St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Aransas Pass Texas

St. Mary Star of the Sea Church was established as a parish of the Diocese of Corpus Christi in 1948 and was dedicated on March 25, 1953. The Reverend Charles Ordner became the first pastor of St. Mary's.

Prior to becoming a parish of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, St. Mary's was a mission church attached to Sacred Heart Parish in Rockport. As the congregation grew, it was evident that the small wooden church would not be adequate. In 1950, during the pastorate of Fr. Damian Hayes, and after several years of fundraising, the new church and rectory became a reality.

In 1955, Fr. Hayes was transferred from St. Mary's and Fr. Gregory Boensch became his replacement. Two mission churches fell under the care of St. Mary's, Our Lady of Assumption at Ingleside and St. Joseph's at Port Aransas. An associate pastor, Fr. Patrick Doherty, was named to assist with these mission churches. In 1970, Our Lady of Assumption at Ingleside reached maturity and became a parish with Fr. Charles Doherty designated as the pastor. St. Joseph at Port Aransas was attached to the Ingleside mission.

In May 1974, Father James Hamilton was appointed the new pastor of St. Mary's. He was interested in introducing the religious educational reforms of Vatican II, so he set up programs of study on Sacred Scripture as well as high school studies on religion. He also established the Cursillo movement for the parishioners and worked on the Spanish charismatic prayer group in the parish. He was also interested in leadership and organizational experimental programs. The introducation of such a program bore fruit in 1978 with the construction of the Church Center, combining a hall, rooms to be used for educational purposes, a commercial kitchen and restroom facilities.

2003 marked the 50th anniversary of St. Mary's dedication. The jubilee celebrated the rapid growth of the parish, both physically and spiritually. The parish now has more than 400 registered catholic families and is continuing to grow. Spiritual nourishment grows throughout the congregation through sacraments and participation in the many church related organizations.