About St. Patrick · San Patricio, Texas
St. Patrick Mission is a Roman Catholic mission church in the historic town of San Patricio, Texas, situated at 20742 Magnolia Street at the corner of Magnolia and Main Streets. It is a dependent mission of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Robstown and falls under the Diocese of Corpus Christi. The mission serves the small, historically Irish-Catholic community that traces its roots to one of the earliest Irish colonies in Texas.
- Established
- 1831
- Patron
- St. Patrick (Patron Saint of Ireland)
- Rector
- Fr. Philip Panackal
- Diocese
- Diocese of Corpus Christi
Why belong here
St. Patrick Mission offers Catholics in San Patricio the opportunity to worship at one of the oldest Catholic sites in South Texas, in a small, intimate mission setting. As a dependent mission of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Robstown, it connects local faithful to a fuller parish life — weekday Masses, Reconciliation, religious education, First Communion and Confirmation preparation, RCIA, and Advent/Lenten celebrations — while preserving the historic identity of an Irish Catholic community founded in 1830. It is a quiet, rooted place to belong, pray, and pass on the Catholic faith.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment & 30 minutes before Holy Mass
- Saturday 3:30 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. (per third-party listing)
History of St. Patrick Mission
St. Patrick Mission's roots run back to 1831, when Irish Catholic colonists of the McMullen–McGloin colony established a chapel at San Patricio de Hibernia — a town they had just founded on the Nueces River in honor of Ireland's patron saint. The chapel was elevated to mission status in 1846. Today it continues as a dependent mission of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Robstown, serving the small historic community of San Patricio.
- Chapel established: 1831
- Elevated to mission status: 1846
- Town of San Patricio de Hibernia founded by Irish Catholic colonists under empresario contract dated August 17, 1828
- Townsite laid out by surveyor William O'Docharty
- Sister mission of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Robstown (Diocese of Corpus Christi)
Mass & Service Schedule
St. Patrick Mission celebrates its principal Mass on Saturday evening at 4:00 p.m. Parishioners also have full access to the wider Mass and confession schedule at the mother parish, St. Thomas the Apostle, in Robstown, just a short drive away.
- St. Patrick Mission — Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:00 p.m.
- St. Thomas the Apostle — Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:30 p.m.
- St. Thomas the Apostle — Sunday Masses: 8:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
- Weekday Masses (St. Thomas): Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri at 12:00 noon
- Holy Rosary before Thursday Mass (11:40 a.m.)
- Divine Mercy Chaplet before Friday Mass (11:45 a.m.)
Other Sacraments
Through the mother parish of St. Thomas the Apostle, the mission community prepares Catholics for and celebrates all seven sacraments — Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Contact the parish office for preparation and scheduling.
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Eucharist (First Communion)
- Penance / Reconciliation
- Anointing of the Sick
- Holy Orders
- Matrimony
Faith Formation & RCIA
Religious education is coordinated through St. Thomas the Apostle Parish for both the parish and St. Patrick Mission. Children prepare for First Reconciliation and First Communion with the Director of Religious Education, and adults seeking full communion with the Catholic Church enter through the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), receiving the sacraments of initiation in the months before Easter.
- Religious Education / Faith Formation for children
- First Reconciliation & First Communion preparation
- Confirmation preparation
- RCIA for adults
Parish Staff & Clergy
St. Patrick Mission shares its pastoral staff with St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Robstown. The pastor is Fr. Philip Panackal, assisted by Deacon Bill Cleavelin, with parish staff handling administration, religious education, and facilities.
- Pastor: Fr. Philip Panackal — (361) 387-1312
- Deacon: Bill Cleavelin — (361) 208-2146 — [email protected]
- Secretary: Ann Clarke — [email protected]
- Bookkeeper / Director of Religious Education: Michele Hoelscher — [email protected]
- Plant Manager: Gary Clarke
Contact & Location
St. Patrick Mission sits at the corner of Magnolia and Main Streets in the historic town of San Patricio, off FM 666. The mission shares its office, phone, and email with the mother parish, St. Thomas the Apostle, in Robstown.
- Address: 20742 Magnolia St., San Patricio, TX 78368
- Phone (mission): (361) 547-5748
- Parish office (Robstown): (361) 387-1312 or (361) 387-7842
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.christon624.com/
- Mother parish: St. Thomas the Apostle, 16602 FM 624, Robstown, TX 78380
- Diocese: Diocese of Corpus Christi
The Irish Catholic Heritage of San Patricio
San Patricio de Hibernia was founded in 1829–1830 by Irish Catholic colonists under the McMullen–McGloin empresario contract. Empresario James McGloin named the town in honor of St. Patrick, Ireland's patron saint. The Catholic chapel established in 1831 — which became today's St. Patrick Mission — was a direct expression of that Irish Catholic identity, and remains a living link to one of the earliest Irish colonial settlements in Texas.
- Empresario contract: August 17, 1828 (McMullen & McGloin)
- First colonists arrived at Copano Bay in late October 1829
- Townsite laid out by William O'Docharty
- Named 'San Patricio de Hibernia' — St. Patrick of Ireland — by James McGloin
- Battle of San Patricio: February 27, 1836