Churches in San Antonio

Catholic San Antonio

The Archdiocese of San Antonio is one of the oldest Catholic jurisdictions in the United States — and one of the most Hispanic. San Antonio's Catholic identity is inseparable from its Mexican American heritage:

• San Fernando Cathedral, Downtown — one of the oldest and most historic Catholic churches in the United States; the first parish established west of the Mississippi (1731); the site where General Santa Anna raised the red flag of no quarter before the Battle of the Alamo; still an active parish at the heart of downtown San Antonio; the Archbishop of San Antonio celebrates major archdiocesan liturgies here.
• The Spanish Colonial Missions — UNESCO World Heritage Site; the five missions (Alamo, Concepción, San José, San Juan, Espada) form the most intact collection of Spanish colonial missions in the United States; Mission San José, the "Queen of the Missions," holds an active parish and is one of the most beautiful churches in Texas.
• San Agustin Cathedral, Laredo — while technically Laredo, the Archdiocese of San Antonio's jurisdiction and cultural reach extends throughout south Texas.
• Parish network — the Archdiocese serves a heavily Hispanic population; Spanish-language and bilingual Masses are the norm throughout the city, not an exception.

Notable evangelical churches

• Cornerstone Church, San Antonio — founded by John Hagee; one of the largest churches in Texas; approximately 22,000 members; charismatic evangelical; Hagee is best known for his Christian Zionist theology and End Times preaching; his broadcasts reach a global audience.
• Oak Hills Church — non-denominational evangelical; founded by Max Lucado, one of the best-selling Christian authors in America; warm, accessible evangelical teaching; multiple campuses across San Antonio; approximately 10,000 weekly attendees.
• The Oaks Fellowship — large evangelical congregation on the north side; strong family programming.
• Crossroads Church — multisite evangelical congregation serving the growing north side and suburbs.
• University United Methodist Church — large mainline congregation near Trinity University; historic Methodist presence.

Hispanic evangelical churches

San Antonio has one of the largest and most vibrant Hispanic evangelical church communities in the country — a significant departure from the historically Catholic orientation of Mexican American religious life:

• Assemblies of God congregations in Spanish — among the most dynamic evangelical growth is in Spanish-language Pentecostal and charismatic churches
• Baptist churches in Spanish — Hispanic Baptist churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention's Spanish-language networks
• Independent Hispanic megachurches — several large non-denominational Spanish-language congregations have emerged in the past two decades

Frequently asked questions

Is San Antonio the most Catholic large city in America?

By some measures, yes. San Antonio consistently has among the highest rates of Catholic identification of any large American city — driven by its majority Hispanic population, most of whom identify as Catholic by heritage even if not all are regular Mass attendees. The Catholic institutional presence (schools, hospitals, social services, historic churches) is more visible in San Antonio than in most American cities. El Paso and some South Texas cities may have higher Catholic percentages, but San Antonio's combination of size and Catholic identity is distinctive.