Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church — Attraction in San Antonio

Of all the Roman Catholic churches in San Antonio, Our Lady of the Atonement is the best by far.

I want to start out by reassuring people that Our Lady of the Atonement is, indeed a Catholic parish in full communion the Pope. The difference between it and other parishes is that Our Lady of the Atonement does not belong to the Archdiocese of San Antonio, but to a special diocese with its own bishop (The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter). This structure was created by Pope Benedict XVI and it covers certain parishes across North America. It was created for groups from the Anglican/Episcopal and Methodist traditions to come into the Church together while maintaining their communities and many of their distinctive traditions. It also recognizes the ministry of their priests and has a process whereby many of them can be ordained as Catholic priests. Our Lady of the Atonement has existed since 1983 and was the first parish of the precursor to the ordinariates, John Paul II's Pastoral Provision. All Catholics can attend Mass and be full members of Our Lady of the Atonement parish, but membership in the ordinariate has certain requirements.

Now that that explanation is out of the way I can get to the parish itself.

Since Our Lady of the Atonement has been around almost 35 years it has had plenty of time to establish itself and build. And many of its buildings are wonderful. The original church was designed to look like an English country church, and it had been expanded. The large twin steeples are easily visible from loop 1604. The interior is decorated with wood paneling and rich blues and reds. The stained glass windows were largely saved from other churches that were being torn down, and there is lots of other religious artwork. The whole church is very beautiful.

Music has always been a special focus of Our Lady of the Atonement. There are several different choirs, and in the past the parish has hosted its own and other choirs for special music events. Another thing that Our Lady of the Atonement has saved from a closing church was its sublime Casavant. If you are about beautiful hymns and church music Atonement will not disappoint.

As I mentioned above, Our Lady of the Atonement has a liturgy that is similar to, but distinct from the standard Catholic form. This liturgy is called Divine Worship, and it was fully approved by Rome a few years ago. This liturgy draws from the rich English linguistic tradition. You will find prayers that glorify God with beautiful and poetic language not found in many other places. As you might have guessed from the other things I have said, Mass at Our Lady of the Atonement is much more reverent than the majority of Catholic parishes.

Our Lady of the Atonement also has a parish school that runs from Pre-K 3 through high school and just completed construction of a big new expansion.

Masses are celebrated on Sundays at 7:30 (low Mass without music), 9 and 11 (Masses with music), and 6PM (Novus Ordo in Latin). A Saturday vigil was just announced to be in the works, but we do not know the time yet. On weekdays masses are at 7AM, 9:15 (school Mass), and 12 noon (new as of August 28, 2017). And on Saturday Mass is at 10 followed by confessions and the rosary. As a member of the parish I invite you to come by and...

Why is this THE FASTEST GROWING CATHOLIC CHURCH in one of the fastest growing cities in America?

THIS IS - without any doubt - THEE FINEST CHURCH IN ALL OF SAN ANTONIO!!!

For one - the sense of intense reverence present here is simply unmatched anywhere else. They are traditional, yet the priest's homily is VERY applicable and relevant to one's daily life.

Everything here is very thoughtfully executed. THREE deacons and SIX altar servers? Unique to Atonement! The FULL choir? Flawless.

For some odd reason - I find most Catholic churches in San Antonio have endless issues with their sound system.

Even the temperature settings at Atonement are set to provide as little distraction as possible. I find that literally every other local Catholic church has the temperature controls set very shortsightedly to "save money" by having the airconditioning kick on the instant mass begins. But doing that causes everyone to be on the verge of fainting as ALLLL that humidity in the entire chapel is drawn downward. Then - for the first 45 minutes or so - everyone perspires profusely as they fan themselves. Yet, after the final mass has ended - the air goes off and the empty church stays cool for hours afterwards. (Hey - here's an idea, guys: turn the air on 45 minutes BEFORE mass begins and have it set to turn off before the final mass ends!)

The sound system here at Atonement is as close to perfect as possible at ALL times, as are temperature controls, which appear to actually activate BEFORE the first mass begins. Everything here makes perfect sense.

This unique combination of remaining a place of staunchly traditional Catholic worship and yet being managed in an efficient, modern way IS how EVERY church should be run, yet - unfortunately - is very rare nowadays.

All of this makes for the best...

Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church has been a beautiful and essential part of our family’s faith journey. We attend Sunday Mass regularly, where the liturgy is celebrated authentically and traditionally, drawing us deeper into the richness of the Catholic faith.

My husband and children were joyfully received into the Church here, and I was also married at this parish by Fr. Lewis—an unforgettable and grace-filled moment for our family.

The church itself is stunning, with a dedicated chapel and baptistery that reflect the sacred beauty of the space. There are two cry rooms available, along with additional seating in the narthex—something much appreciated as the sung Masses are often full of beautiful families (a good problem to have!).

One of the many highlights is the sacred music, beautifully played on the organ and supported by alternating choirs of children and adults. A group of men also chant the timeless beauty of Gregorian chant, elevating the entire liturgical experience.

The parish offers many ministries for parishioners to join, along with meaningful events throughout the year. We are incredibly grateful to be part of such a vibrant, welcoming, and faithful...