About St. Peter · Ben Bolt, Texas
St. Peter Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission chapel serving the rural community of Ben Bolt in Jim Wells County, South Texas. It is a mission of St. Joseph Parish in Alice, sharing the same pastor and staff, and gathers a tight-knit ranching and farming community in the brush country for weekly Eucharist. Within the Diocese of Corpus Christi, the mission offers a Saturday Vigil Mass and one Sunday morning Mass, bringing the sacraments to a part of the brush country that lies just south of Alice along Highway 281.
- Established
- 1927
- Patron
- St. Peter (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Very Rev. Christopher Becerra (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Corpus Christi
Why belong here
St. Peter Mission is a small, faithful community where Catholic ranching and farming families in the Ben Bolt area gather to celebrate the Eucharist close to home. As a mission of St. Joseph Parish in Alice, it offers two weekend Masses — a Saturday Vigil at 4:00 PM and Sunday at 8:00 AM — in English, along with confession by appointment and the full sacramental life of the parish. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a traditional South Texas mission chapel where the focus is on Word, sacrament, and fellowship in a rural setting.
Mass times at St. Peter
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment only
St. Peter Mission at a Glance
St. Peter Mission (Ben Bolt) is a Roman Catholic mission chapel in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, dependent on St. Joseph Parish in Alice. It is located at 221 Salazar Avenue in Ben Bolt, Texas, in rural Jim Wells County. The mission offers Mass on Saturday evening at 4:00 PM and on Sunday morning at 8:00 AM, both in English, with confession available by appointment.
- Parish type: Mission (dependent on St. Joseph Parish, Alice)
- Diocese: Corpus Christi
- Founded: 1927 (per GCatholic)
- Sunday Mass: 8:00 AM (English)
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:00 PM (English)
- Confession: by appointment
History of the Mission
St. Peter Mission traces its roots to 1927, when it was established to serve the Catholic families of the small South Texas community of Ben Bolt. Over the decades the care of the mission passed between parishes in the area; according to the published history of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, the responsibility for St. Peter Mission was eventually given to St. Joseph Parish in Alice and a resident priest was assigned. It continues in that role today, remaining a quiet but steady presence of Catholic worship for the ranching and farming households of the brush country.
- 1927 — mission established in Ben Bolt
- Mission served for a time under Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish care
- Care transferred to St. Joseph Parish, Alice, with a resident priest assigned
- Today functions as a dependent mission of St. Joseph Catholic Church
Clergy & Staff
The mission shares its clergy and staff with the parent St. Joseph Parish in Alice. The Very Rev. Christopher Becerra serves as Parochial Administrator of both St. Joseph Parish and St. Peter Mission, and is also Dean of the Alice Deanery. He is assisted by Rev. Angel Montana, J.C.L., Parochial Vicar. Norma Acuña serves as Parish Secretary.
- Very Rev. Christopher Becerra — Parochial Administrator; Dean, Alice Deanery (ordained June 18, 2023)
- Rev. Angel Montana, J.C.L. — Parochial Vicar (ordained January 18, 1992)
- Norma Acuña — Parish Secretary
Fr. Christopher Becerra — Biography
Fr. Chris was born in Laredo, Texas on June 27, 1986, the second of three children. He spent fifteen years in Veracruz, Mexico, and in 2001 moved with his family to Corpus Christi, where he graduated from Ray High School in 2004. That same year he entered seminary formation and was ordained to the priesthood on June 8, 2013, after completing studies at St. Mary's Seminary in Houston. His first assignment was as parochial vicar at Sacred Heart Parish in Mathis for two years, followed by four years at St. Patrick Parish in Corpus Christi, where he worked closely with the parish school. He frequently cites Psalm 27:8 — 'Seek His face' — as the motivation for his ministry, a reminder of the universal call to holiness and of orienting every action toward God's presence.
- Born: June 27, 1986, Laredo, TX
- Seminary: St. Mary's Seminary, Houston
- Ordained: June 8, 2013
- First assignment: Sacred Heart, Mathis (parochial vicar, 2 years)
- Then: St. Patrick, Corpus Christi (parochial vicar, 4 years)
- Motto/verse: Psalm 27:8 — 'Seek His face'
Visit & Location
The mission is in the small community of Ben Bolt, just south of Alice, Texas, in Jim Wells County. From Alice, drivers head south on US Highway 281; the chapel sits at the corner of 1st Street and Salazar Avenue. The mailing address for parish business is PO Box 678, Ben Bolt, TX 78342-0678, while in-person inquiries are handled through the St. Joseph Parish office in Alice at 801 S. Reynolds St.
- Street address: 221 Salazar Ave, Ben Bolt, TX 78342
- Mailing: PO Box 678, Ben Bolt, TX 78342-0678
- Directions: South of Alice on US Hwy 281; corner of 1st Street and Salazar Ave
- Parent parish office: St. Joseph Catholic Church, 801 S. Reynolds St., Alice, TX
- Office phone: (361) 664-7551
Online & Social Media
Because the mission shares its communications with St. Joseph Parish, its Mass times, bulletins, livestreams, and announcements are published through the parish website and social channels. The website hosts a dedicated mission page, and the parish maintains an active Facebook page and a YouTube channel for streamed Masses and pastoral messages.
- Parish website (mission page): https://sjcatholicchurch.org/st-peter-catholic-mission
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sjcatholicchurch
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ebrhhwa9QJLSEKaxqmNjQ