About Us

Our Lady of Wisdom University Parish is a parish in the Catholic Diocese of Austin. We serve the needs of the Catholic students, faculty, and staff of Texas State University and have been doing so for over 100 years. 

Our Lady of Wisdom University Parish is located adjacent to the campus, next to Downtown San Marcos, at the intersection of LBJ Drive and Concho Street.

We began as a Newman Center in 1914. 25 years ago, H.L. "Bud" Grant donated a substantial gift to move our ministries to our current location at 100 Concho Street. This move created much more chapel space and allowed ministries to expand and start. Many of these ministries continue to thrive today. To learn more about these ministries click here.

In the present, through the Encountering Christ campaign, we are discerning how best to serve as we grow again.
 

History
 

On February 16, 2013, the H.L. Grant Catholic Student Center & St. Jude Chapel was established as a parish under the patronage of Our Lady of Wisdom.  From this time forward this ministry is known as Our Lady of Wisdom University Parish.  Our Bishop, Joe S. Vasquez, celebrated the Mass of Dedication in our Church at 5 pm with a celebration that followed.  Thank you to all the faculty, staff, and alumni of Texas State University, friends, and community members that joined us in this celebration and as we continue to chart a course for the future of Catholic Campus ministry at Texas State.

A Brief History of this Ministry:

Our ministry at this university began in 1914 with the formation of the Newman club which met at the local parish located next to campus.  The Newman Club name changed to Catholic Student Organization in the Fall of 1969, the same year SWTSC changed to SWTSU.  In 1993 our current facility was built after an exchange of land with the University.  It was named the H.L. Grant Catholic Student Center in honor of H.L. Grant, a businessman from Houston and friend of Bishop John McCarthy of Austin.  In 2006 students asked Bishop Gregory Aymond on his visit to our facility why it did not have a saint name like other chapels.  That got the ball rolling and after a series of presentations and votes, the chapel was named St. Jude Chapel in early 2007.  
 
At the beginning of 2012, after consultation with our new Bishop, Joe Vasquez, and the Presbyteral Council, a group of priests who assist our Bishop on important matters in the diocese, we decided to take the steps necessary so that this ministry could be established as a parish independent of the local parish, St. John.  Bishop Vasquez asked the community to discern what name we would suggest and why.  We solicited nominations and voted on those narrowing the list down to 5.  From this list, Bishop Vasquez selected Our Lady Of Wisdom University Parish.
 
This title is derived from Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, which can also mean throne or temple of wisdom.  Jesus is divine wisdom personified, the one longed for already in the Old Testament scriptures.  Mary, in and through whom the Son of God took on human flesh, is the tabernacle, temple, and seat of wisdom.  God desires that all people become temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19) and of divine wisdom, something that happens most profoundly when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist. 
 
Moreover, wisdom is the goal of education in the university setting where students not only learn knowledge but get the opportunity to reflect on eternal realities, goodness, truth, and beauty.  We encourage the pursuit of Divine Wisdom through our activities inviting students to seek God, the meaning of life, and God's purpose for them.  King Solomon exemplified this pursuit writing, “I have loved and sought out Wisdom from my youth, and have desired to take her for my spouse” (Wis 8:2).