About St.Kateri Tekakwitha · Buffalo, Texas
St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Tyler serving Buffalo, Texas, and the surrounding Leon County communities of East Texas. Founded in 1979, the parish worships at 220 N. Merrill Street and offers a bilingual (English and Spanish) liturgical schedule, including a weekly Sunday Mass in Spanish and a Tuesday evening Mass in Spanish. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Tyler's Southwest Deanery and is one of the small but active faith communities that grew up across the largely rural East Texas region in the late 20th century.
- Established
- 1979
- Patron
- St. Kateri Tekakwitha (Kateri Tekakwitha, the 'Lily of the Mohawks')
- Rector
- Rev. Luis Roncancio
- Diocese
- Diocese of Tyler
Why belong here
St. Kateri Tekakwitha offers a small, bilingual parish home in a rural part of East Texas where Catholic life is otherwise rare, with a complete weekly Mass schedule in both English and Spanish (including a Spanish Sunday Mass and a Spanish Tuesday evening Mass), Saturday confessions, and First Friday adoration. Its dedication to St. Kateri Tekakwitha makes it a fitting spiritual home for anyone drawn to Native American Catholic devotion, and its Diocese of Tyler affiliation connects parishioners to a wider East Texas Catholic community.
Mass times at St.Kateri Tekakwitha
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Adoration times
- Friday 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM (1st Friday only / solo el primer viernes)
About St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish
St. Kateri Tekakwitha is a bilingual Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Tyler located in Buffalo, Texas. Founded in 1979, the parish serves the Catholic faithful of Buffalo and the wider Leon County area with a full schedule of English and Spanish Masses, weekly confessions, and periodic Eucharistic adoration. It is part of the Diocese of Tyler's Southwest Deanery and shares in the Catholic missionary heritage of East Texas, a region first evangelized by Spanish Franciscan missionaries in 1690 and re-evangelized in modern times by the Missionary Home Missioners and diocesan clergy.
- Parish type: Roman Catholic, Diocese of Tyler
- Founded: 1979
- Deanery: Southwest Deanery
- Languages: English, Spanish, Latin
History
The parish was established in 1979 in Buffalo, Texas, during a period of growth for the Catholic Church in northeast Texas. When Pope St. John Paul II erected the Diocese of Tyler on December 12, 1986 — formally installed February 24, 1987 with Bishop Charles E. Herzig — St. Kateri Tekakwitha became one of the parishes entrusted to the new diocese. The parish took the name of Kateri Tekakwitha, the 'Lily of the Mohawks,' who would be canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012. Pastoral succession since the late 2010s has been documented through diocesan announcements.
- 1979 — Parish founded
- 1986–87 — Becomes part of the newly erected Diocese of Tyler
- Oct. 1, 2018 — Fr. John-Mary Bowlin reassigned to St. Jude Parish, Gun Barrel City; Fr. Luis Roncancio arrives as Parochial Administrator
- July 1, 2020 — Fr. Luis Roncancio formally appointed Pastor by Bishop Joseph E. Strickland
Patron Saint: St. Kateri Tekakwitha
The parish is named for Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680), known as the 'Lily of the Mohawks.' Born near present-day Auriesville, New York, she was the first Native American to be beatified (1980, by Pope John Paul II) and was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012. Her liturgical feast day is July 14 in the General Roman Calendar; her memorial is widely kept as a model of faith, purity, and devotion to the Eucharist among Native American Catholics.
- Patron: St. Kateri Tekakwitha
- Canonized: October 21, 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI
- Feast day: July 14
Ministries and Outreach
The parish supports faith formation for children and youth, bilingual liturgical ministries to serve its English- and Spanish-speaking members, and local outreach to the Buffalo community. Pastoral care also extends to the wider Leon County area, with funeral and burial coordination through St. Leo the Great Catholic Cemetery in the Pleasant Springs Community.
- Sunday School / Children and Youth Activities
- Local outreach and community activities
- Bilingual liturgical ministries (English and Spanish)
- Funeral and bereavement ministry coordinated with St. Leo the Great Catholic Cemetery, Pleasant Springs, Leon County
Clergy and Staff
The parish is currently served by Fr. Luis Roncancio as Pastor. He arrived as Parochial Administrator on October 1, 2018, after Fr. John-Mary Bowlin was reassigned to St. Jude Parish in Gun Barrel City. Fr. Roncancio was formally appointed Pastor on July 1, 2020 by Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Tyler.
- Pastor: Rev. Luis Roncancio (since July 1, 2020; Administrator from Oct. 1, 2018)
- Former pastor: Rev. John-Mary Bowlin (moved Oct. 1, 2018 to St. Jude, Gun Barrel City)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John-Mary Bowlinthrough October 1, 2018
Served as pastor of St. Kateri Tekakwitha before being reassigned by Bishop Joseph E. Strickland to St. Jude Parish in Gun Barrel City.
- Rev. Luis RoncancioOctober 1, 2018 – present
Arrived October 1, 2018 as Parochial Administrator (previously Priest-in-Charge of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission in Nacogdoches); formally appointed Pastor effective July 1, 2020 by Bishop Strickland.