After nearly five decades of service to the Catholic Church and the people of Corpus Christi, Monsignor Roger Smith is retiring from active ministry.
Smith’s journey began right here in the city, attending St. Patrick Catholic School from first through eighth grade. Inspired by the leaders in his school community, he felt an early calling to the priesthood.
“We had a lot of sisters teaching in the school,” Smith said. “They were a good example and encouraged us as boys to think about being priests.”
He went on to attend Corpus Christi Minor Seminary, now known as St. John Paul II High School, before continuing his religious studies in Houston at St. Mary’s Seminary and the University of St. Thomas. After his ordination, Smith served at St. Gertrude’s Catholic Church in Kingsville for eight years before returning to lead the very parish where his faith had first taken root.
“It would allow me not only to minister in the parish where I grew up and received the faith,” he said, “but also it would give me more time to be with my parents who were getting older.”
Over the course of 25 years at St. Patrick’s Parish, Smith became a fixture in the community, supporting local outreach efforts, providing guidance to students, and offering spiritual care to patients at nearby hospitals like Driscoll Children’s Hospital and Corpus Christi Medical Center.
In June, dozens of parishioners and friends gathered to celebrate his legacy.
“How many of us can say that we’ve had the same Monsignor, the same priest in their lives for as long as we have?” parishioner, Laura Commons, said. “I think this congregation knows that was a blessing to us.”
Deacon Hector Salinas, a longtime friend, called Smith “good person,” who encouraged him during his faith journey.
Other priests like Father Jason Matthew described Smith's mentorship as 'foundational' to his own spiritual journey.
“When my mother was ill and he came to the house, and gave her the sacrament of the sick and was just present with her and prayed with her, it’s something of course every priest does, but its the compassion and the personal care," Sister Anna Marie Espinosa, said.
Although Monsignor Smith is retiring from active ministry, he said his work with St. Patrick’s and the surrounding community is far from over. He plans to continue assisting within the parish and helping those within the Corpus Christi community.
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