About St. Theresa · San Benito, Texas
St. Theresa Catholic Church is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Roman Catholic parish in San Benito, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. The parish serves the Catholic faithful of San Benito from its campus at 1300 Combes Street, under the Diocese of Brownsville. It offers a full weekly schedule of Masses in both languages, regular confession on Saturday afternoons, and weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Thursdays. The parish is currently shepherded by Rev. Jose M. Villalon, Jr., who has served as pastor since 2015.
- Established
- 1966
- Patron
- St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus (St. Therese of Lisieux)
- Rector
- Rev. Jose M. Villalon, Jr.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Brownsville
Why belong here
St. Theresa offers a welcoming bilingual Catholic home in the heart of San Benito, with three Sunday Masses (two in English, one in Spanish), a daily Mass rotation in English and Spanish, and easy-to-find Saturday confessions. The parish is one of the early churches of the Diocese of Brownsville, established in 1966, and continues to serve as a stable spiritual anchor for local families — with weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Thursdays, an active parish office, and connection to the wider diocesan family of the Rio Grande Valley.
Mass times at St. Theresa
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Adoration times
- Thursday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Parish Identity & Location
St. Theresa Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Brownsville, located at 1300 Combes Street in San Benito, Texas, in the lower Rio Grande Valley. Founded in 1966, the parish serves a bilingual Catholic community in this Cameron County city. The mailing address, phone, fax, and email ([email protected]) are listed publicly in the Diocese of Brownsville Parish Finder directory.
- Address: 1300 Combes St., San Benito, TX 78586
- Phone: (956) 399-3247
- Fax: (956) 276-0142
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese: Diocese of Brownsville
- Established: 1966
History
St. Theresa was established in 1966 in the city of San Benito, according to the Diocese of Brownsville's official timeline. The parish was created during the tenure of Bishop Humbert Sousa Medeiros, the second bishop of Brownsville, a period in which the diocese grew substantially from 35 parishes to 58. St. Theresa was founded only one year after the Diocese of Brownsville itself had been established (1965) as a separate jurisdiction carved out of the Diocese of Corpus Christi.
- 1965: Diocese of Brownsville established; separated from Diocese of Corpus Christi.
- 1966: St. Theresa Parish established in San Benito under Bishop Medeiros.
- The parish takes its name from St. Thérèse of Lisieux ('the Little Flower').
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
The parish is led by its pastor, who is listed in the Diocese of Brownsville's official Parish Finder directory. The Diocese of Brownsville is the canonical authority for the appointment.
- Pastor: Rev. Jose M. Villalon, Jr. (effective November 11, 2015)
Visiting San Benito & the Diocese
San Benito is a historic city in Cameron County in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. Visitors traveling by car via Expressway 83 can reach the parish by taking the Ratliff exit and turning right onto Combes Street. As a parish of the Diocese of Brownsville, St. Theresa is part of the same local Catholic family as the cathedral seat in Brownsville, the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan, and the many other parishes across the Valley.
- From Expressway 83: take Ratliff exit; turn right onto Combes Street.
- Part of the Diocese of Brownsville (erected 1965).
- San Benito also hosts St. Benedict Parish (est. 1912).
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Jose M. Villalon, Jr.2015–present
Current pastor; listed on the Diocese of Brownsville Parish Finder as effective November 11, 2015.