LG Priest Being Moved To Much Larger Church

Fr. Brian Phillips of Sacred Hearth Catholic Church in La Grange will leave at the end of this month to become pastor at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Cedar Park. Phillips has been the pastor at Sacred Heart since September of 2020.

“It’s hard to leave La Grange,” Phillips said in an interview with the Record last week. “I fell in love with the community and got to know the people here really well. I love being in a small town. I love the school here. I really enjoyed being around the kids – playing ball with them, having lunch with them and hanging out. Our youth groups, Knights of Columbus, all these different groups – I really got to know everyone and really enjoyed it.”

Phillips will go on to lead a much larger congregation. He said St. Margaret Mary serves about 3,000 families and sees average Mass attendance of about 3,000 faithful every weekend. According to the Diocesan Directory, Sacred Heart in La Grange serves about 560 families.

Bishop Joe Vasquez, who leads the Diocese of Austin, assigned Fr. Chris Smith to succeed Phillips at Sacred Heart. Smith currently serves as parochial vicar at St. Louis Catholic Church in Waco. Phillips said he and Fr. Chris attended seminary together.

“There’s heartbreak in leaving,” Phillips said “But I also understand the Bishop has needs in the Diocese. I made a promise and gave my life to serve the people of this Diocese on behalf of the Bishop. If I’m needed somewhere, I’m going to do my best at whatever God has in store for me next.”

Phillips will serve Sacred Heart through the end of this month. He will celebrate his last Masses in La Grange on the weekend on June 29-30. Fr. Chris Smith will begin his ministry at Sacred Heart in July.