The Archdiocese of San Antonio's 100th anniversary Mass was supposed to fill Nelson W. Wolff Stadium on Saturday, but organizers pulled the plug on the outdoor plan and moved the entire celebration indoors to Greehey Arena at St. Mary's University. The Mass itself kept its original 4 p.m. start time, with doors at the new venue opening at 3 p.m. and a pre-liturgical procession set for 3:30 p.m.
The switch was announced by the Archdiocese of San Antonio, which said it was moving the centennial celebration to the arena at One Camino Santa Maria. The archdiocese pointed to weather as the reason behind the last-minute change, citing what it called consistent inclement weather forecasts for the day. Just days earlier, before the venue shuffle, Texas Public Radio had reported that the archdiocese planned a free centennial celebration at Wolff Stadium for Saturday, Nov. 7.
What Stayed the Same, and What Didn't
Despite the sudden relocation, much of the program held steady. Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller was still slated to celebrate the Mass and proclaim the archdiocese's new Pastoral Vision, according to the same archdiocesan announcement. The timing also carried over largely intact — doors at Greehey Arena were scheduled to open at 3 p.m., the same time as at the stadium, with the procession following at 3:30 p.m. ahead of the 4 p.m. liturgy.
For anyone who had already signed up to attend, the archdiocese's notice offered a simple instruction: there was nothing more to do. Existing registrations remained valid for the new location, and the archdiocese was explicit that people should not head to Nelson W. Wolff Stadium, the venue originally publicized for the event.
A Century-Long Milestone
The celebration marks 100 years since the Diocese of San Antonio was elevated to an archdiocese, a milestone organizers had built an entire public event around before weather forced the pivot indoors. KENS 5 had previously reported that the Catholic Community Foundation was presenting the gathering as a free event open to the public, with organizers encouraging attendees to reserve seats through AssemblySA.org ahead of the original stadium date.
Nelson W. Wolff Stadium, located at 5757 U.S. 90 in San Antonio, had been set up as the centerpiece venue for the anniversary festivities, according to KENS 5. The move to Greehey Arena represents a significant shift for an event a century in the making, trading an open-air stadium for an indoor arena setting at St. Mary's University two days before the scheduled Mass.
