About Our Lady of Guadalupe · Glenwood, Arkansas
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church is a Catholic mission parish in Glenwood, Arkansas, located in Montgomery County in the Ouachita Deanery of the Diocese of Little Rock. The mission was established to serve the growing Hispanic Catholic community of Glenwood — before Hispanic families moved into the area, the town had no Catholic church at all. Today the parish is attended from St. Mary Church in Arkadelphia and celebrates its Masses entirely in Spanish, making it a vital spiritual home for Spanish-speaking Catholics in the Ouachita foothills. The mission community gathers for Sunday and Thursday evening Masses and is currently led by Fr. Mark Wood, who also pastors St. Mary in Arkadelphia and St. John the Baptist in Malvern.
- Patron
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Rector
- Fr. Mark Wood
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock (Ouachita Deanery)
Why belong here
Our Lady of Guadalupe in Glenwood is the spiritual home for Spanish-speaking Catholics in the Glenwood area of the Ouachita Mountains, offering Mass entirely in Spanish in a welcoming mission setting. It is supported by the Diocese of Little Rock and attended from St. Mary Church in Arkadelphia, with a Directory of Religious Education (Kimberly Colula) and a financial secretary (Vanessa Reyes) keeping the community organized. Families looking for a Spanish-language Catholic community in Montgomery County will find an active, pastorally supported mission with weekly Mass, sacramental preparation, and a clear link to the wider Hispanic ministry of the diocese.
Mass times at Our Lady of Guadalupe
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment with the Pastor
About Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church is a mission parish of the Diocese of Little Rock, located in Glenwood in Montgomery County, Arkansas. The parish is part of the Ouachita Deanery and is currently attended from St. Mary Church in Arkadelphia. Its regular liturgical life is celebrated entirely in Spanish, reflecting the community it was founded to serve.
- Type: Mission church
- Diocese: Little Rock
- Deanery: Ouachita
- County: Montgomery
- Attended from: St. Mary Church, Arkadelphia
History & Founding
The mission was established by the Diocese of Little Rock to minister to the Hispanic Catholic families who had settled in the Glenwood area — before they arrived, the town had no Catholic presence at all. In 2006, the Arkansas Catholic described Our Lady of Guadalupe as one of the newest churches in the state and noted that the choice of patron was an obvious one given the devotion of the newest Catholics in the diocese. The parish is named for the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of Guadalupe, commemorating her 1591 apparition to St. Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City.
- Pre-2006 founding as a mission to Hispanic Catholics in Glenwood
- Patron chosen for its resonance with the area's new Hispanic faithful
- Historical ministry presence of Sr. Norma Edith Muñoz, MCP (four years building Hispanic and youth ministry)
Leadership & Staff
The mission is currently served by Fr. Mark Wood, who was appointed pastor in the Diocese of Little Rock's 2026 clergy announcements. Fr. Wood also pastors St. Mary Church in Arkadelphia and St. John the Baptist Church in Malvern. The previous pastor, Fr. Salvador Vega-Alvarenga, was reassigned as associate pastor of St. Theresa Church in Little Rock in 2026. Parish operations are supported locally by Financial Secretary Vanessa Reyes and Director of Religious Education Kimberly Colula.
- Pastor: Fr. Mark Wood — [email protected]; 501-615-3538
- Former pastor: Fr. Salvador Vega-Alvarenga
- Financial Secretary: Vanessa Reyes
- DRE: Kimberly Colula
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation at the mission is coordinated by the parish Director of Religious Education, Kimberly Colula. As a Hispanic Catholic mission, religious education is closely tied to Spanish-language catechesis and sacramental preparation for the community's children and families, and the mission has historically been a place where youth ministry and Hispanic ministry have been deliberately built up.
- DRE: Kimberly Colula
- Spanish-language catechesis and sacramental prep
- Youth ministry supported historically through diocesan Hispanic Ministry Office
Hispanic Ministry & Community Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe exists to be the spiritual home of Spanish-speaking Catholics in Glenwood. The parish has been a focal point for Hispanic ministry in southwest Arkansas, including a notable four-year period when Sr. Norma Edith Muñoz, MCP, served the community building Hispanic ministry and youth programs before her appointment as diocesan director of Hispanic ministry. The mission continues to connect with the wider Hispanic ministry efforts of the Diocese of Little Rock, including Encuentro-style formation and outreach.
- Spanish Mass as the center of community life
- Connection to Diocese of Little Rock Hispanic Ministry Office
- Outreach and family ministry in the Glenwood Hispanic community
Sacraments
The mission celebrates the Eucharist in Spanish on Sundays and Thursdays, with Holy Day Masses announced as they occur. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered by appointment with the pastor, and the mission also hosts diocesan communal reconciliation services during Lent.
- Eucharist (Spanish) — Sunday 4 p.m. and Thursday 6:30 p.m.
- Reconciliation — by appointment; Lenten communal service annually
- Holy Day Masses as announced
Visit, Contact & Practical Information
Parishioners and visitors can reach the mission through the St. Martin Church office in Nashville at (870) 451-9695, or contact the pastor Fr. Mark Wood directly by email or at 501-615-3538. The mission's physical address is on Kennedy Cutoff Road in Glenwood, and a map and directions are available on the Diocese of Little Rock parish page.
- Location: 35 Kennedy Cutoff Rd., Glenwood, AR 71943
- Mailing Address: P.O. Box 426, Glenwood, AR 71943
- Phone: (870) 451-9695 (St. Martin, Nashville)
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Pastor direct line: 501-615-3538
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Salvador Vega-AlvarengaThrough 2026
Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, Glenwood; also pastor of St. Martin Church, Nashville. Relieved of Glenwood duties in 2026 and appointed associate pastor of St. Theresa Church, Little Rock.
- Fr. Mark Wood2026–present
Appointed pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Glenwood in the Diocese of Little Rock's 2026 clergy announcements, in addition to his duties as pastor of St. Mary Church in Arkadelphia and St. John the Baptist Church in Malvern.