About St. William of Vercelli · Carthage, Texas
St. William of Vercelli Catholic Church is a bilingual (English–Spanish) Roman Catholic parish located at 4088 NW Loop in Carthage, Texas, in the heart of East Texas's Panola County. It is a parish of the Diocese of Tyler, serving the Carthage area since 1948 and marking its 75th anniversary in June 2023. The parish is named after the 12th-century Italian hermit and founder of the Montevergine Congregation, St. William of Vercelli, and is known for its traditional devotions, multiple weekly Masses in both English and Spanish, a Friday all-day Eucharistic Adoration, and a strong lay community organized around many ministries.
- Established
- 1948
- Patron
- St. William of Vercelli
- Rector
- Rev. Steven (Steve) Paradis
- Diocese
- Diocese of Tyler
Why belong here
St. William of Vercelli is a long-standing bilingual Catholic family in Carthage that takes seriously both the Sunday Eucharist and the rest of the Church's devotional life — there is a daily Mass most weekdays, a Saturday Vigil, two Sunday Masses (8:30 am in Spanish and 11:00 am in English), all-day Friday Adoration ending with Benediction, and regular Saturday confession. With a lineage of 961 registered families and 75 active ministries showcased at its 2023 Jubilee, the parish offers newcomers a real chance to plug into faith formation, Hispanic ministry, and outreach, all under the patronage of a saint whose story the parish keeps visible through its new entry statue.
Mass times at St. William of Vercelli
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
- Anytime by appointment
Adoration times
- Friday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, followed by Benediction
About St. William of Vercelli Catholic Church
St. William of Vercelli Catholic Church is a bilingual (English–Spanish) Roman Catholic parish in Carthage, Texas, belonging to the Diocese of Tyler. Founded in 1948, it serves the Catholics of Carthage and the surrounding Panola County area, providing a full week of Masses, Saturday confessions, and a long day of Friday Adoration. The parish is named after the 12th-century Italian hermit St. William of Vercelli, founder of the Montevergine Congregation, whose feast day on June 25 is kept with special devotion.
- Parish name: St. William of Vercelli Catholic Church
- Location: 4088 NW Loop, Carthage, TX 75633
- Diocese: Diocese of Tyler
- Languages: English and Spanish
- Founded: 1948
History
The parish was established in 1948 to serve the Catholic families of Carthage, Texas, in the predominantly Protestant East Texas region. Over the decades it grew into a bilingual congregation with families whose records now fill the parish's family tree of 961 families. The 75th Jubilee, celebrated June 25, 2023, marked the parish's three-quarters of a century of continuous Catholic presence in Carthage and was marked by a 75-day novena, a new statue of the patron saint, and a flagpole memorial honoring Sgt. Bradley Beste.
- Established 1948
- Federal tax-exempt church status since March 1946 (EIN 75-2542237)
- 75th Jubilee celebrated June 25, 2023
- 75-day novena to St. William of Vercelli, April 11 – June 25, 2023
- Parish family tree of 961 families installed in the family center
Patron Saint: St. William of Vercelli
The parish is named after St. William of Vercelli (c. 1085–1142), an Italian hermit who founded the Montevergine Congregation of monks in southern Italy. His feast day is June 25, the date the parish chose as the climax of its 75th Jubilee. A new statue of the saint, commissioned from an Italian artist by Fr. Steve Paradis, was unveiled and consecrated in the church entry during the Jubilee Mass and now stands on a stand crafted by parishioner David Barcenas.
- Patron: St. William of Vercelli
- Feast day: June 25
- New patron statue installed in the church entry in 2023
Clergy and Staff
The parish is served by its pastor, Fr. Steve Paradis, who led the parish through its 75th Jubilee Year in 2023 and commissioned the new statue of St. William of Vercelli. The parish is part of the Diocese of Tyler and was visited by Bishop Joseph Strickland, who concelebrated the Jubilee closing Mass.
- Pastor: Fr. Steven (Steve) Paradis
- Diocesan bishop (at time of Jubilee): Bishop Joseph Strickland
75th Jubilee Year (2023)
The 75th Jubilee Year celebration ran from April 11, 2023, with the start of a 75-day novena to St. William of Vercelli, and concluded on June 25, 2023, the feast of the parish's patron. The three-day weekend included a Friday evening kick-off with a DJ, Mexican Taco Bar, Mardi Gras float, and dancing; Saturday outdoor barbecue, music, lotería, bingo, and children's games, along with the dedication of a flagpole memorial to Sgt. Bradley Beste; and a Sunday bilingual English/Spanish Mass concelebrated by Bishop Joseph Strickland and Fr. Paradis, followed by a breakfast brunch. The Jubilee also produced a parish family tree in the family center and a new statue of St. William of Vercelli in the church entry.
- Novena: 75 days, April 11 – June 25, 2023
- Friday evening: DJ, Mexican Taco Bar, Mardi Gras float, dancing
- Saturday: outdoor barbecue, music, lotería, bingo, children's games
- Saturday: Color Guard flagpole memorial for Sgt. Bradley Beste
- Sunday: bilingual Mass with Bishop Joseph Strickland and Fr. Paradis, followed by brunch
- New parish family tree installed in the family center
- New statue of St. William of Vercelli unveiled and consecrated
Parish Ministries
For its 75th Jubilee, the parish organized a display highlighting 75 active ministries and the contributions of lay parishioners. While the full roster is not published online, the Jubilee celebration itself showcased the breadth of parish life — liturgical, hospitality, food service, music, children's activities, Hispanic ministry, and the parish family-tree project — and pointed to a parish community widely involved in worship and parish life.
- 75 ministries highlighted on the 2023 Jubilee display
- Bilingual liturgical ministries (English and Spanish Masses)
- Parish Family Center / family-tree ministry
- Hospitality and Jubilee event teams
Visit, Contact, and Office Hours
The parish office is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Visitors are welcome at any of the scheduled Masses, at Friday Adoration, or at Saturday confession. The parish can be reached by phone at (903) 693-3766 and by email at [email protected].
- Office hours: Tuesday – Friday, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
- Phone: (903) 693-3766
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 4088 NW Loop, Carthage, TX 75633
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Steve Paradisthrough 2023 (at least) — present
Pastor at the time of the 75th Jubilee Year celebration in June 2023; commissioned the new statue of St. William of Vercelli from an Italian artist who had previously made his 2010 ordination chalice.