About Little Flower · El Paso, Texas
St. Thérèse of the Little Flower Catholic Church (commonly known as Little Flower) is a bilingual Roman-Latin parish of the Diocese of El Paso located at 171 Polo Inn Road in El Paso, Texas. Rooted in a Depression-era farming community on the lower Rio Grande, the parish began as a small mission chapel in the 1930s and was formally elevated to parish status on March 18, 1990, by Bishop Peña. Today the parish serves a largely Spanish-speaking congregation with one English Sunday Mass and three Spanish weekend Masses, and is pastored by Rev. Alfonso Bonilla with the assistance of Deacon Carlos Barraza.
- Established
- 1939
- Patron
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux (the Little Flower)
- Rector
- Rev. Alfonso Bonilla
- Diocese
- Diocese of El Paso
Why belong here
Little Flower is a tight-knit, bilingual Lower Rio Grande Valley parish that grew out of a Depression-era farming community and still carries the warmth of that heritage. Families can worship in Spanish at three of the four weekend Masses and in English at the Sunday 10 a.m. Mass, with weekday Masses Tuesday through Friday and Saturday-evening confessions. The parish runs a yearly three-day Bazaar featuring vendors, entertainment and a rodeo, and the community gathers each year for a special Santa Teresita ceremony honoring its patron — a family-friendly parish where the history of El Paso's farmworkers is still very much alive.
Mass times at Little Flower
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:00 p.m. (Spanish) – typically until 5:45 p.m.
- By appointment
History of Little Flower Parish
Little Flower began as a Depression-era mission chapel of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Ysleta, when a group of farmers and laborers built a schoolhouse that they then converted into a chapel named San Isidro. The community moved to Alameda Street in 1939 after Father Aloysius A. Ochoa, S.J., secured a new site — funded partly by a $1,000 grant from the Catholic Church Extension Society at Bishop Schuler's petition. The new church was built of Franklin Mountains stone and dedicated that October under the patronage of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, 'the Little Flower.' The original building seated only 100, and as the Lower Valley grew, the parish outgrew it; in 1990 Father Serafin Pineda, O.A.R., and the parishioners built the present 350-seat church on Polo Inn Road, and on March 18, 1990, Bishop Peña officially elevated Little Flower to parish status.
- 1939: First dedicated church built on Alameda Street, Bishop Schuler presiding
- Original capacity: ~100 worshippers (Alameda Street)
- 1990: New church at 171 Polo Inn Road built (capacity 350)
- March 18, 1990: Elevated from mission to parish status by Bishop Peña
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently served by Rev. Alfonso Bonilla as pastor and Deacon Carlos Barraza, both listed on the Diocese of El Paso's parishes-by-vicariate roster. The 2025 diocesan clerical assignments page formally identifies the pastor as 'Pastor/Párroco, Little Flower (St. Thérèse of Lisieux) Catholic Church.'
- Rev. Alfonso Bonilla — Pastor
- Deacon Carlos Barraza — Deacon
- Parish belongs to the Diocese of El Paso, Vicariate of St. Paul (Central), under Vicar Forane Very Rev. Wilson Cuevas
Devotion to St. Thérèse / Santa Teresita
The parish's patron is St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the French Carmelite nun whose 'Little Way' of spiritual childhood has inspired the community since the 1939 dedication. Each year during the parish Bazaar, Little Flower holds a special Santa Teresita ceremony recalling her life and vocation — a tradition begun in 2022 under then-newly-arrived Father Bonilla and continued since.
- Patron: St. Thérèse of Lisieux (Santa Teresita)
- Feast day: October 1
- Annual Santa Teresita ceremony held during the parish Bazaar weekend
Parish Bazaar & Community Life
The annual Little Flower Bazaar is the signature parish gathering, typically held in late September and now spanning three days (Friday through Sunday). Admission is free on the weekend, with a $10 Friday ticket that includes the rodeo and other special events. The Bazaar features vendors, entertainment, food, and the Saturday-evening Santa Teresita ceremony, drawing families from across the Lower Valley.
- Three-day parish Bazaar (Friday–Sunday)
- Friday-night rodeo and special events ($10 Friday admission)
- Free weekend admission
- Saturday-evening Santa Teresita ceremony
The Original Church on Alameda Street
Before the Polo Inn Road church was built in 1990, Little Flower's home for half a century was the small stone church on Alameda Street. Its construction was a Depression-era act of faith, made possible by donations from parishioners, a $1,000 Catholic Extension grant, and gifts from the Sisters of St. Margaret Orphanage and the George Orr family.
- Built of Franklin Mountains stone
- Confessional built by Francisco Santini and his daughter Trinidad Diaz
- First pews and Way of the Cross donated by the Sisters of St. Margaret Orphanage
- Statue of St. Thérèse donated by Mr. and Mrs. George Orr
- Seating capacity: approximately 100
Visit, Contact & Directions
Little Flower is located in the Lower Valley of El Paso, just south of I-10. Visitors are warmly welcomed at any of the weekend Masses; confessions are heard Saturday afternoons in the church.
- Address: 171 Polo Inn Road, El Paso, TX 79915
- Phone: (915) 772-1285
- Email: [email protected]
- Giving Portal: https://giving.parishsoft.com/app/giving/littleflowerep
- Text-to-Give: (915) 233-3353
- From I-10: exit Trowbridge Drive, south to Delta Drive (west), left on Alameda Avenue, then right two blocks downhill — the church is on the right.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Aloysius A. Ochoa, S.J.1939 (founding pastor at Alameda Street location)
Jesuit priest who led the Depression-era community, raised funds, and secured a $1,000 grant from the Catholic Church Extension Society to build the first dedicated Little Flower church on Alameda Street; Bishop Schuler dedicated it in October 1939.
- Fr. Serafin Pineda, O.A.R.1990
Augustinian Recollect priest who, with the parishioners, built the present church at 171 Polo Inn Road seating 350; presided over the March 18, 1990 elevation of Little Flower to parish status under Bishop Peña.