A stone altar and crucifix sit atop a hill overlooking the more than 700 acres of the Connolly Game Ranch near Tuscola, Texas. The ranch will be the site of this year’s Rural Life Mass for the Diocese of San Angelo, celebrated by Bishop Michael Sis and hosted by Holy Family Parish in Abilene.

The apex of the hill also showcases the culmination of years of effort on the part of the Connolly family to ensure their faith is evident at the ranch, which they purchased around 25 years ago.

“We have Stations of the Cross that trail through the property,” said Maria Moore, daughter of John and Janet Connolly. She said that the Stations were initially Janet’s idea. “She walks the property and prays the Stations and the Rosary.”

An altar, crucifix, and podium are “all hand-built out of stone,” said Moore. “It’s essentially what you would find in a chapel. It’s just outdoors.”

The family’s Catholic faith extends to the fruits of their labor as well. An exotic game ranch, they are in the business of bringing hunters and impressive beasts together. “What makes us special,” Moore said, “is that we use that profit from exotic hunts” to offer meat hunts for more mundane fare like white-tailed deer, “to give back.” They offer these hunting opportunities to children with disabilities, first responders, military, clergy, and others.

The exotics are the stars of the ranch, though. “We have everything from axis, red stag, white and chocolate fallow. We have different kinds of rams,” Moore said. “We have wildebeests — I mean, straight out of a storybook!”

Those who come to the Rural Life Mass, which is open to all (but please RSVP!), might get to see some of these beautiful creatures. “I’m fully expecting to be able to see herds of red stag and wildebeest,” Moore predicted. Feed and water trough placement allows for a good view of these herds from the hilltop.

The Mass begins at 5:00 p.m., Monday, May 15, 2023, with a Rosary beforehand and a sit-down barbeque dinner afterward. To help ensure the right headcount for the caterers, please RSVP at https://www.connollygameranch.com/rurallifemass2023.