About El Buen Pastor · El Paso, Texas
El Buen Pastor Mission (Spanish for "The Good Shepherd") is a small Catholic mission church serving the Sparks colonia in eastern El Paso County, Texas — one of the poorest neighborhoods in Texas. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso and has been a recognized mission since 1998, when the small, working-class community completed its church building after years of grassroots fundraisers that began when worship services were first held in a trailer. Today it is bilingual (with a strong Spanish-language presence) and is administered by a priest and deacon of the diocese, supported in part by Catholic Extension Society, and historically cared for in tandem with neighboring Holy Spirit Parish in Horizon City.
- Established
- 1998
- Patron
- El Buen Pastor (The Good Shepherd)
- Rector
- Rev. Angel Tarango Ceballos
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso
Why belong here
El Buen Pastor Mission is a small, close-knit bilingual Catholic community rooted in one of the poorest colonias in Texas, where neighbors know one another and worship is celebrated with deep personal warmth. The mission offers daily and weekend Masses in both Spanish and English, weekly Confessions, Eucharistic adoration, a bilingual school of formation, and active outreach to the poor and marginalized of eastern El Paso County. For Catholics in Sparks and the surrounding colonias looking for a parish where their presence and service genuinely shape the community, El Buen Pastor is a welcoming home.
Mass times at El Buen Pastor
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM (Bilingual priest)
- Tuesday 9:30 AM
- Thursday 5:30 PM
Adoration times
- Holy Hour at 6:00 PM on the First Friday of the month (per Discover Mass listing)
- Thursday evening following 6:00 PM Mass — Expulsion of the Eucharist (per Diocese of El Paso listing)
About El Buen Pastor Mission
El Buen Pastor Mission — "The Good Shepherd" Mission — is a small Catholic mission church in the Sparks colonia of eastern El Paso County, Texas, part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso. The mission has served working-class, largely Spanish-speaking families in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Texas since the late 1990s and continues to offer bilingual (Spanish-English) daily and weekend Masses, the Sacraments, and community outreach.
- Type: Catholic Mission (Diocese of El Paso)
- Established: 1998 (church building completed; community gathered earlier in a trailer)
- Location: 311 Peyton Rd, Sparks / El Paso, TX 79928
- Languages: Spanish, English, Bilingual
History
The mission began in a trailer in the Sparks colonia, where local families organized years of fundraisers to construct their own church building, which was completed in 1998. Catholic Extension Society has supported the mission continuously since 1999 with parish and salary subsidies and church-building aid. On December 24, 2014, Bishop Mark J. Seitz placed El Buen Pastor under the care of newly-formed Holy Spirit Parish in Horizon City; in July 2015 a new administrator was assigned, beginning the pastorate of Father Fabian Marquez. Under Father Marquez the mission's outreach expanded and the parish was featured in Catholic Extension's 2019 coverage as a Lumen Christi Award finalist ministry. After the August 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, the pastor was present at the scene providing pastoral care, and during the COVID-19 pandemic the small community weathered a severe financial crisis with staff sacrificing portions of their own salaries.
- Pre-1998: Masses celebrated in a trailer in Sparks
- 1998: Current church building completed
- Since 1999: Supported by Catholic Extension Society
- Dec 24, 2014: Placed under Holy Spirit Parish (Horizon City) care
- July 2015: Father Fabian Marquez assigned as administrator
- 2019: Lumen Christi Award finalist; pastor present at El Paso mass-shooting scene
- 2020–2021: COVID-19 financial crisis and Catholic Kinship support
- 2022: Stewardship Council formation begins
Clergy and Staff
Per the Diocese of El Paso's current parish directory, El Buen Pastor Mission is currently served by Rev. Angel Tarango Ceballos as priest, with Deacon Jose Maria "Chema" Gonzalez assisting. The mission is also supported through the diocesan offices (including historically the director of youth and young adult ministries, a role held by its former pastor) and by the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso.
- Rev. Angel Tarango Ceballos — Priest / Parish Administrator
- Deacon Jose Maria "Chema" Gonzalez — Deacon
Pastoral History
The most prominent pastor in the mission's recent history is Father Fabian Marquez, who arrived as administrator in July 2015 and became a dynamic pastor recognized for his ministry of presence among the poor and marginalized. He also served as director of youth and young adult ministries for the Diocese of El Paso. The mission's current priest, Rev. Angel Tarango Ceballos, is listed in the diocese's parish directory.
- Father Fabian Marquez — 2015 to c. 2021 (administrator/pastor; 2019 Lumen Christi finalist; diocesan youth & young adult ministries director)
Sacraments and Devotions
Reconciliation is offered three times a week, and the Thursday evening Mass is followed by the Expulsion of the Eucharist. A monthly First Friday Holy Hour is also listed by independent Mass-times aggregators.
- Reconciliation (Confession): Saturday 3:30 PM (bilingual priest), Tuesday 9:30 AM, Thursday 5:30 PM
- Thursday 6:00 PM — Expulsion of the Eucharist following Mass
- First Friday of the month — 6:00 PM Holy Hour
Ministries and Outreach
El Buen Pastor Mission's outreach is rooted in the reality of Sparks as one of the poorest colonias in Texas. Under its former pastor the parish deepened its service to the poor, the migrant community, and the wider El Paso region — including pastoral presence at the scene of the August 2019 mass shooting. The parish also began forming a Stewardship Council in 2022 with the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso, with a goal of forming parishioners as faithful disciples through prayer, service, and giving.
- Outreach to the poor and marginalized of the Sparks colonia
- Youth and young adult ministry (through the diocesan office)
- Stewardship Council (formed 2022)
- Parish fundraising / online giving via ParishSoft and Text-to-Give (915) 800-7660
Support and Stewardship
Because El Buen Pastor serves a low-income community, the mission has long depended on outside support. Catholic Extension Society has funded parish and salary subsidies continuously since 1999, and the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso maintains an El Buen Pastor Mission endowment fund. Parishioners can give online through the ParishSoft giving portal or by texting (915) 800-7660.
- Catholic Extension Society — supporter since 1999
- Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso — El Buen Pastor Mission endowment fund
- ParishSoft online giving portal
- Text-to-Give: (915) 800-7660
Visit and Contact
The mission sits on Peyton Road in Sparks, between Jeremiah and Trollope Drives, two and a half blocks north of Spark Drive off Gateway Blvd. The parish can be reached by phone at (915) 852-4010; the community also maintains a presence on Facebook.
- Address: 311 Peyton Rd, El Paso, TX 79928
- Phone: (915) 852-4010
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elbuenpastorcatholicmission/
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Fabian Marquez2015 – c.2021
Arrived July 2015 as administrator; became the mission's dynamic pastor and director of youth and young adult ministries for the Diocese of El Paso; 2019 Lumen Christi Award finalist; provided ministry at the scene of the August 2019 El Paso mass shooting; led the parish through the COVID-19 pandemic.