About St. Therese of the Little Flower · Woodsboro, Texas
St. Therese of the Little Flower is a small Catholic parish in Woodsboro, Refugio County, Texas, part of the Diocese of Corpus Christi. The Catholic community in Woodsboro traces its origins to St. Bernard's Chapel in 1915, with the parish formally established in 1922. Today the parish is shepherded from nearby Refugio, with a pastor and parochial vicar based at Our Lady of Refuge Parish in Refugio serving the Woodsboro faithful alongside St. James the Apostle Parish.
- Established
- 1922
- Patron
- St. Therese of the Little Flower (St. Therese of Lisieux)
- Rector
- Rev. William J. Marquis
- Diocese
- Diocese of Corpus Christi
Why belong here
St. Therese of the Little Flower offers the faithful of Woodsboro and surrounding Refugio County a weekly Sunday Mass and weekday Masses in an intimate rural parish setting. The parish is closely linked with two larger parishes in nearby Refugio, sharing a pastor and parochial vicar, which gives parishioners access to a wider circle of sacramental and devotional life while preserving the small-church warmth of Woodsboro. For Catholics in this stretch of the Texas Gulf Coast, it is a welcoming home centered on the Eucharist and the gentle spirituality of St. Therese.
Mass times at St. Therese of the Little Flower
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Weekdays: 15 minutes before Mass, or by appointment
- Saturday: 15 minutes before Mass, or by appointment
Parish Identity and Patron
The parish takes its name from St. Therese of the Little Flower (St. Therese of Lisieux, 1873–1897), the French Carmelite nun declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997. Her 'little way' of spiritual childhood — doing small things with great love — is the spiritual motto associated with the parish. Her feast day is October 1.
- Patron: St. Therese of the Little Flower (St. Therese of Lisieux)
- Feast day: October 1
- Diocese: Corpus Christi (est. 1912)
History of the Parish
Catholic life in Woodsboro dates to 1915 with the foundation of St. Bernard's Chapel, a mission that brought the sacraments to this rural part of Refugio County. The chapel was formally elevated to parish status in 1922 under the new Diocese of Corpus Christi. The parish has been identified in Catholic directories ever since and is recorded in GCatholic's database as Church ID 34373.
- 1915 — St. Bernard's Chapel established
- 1922 — Chapel raised to a full parish
- Patronal dedication to St. Therese of the Little Flower
Clergy and Pastoral Care
According to the official Diocese of Corpus Christi directory of priests, St. Therese of the Little Flower is currently served by a pastor and parochial vicar who also minister at parishes in neighboring Refugio. This arrangement is common for small rural missions in the diocese, allowing the Woodsboro community to receive regular sacramental care while sharing pastoral resources with sister parishes.
- Rev. William J. Marquis — Pastor (ordained June 14, 2003); also Pastor of Our Lady of Refuge and St. James the Apostle, both in Refugio
- Rev. Alejandro O. Saenz — Parochial Vicar (ordained June 11, 2011); also Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Refuge and St. James the Apostle, Refugio
Visit, Contact and Location
The parish address is 315 Pugh Street, Woodsboro, TX 78393 (mailing PO Box 1076). The parish office can be reached by telephone at (361) 543-4166. The parish does not maintain a stand-alone website; it is listed through the Diocese of Corpus Christi's Parish Finder at diocesecc.org/parishfinder.
- Address: 315 Pugh Street, Woodsboro, TX 78393
- Mailing: PO Box 1076, Woodsboro, TX 78393
- Phone: (361) 543-4166
- Diocesan listing: https://diocesecc.org/parishfinder