About Cristo Rey Mission · Tucson, Arizona
Cristo Rey Mission (also called Cristo Rey Chapel) is a Roman Catholic mission chapel in Tucson, Arizona, located at 7500 S. Camino Benem on the Pascua Yaqui Reservation southwest of the city. It is one of five satellite mission communities served by St. Kateri Tekakwitha Indian Mission Parish in South Tucson, a predominantly Native American (Tohono O'odham and Yaqui) parish within the Diocese of Tucson. The mission is staffed by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (S.T.) and is associated with the 'New Pascua' Yaqui community. Its name, 'Cristo Rey,' means 'Christ the King,' and the chapel is a focal point of Yaqui Catholic life, including the centuries-old Yaqui Lenten ceremonies.
- Established
- 1974 (construction led by Knights of Columbus Council 1200; completed c. 1976)
- Patron
- Christ the King (Cristo Rey)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Tucson
Why belong here
Cristo Rey Mission is a living expression of Yaqui Catholic heritage on the New Pascua settlement southwest of Tucson. Worshippers gather here in Spanish and English for two Sunday Masses, participate in the centuries-old Yaqui Lenten ceremonies, and are part of a wider parish family of six mission chapels served by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity. Religious education, baptism preparation, and sacramental life for all the missions are coordinated through the St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish office in South Tucson.
Mass times at Cristo Rey Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before Mass (per published schedule); also Saturday 4:00–5:00 PM at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church, 507 W. 29th St., South Tucson
About Cristo Rey Mission
Cristo Rey Mission — also called Cristo Rey Chapel — is a small Catholic mission chapel serving the New Pascua community of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in southwest Tucson, Arizona. It is not a standalone parish but one of the mission communities of St. Kateri Tekakwitha Indian Mission Parish in South Tucson, which since 1984 has been the diocesan center for Native American (Yaqui and Tohono O'odham) Catholic ministry in the Tucson area. The mission's name, 'Cristo Rey,' means 'Christ the King,' and the chapel is a focal point of Yaqui Catholic and cultural life in Tucson.
- Type: Mission chapel of St. Kateri Tekakwitha Indian Mission Parish
- Diocese of Tucson
- Served by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (S.T.)
- Patron: Christ the King
History
The chapel was built through a partnership between the Pascua Yaqui community and the Knights of Columbus Tucson Council 1200. Beginning in 1974, Past Grand Knight Ben Coronado and his wife Mary Lou led the council in raising funds and collecting donated supplies; tribal members then constructed the building largely with volunteer weekend labor over about two years. Marquette University's guide to Catholic records on Native Americans documents the chapel as a recognized mission of St. Kateri Tekakwitha from 1996 onward, although the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity have been providing pastoral care in the Yaqui communities of Pima County since 1981.
- 1974 — Knights of Columbus Council 1200 launches fundraising drive for the chapel
- c. 1976 — Construction completed by tribal members and council volunteers
- 1981 — Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity begin urban Native American ministry in Tucson
- 1984 — Diocese of Tucson establishes St. Kateri Tekakwitha Indian Mission Parish
- 1996 — Cristo Rey Chapel formally documented as a mission of St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish
Sacraments
Sacramental preparation for the missions is coordinated through the St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish office in South Tucson. Baptism preparation classes are held every Saturday at 10:00 AM at Santa Rosa de Lima chapel, and parents and godparents are required to attend three sessions before the baptism. A flexible online baptismal preparation course is also available for families who cannot attend in person.
- Baptism — three preparation classes required (held at Santa Rosa de Lima); online course option
- Confession — before Mass at the chapel; Saturday 4:00–5:00 PM at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Religious education for the children of the mission communities — including Cristo Rey — is organized at the parish level. Enrollment paperwork for the 2024–25 academic year was made available through the St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish office, and families may complete an online registration form or contact the parish directly.
- Religious education classes for mission children (enrollment via St. Kateri parish office)
- Online registration form available through stkateritucson.org
The St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish Cluster
Cristo Rey Mission is one of six Catholic communities that together form a single pastoral cluster in the Diocese of Tucson, administered from St. Kateri Tekakwitha Indian Mission Parish at 507 W. 29th Street in South Tucson. The other missions are El Señor de los Milagros, San Ignacio de Loyola, San Martín de Porres, and Santa Rosa de Lima. St. Kateri, staffed by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, is the historic Native American parish of South Tucson, serving the Yaqui and Tohono O'odham communities of Pima County.
- St. Kateri Tekakwitha Indian Mission Parish (mother church) — 507 W. 29th Street, South Tucson, AZ 85713
- Cristo Rey — 7500 S. Camino Benem (New Pascua)
- El Señor de los Milagros — South 16th Ave. & W. 44th St. (Barrio Libre)
- San Ignacio de Loyola — 785 W. Saguaro St. (Old Pascua)
- San Martín de Porres — 418 W. 39th St. (Barrio Libre)
- Santa Rosa de Lima — site of Saturday baptism classes
Yaqui Lenten Tradition
The Yaqui Lenten ceremonies performed at Cristo Rey and the other Yaqui chapels of Tucson stretch back more than 400 years to the Jesuit missions in southern Sonora, Mexico. The Yaqui people, who call themselves the Yoeme ('the People'), brought the tradition to Arizona when they fled persecution and land appropriation in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The ceremonies involve several societies of dancers and musicians — including the Fariseos (Pharisees), Chapayekas, and Matachinis — interpreting the passion of Christ. Observances run from Ash Wednesday through Easter and conclude in early May with the Feast of the Holy Cross. Visitors are welcomed at the chapels but may not photograph or film the ceremonies.
- Practiced continuously for over 400 years
- Societies of dancers: Fariseos, Chapayekas, Matachinis
- Season runs Ash Wednesday through the Feast of the Holy Cross (early May)
- Tucson Yaqui communities: New Pascua (Cristo Rey), Old Pascua (San Ignacio), Barrio Libre (Señor de los Milagros and San Martín de Porres), and Guadalupe