About Holy Family · El Paso, Texas
Holy Family Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish in the Sunset Heights neighborhood of El Paso, Texas, part of the Diocese of El Paso. Founded in 1916 by the Jesuit Fr. Carlos Pinto, S.J. as a mission to shelter families fleeing the violence and religious persecution of the Mexican Revolution, it was elevated from mission to parish status in 1933 by Bishop Anthony Schuler and came under diocesan administration in 1948. The parish served the Mexican exile community for decades and today continues its ministry of welcome by hosting the St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Mission and providing temporary shelter for new immigrants. The current parish office is at 104 Fewel Street while the historic church stands at 900 West Missouri Avenue, distinguished by its white Corinthian columns and an interior featuring statuary from El Paso's first Catholic church.
- Established
- 1916
- Patron
- The Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Rev. James Marcus McFadin, D.Min.
- Diocese
- Diocese of El Paso
Why belong here
Holy Family is the parish of choice for Catholics who value a small, historic community rooted in the Sunset Heights neighborhood, where generations of El Paso's Mexican-American Catholic families have worshipped since 1916. The parish is bilingual and keeps a simple weekly rhythm — a Saturday Vigil Mass in English, Sunday Mass in Spanish, weekday Masses, monthly First Friday Eucharistic Adoration, and Saturday confessions — making it easy to fit into a working family's routine. Members also find a unique spiritual home: the parish hosts the St. Sharbel Maronite Mission and continues founder Fr. Pinto's ministry to refugees, having offered shelter to Cuban and Central American migrants in recent years.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 30 minutes before the 5:15 pm Vigil Mass (approximately 4:45 pm – 5:10 pm)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday of the month at 3:00 pm
Parish Identity & Mission
Holy Family is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of El Paso, located at the historic corner of West Missouri Avenue in the Sunset Heights neighborhood of central El Paso. Carrying on its 1916 founding mission, it ministers both to local parishioners and to newcomers arriving in El Paso — today hosting the St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Mission and offering shelter to new immigrants. The parish office operates from 104 Fewel Street, just around the corner from the church itself.
- Parish type: Roman Catholic parish
- Diocese: Diocese of El Paso
- Vicariate: Vicariate of Saint Patrick (Central), per elpasodiocese.org
- Parish office: 104 Fewel St., El Paso, TX 79902
- Church: 900 W. Missouri Ave., El Paso, TX 79902
History
Holy Family was the last of the fourteen churches built in the borderlands by the Jesuit missionary Rev. Carlos Pinto, S.J. Founded in 1916 specifically to care for families fleeing the Mexican Revolution, it was dedicated by Bishop Anthony Schuler on September 17, 1916. Bishop Schuler elevated it from mission to parish in 1933, and Bishop Sydney Metzger ended Jesuit administration in September 1948, passing the parish to diocesan priests. In 2016 Bishop Mark Seitz celebrated a Centennial Mass to mark one hundred years of Catholic life in Sunset Heights.
- 1916: Founded as a Jesuit mission by Fr. Carlos Pinto, S.J.
- 1916: Dedicated by Bishop Anthony Schuler on September 17
- 1933: Elevated to a parish by Bishop Schuler
- 1948: Transferred to diocesan priests by Bishop Sydney Metzger
- 2016: Centennial celebrated with Mass by Bishop Mark Seitz
Building & Architecture
Holy Family's façade is distinguished by tall white Corinthian columns that mark it as a landmark of the Sunset Heights neighborhood. Inside, the sanctuary itself is original to 1916; a freestanding altar table was added after Vatican II to permit the priest to face the congregation. The altar retains historic statues of the Sacred Heart and the Holy Family that originally stood in St. Mary Chapel — El Paso's first Catholic church — and faux-marble stenciling was added to the windows in the years leading up to the centennial.
- White Corinthian columns along façade
- Original 1916 sanctuary retained
- Original Holy Family and Sacred Heart statues (formerly at St. Mary Chapel)
- Freestanding altar table added post-Vatican II
Clergy
The parish is staffed by a pastor and a parochial vicar who together also serve nearby St. Patrick Cathedral in downtown El Paso. The pastor serves as Vicar Forane for the Vicariate of St. Patrick (Central). As of the most recent diocesan directory, the pastor is also named Rector of St. Patrick Cathedral, and Monsignor Don Sawyer was among those serving Holy Family at the time of the 2016 centennial.
- Rev. James Marcus McFadin, D.Min. — Pastor (also Rector, St. Patrick Cathedral; Vicar Forane)
- Rev. Alfonso Coronado — Parochial Vicar
- Monsignor Don Sawyer (served at the parish, 2016)
Sacramental & Devotional Life
Beyond Sunday and weekday Masses, Holy Family offers the Sacrament of Reconciliation each Saturday in the half hour before the Vigil Mass, and Eucharistic Adoration on First Fridays of the month at 3:00 pm. The parish's devotional life is shaped by its founder's missionary spirit: its very location and rhythm were designed to comfort those far from home.
- Reconciliation: Saturdays ~4:45 pm – 5:10 pm (30 min. before Vigil Mass), and by appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration: First Friday of the month, 3:00 pm
St. Sharbel Maronite Mission
Holy Family hosts the St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Mission for the Lebanese Catholic faithful of the El Paso region. The Maronite mission is canonically part of the Maronite Diocese of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles and occupies the historic Holy Family church for its Eastern-rite liturgies, an example of two Catholic traditions sharing the same sacred space.
- St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Mission
- Jurisdiction: Maronite Diocese of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles
- Liturgical rite: Maronite (Eastern Catholic)
Refugee & Migrant Outreach
Holy Family's ministry of welcome is the direct continuation of its 1916 founding mission. Originally built to shelter Mexican refugees from religious persecution during the Mexican Revolution, in summer 2015 the parish opened its doors again to provide temporary shelter for Cuban, Central American, and South American immigrants arriving in the El Paso area. Today this humanitarian work remains a defining mark of parish identity.
- 1916 founding ministry to Mexican refugees fleeing the Revolution
- 2015: temporary shelter for Cuban, Central and South American immigrants
- Parish houses Revista Católica / Canisius House historically
Practical Information
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at 104 Fewel Street, El Paso, TX 79902-3702 by phone at (915) 532-8462. The church stands at 900 W. Missouri Avenue in the Sunset Heights neighborhood. Stewardship contributions are accepted online through the ParishSoft Giving Portal at the diocese's secure link.
- Parish office: 104 Fewel St., El Paso, TX 79902-3702
- Phone: (915) 532-8462
- Text to Give: (915) 800-2860
- Online Giving: giving.parishsoft.com/app/giving/holyfamilyep
- Diocesan listing: elpasodiocese.org/parishes.html
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Carlos Pinto, S.J.1916–~1948 (Jesuit administration)
Jesuit founder-builder of Holy Family and thirteen other churches in the borderlands; built the church specifically for Mexican refugees of the Mexican Revolution.
- Diocesan clergy1948–present
Bishop Sydney Metzger transferred administration to diocesan priests in September 1948, ending 34 years of Jesuit oversight.