About St. Peter Prince of the Apostles · Corpus Christi, Texas
St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles is a Roman Catholic parish in the Annaville area of Corpus Christi, Texas, part of the Diocese of Corpus Christi. The parish community gathers around the motto 'Loving Christ, Loving Others' and worships at 3901 Violet Road, where it offers multiple weekend and weekday Masses, a robust Religious Education program, and roughly 1,700 registered families. A Catholic presence has grown on this Violet Road property from a 1967 groundbreaking under Bishop Thomas Drury into a full parish with its own church building, parish hall, CCD classrooms, grotto and rosary walk, and a Spanish-language mission (St. Mary Mission) on Cynthia Street.
- Established
- 1967
- Patron
- St. Peter (the Apostle, styled 'Prince of the Apostles')
- Rector
- Very Rev. Raju D. Thottankara (Father Raju)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Corpus Christi
Why belong here
St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles offers a full sacramental life — four Sunday Masses plus a Saturday evening Mass and weekday Masses — alongside a 500-student CCD/Religious Education program, an active OCIA (formerly RCIA) process for adults joining the Church, a Returning Catholics ministry, and youth groups for both middle and high school students. Parishioners care for one another through a homebound/nursing-home Eucharistic ministry, a Bereavement Committee that provides funeral dinners, a Senior Citizens Bingo, the Altar and Rosary Society, Catholic Daughters, and an Outdoor Rosary Walk and Our Lady of Lourdes grotto on Violet Road. It is a parish that explicitly commits itself, 'in the spirit of St. Peter, to being the Body of Christ to all,' with a special emphasis on Sacrificial Giving of Time, Talent and Treasure.
Mass times at St. Peter Prince of the Apostles
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:30–5:30 p.m.
- Saturday confessions also by appointment
- First Friday: 7:30 a.m.
History of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles
The parish traces its origin to a 1965 conversation between Bishop Marx and Monsignor Patrick Higgins of St. Anthony's Church in Violet about the need for a Catholic church in the growing Annaville area. Ten acres were purchased from the Mary Kocurek family, and on June 29, 1967 — the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul — Bishop Thomas L. Drury broke ground after a 7:00 p.m. Mass in the Annaville Elementary School cafeteria. The parish has grown from Masses in a funeral home and elementary school cafeteria into a 1,700-family community with its own church (dedicated February 26, 1978), parish hall (blessed March 25, 1993), rectory, CCD classrooms, an Our Lady of Lourdes grotto with a Rosary Walk, and a Spanish-language mission on Cynthia Street.
- 1965 — Bishop Marx and Msgr. Higgins discuss need for a parish in Annaville
- 1967 — Ground broken June 29 by Bishop Thomas L. Drury
- 1967 — Msgr. William Kelly appointed first pastor
- 1973 — Father John Killeen becomes pastor; new church planned
- 1978 — New church dedicated February 26; first Mass Feb 19 (Sablatura 50th anniversary)
- 1981–1992 — Father Matthew Lyng leads parish; new rectory and CCD classrooms built
- 1993 — Parish hall blessed by Bishop René Gracida on March 25
- 1994–2013 — Msgr. Morgan Rowsome begins Sacrificial Giving program, many ministries and parish newspaper
- 2007 — 40th Anniversary celebrated
- 2008 — Three parishioners (Cicora, Farias, Lewinski) ordained Permanent Deacons
- 2013–2014 — Msgr. Michael Heras serves as pastor (appointed by Bishop Mulvey)
- 2014 — Father Emilio Jimenez succeeds Msgr. Heras
- Present — Very Rev. Raju D. Thottankara ('Father Raju') serves as pastor
Becoming Catholic — OCIA / RCIA
St. Peter's runs the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA) — a communal journey of formation, rites and sacraments for non-baptized adults seeking Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation, and for already-baptized Christians seeking full communion with the Catholic Church. Classes begin in September and continue weekly through Easter. The team is led by Deacon Richard and a community of sponsors who accompany inquirers through the Pre-Catechumenate (Inquiry), Rite of Initiation, Catechumenate, Rite of Election, the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil, and Mystagogy.
- Open to non-baptized adults and baptized Christians
- Weekly classes September through Easter
- Deacon Richard Lewinski oversees the OCIA team
- Companion 'Returning Catholics' / 'Catholics Returning Home' ministry led by Deacon Allen Cicora
Religious Education (CCD) & Youth Ministry
Father Lyng moved CCD classes offsite and into dedicated parish classrooms; the program now serves more than 500 students. Parish youth are also served by a High School Youth Group that meets Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. (with dinner, spiritual formation, and a Wi-Fi study hall) and a Middle School Youth group, plus a newer Small Group Formation ministry that meets virtually and aims to build Christ-centered relationships outside the regular CCD classroom.
- CCD / Religious Education — 500+ students
- High School Youth Group — Wednesdays 6–10 p.m.
- Middle School Youth
- Small Group Formation — weekly virtual meetings
- Baptism Preparation classes for parents
- Altar Server training — Deacon Brian Holden
Liturgical Ministries
Parishioners serve the liturgy as altar servers (training through Deacon Brian Holden), lectors (training required, contact John Porche), and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion who distribute the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass and bring the Eucharist to the homebound. The Music Ministry / Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m., and Deacon Teo Farias leads the singing at the Saturday 6:00 p.m. Mass.
- Altar Servers
- Lectors / Readers (training required)
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Music Ministry / Choir (Thursday 7:00 p.m.)
Parish Life, Outreach and Service
The parish lives out its mission of 'Sacrificial Giving of Time, Talent and Treasure' through a wide range of lay organizations and outreach. The Altar and Rosary Society cares for altar linens and vessels and promotes devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Rosary; Catholic Daughters promotes charity and distributes two scholarships to high school students; and the Bereavement Committee prepares funeral meals for grieving families. Senior Citizens Bingo is held the second Sunday of each month from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., and a Flowers and Grounds crew beautifies the property. The Nursing Home and Homebound Ministry visits and brings Communion to Catholics who can no longer attend Mass.
- Altar and Rosary Society
- Catholic Daughters (with two high-school scholarships)
- Bereavement Committee / Funeral Dinners (Elma Rodriguez)
- Senior Citizens Bingo (2nd Sunday, 2:00–5:00 p.m.)
- Flowers and Grounds
- Nursing Home & Homebound Ministry (Jo Ella Menn)
Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto & Rosary Walk
On the Violet Road frontage of the parish property, St. Peter maintains a beautiful outdoor grotto in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes with a Rosary Walk that invites passersby and parishioners to pray the Rosary. The site is one of the parish's most distinctive features and a tangible expression of its Marian devotion.
- Outdoor Our Lady of Lourdes grotto on Violet Road
- Public Rosary Walk
St. Mary Mission (Cynthia Street)
St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles also shepherds St. Mary Mission at 4843 Cynthia Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78410, which celebrates Sunday Mass in Spanish at 9:30 a.m. The mission is staffed by sisters of the Pax Christi Institute, including Sister Susana Maria Renteria and Sister Maria Del Angeles / Sister Isabell, who lead Adult Faith Formation classes in English at the mission site.
- Address: 4843 Cynthia St., Corpus Christi, TX 78410
- Sunday Mass in Spanish: 9:30 a.m.
- Phone: (361) 241-4593
- Sisters of the Pax Christi Institute (Sister Susana, Sister Maria Del Angeles, Sister Isabell)
Staff and Contact
Parish business is handled through the rectory at 3901 Violet Road, reached at (361) 241-3249 or [email protected]. The office staff includes Executive Secretary Aeryn Alaniz-Valdez (extension 100, [email protected]) and Parish Secretary Elena Carlow ([email protected]).
- Address: 3901 Violet Rd, Corpus Christi, TX 78410
- Phone: (361) 241-3249
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.stpeterprince.net/
- Facebook: St Peter Prince of The Apostles Catholic Church
- Instagram: @stpeterspoa
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor William Kelly1967–1973
First pastor, appointed by Bishop Thomas L. Drury; lived in a hotel on Leopard Street until the Guess Drive rectory was remodeled.
- Father John Killeen1973–c.1981
Initiated plans for the new church building with Parish Council president Louie Sablatura; contract awarded 1976; first Mass in new church Feb 19, 1978.
- Father Matthew Lyng1981–April 1992
Planned and built new rectory and CCD classrooms; oversaw expansion of CCD program (now 500+ students); larger parish hall built 1992 and blessed by Bishop René Gracida March 25, 1993.
- Monsignor Morgan RowsomeFebruary 2, 1994 – June 30, 2013
Started Catholic Parish Renewal Retreats, Sacrificial Giving of Time/Talent/Treasure, many new ministries, parish newspaper; led 40th Anniversary in 2007; hired Sister Susana for St. Mary Mission.
- Monsignor Michael HerasJuly 1, 2013 – June 26, 2014
Appointed by Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey; resigned June 26, 2014.
- Father Emilio Jimenez2014–
Succeeded Msgr. Heras as pastor; later moved to St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish, Aransas Pass, per diocesan clergy listing.
- Very Rev. Raju D. Thottankara ('Father Raju')present
Current pastor; also serves the Diocese of Corpus Christi as Vicar for Clergy and Moderator of the Curia; ordained May 13, 1995.