pass
- 1917: Immaculate Conception Parish founded in Asherton
- January 1948: Immaculate Conception cluster census records nearly 1,000 souls, including St. Michael's Mission in Big Wells and stations in Catarina and Valley Wells
- July 3, 2000: Diocese of Laredo erected by Pope John Paul II; Bishop James Anthony Tamayo appointed as first bishop
- St. Michael Mission re-clustered with Sacred Heart Church, Cotulla, as mother parish
St. Michael's Cemetery
The historic St. Michael's Cemetery is located on Farm Road 1867, about one mile north of the intersection of Texas Highway 85 and Farm Road 1867, just north of downtown Big Wells. The cemetery preserves the graves of generations of Catholic ranching families who settled in the Big Wells area and is an enduring link to the mission's pioneer Catholic heritage. A survey of the cemetery was recorded on November 26, 1996 (with an updated survey on April 3, 1997).
- Location: Farm Road 1867, ~1 mile north of TX-85 / FM 1867 intersection, north of downtown Big Wells
- Adjacent to (but not part of) the Big Wells Cemetery survey
- First surveyed: November 26, 1996; updated April 3, 1997