About Our Lady of Lourdes · Zapata, Texas
Our Lady of Lourdes is a Roman Catholic parish serving the small border community of Zapata, Texas, in Zapata County along the Lower Rio Grande Valley. It belongs to the Diocese of Laredo and worships bilingually, with weekend Masses offered in both English and Spanish to reflect the area's overwhelmingly Hispanic Catholic population. The parish's most celebrated chapter in local memory is its fight for fair compensation for residents displaced when Falcon Dam flooded the original Zapata townsite in the early 1950s, led by its then-pastor Father Edward Bastien. Today the parish continues the traditions of a bilingual, missionary-minded Catholic community on the Texas–Mexico border.
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lourdes
- Rector
- Rev. Antoni Stanislaw Michno
- Diocese
- Diocese of Laredo
Why belong here
Our Lady of Lourdes welcomes a predominantly Hispanic, bilingual community on the Texas–Mexico border, with weekend and daily Masses in both English and Spanish, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, regular Confession, and the full sacramental life of a diocesan parish — including Baptism preparation, Quinceañera celebrations, Weddings, and First Friday Communion visits to the sick. The parish is also rooted in a remarkable civil-rights history: its mid-century pastor Father Edward Bastien organized the displacement victims of the Falcon Dam project into one of South Texas's most effective grassroots campaigns for fair treatment. Worshipping here means joining a community that still lives out that legacy of faith, family, and justice on the Rio Grande.
Mass times at Our Lady of Lourdes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday through Friday before Mass, 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
- Friday after Mass, 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Adoration times
- Thursday, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
About Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes is a Roman Catholic parish in Zapata, Texas, the county seat of Zapata County on the Rio Grande. It is one of the parishes of the Diocese of Laredo and serves a bilingual, predominantly Hispanic community on the Texas–Mexico border. The parish provides weekend and daily Masses in both English and Spanish, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and regular times for Confession, as well as preparation for the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage, Quinceañera, and Anointing of the Sick.
- Diocese of Laredo parish
- Bilingual English/Spanish worship
- Serves Zapata, TX and surrounding ranching communities along the Rio Grande
History: The Fighting Padre of Zapata
The parish's identity is inseparable from the modern history of Zapata itself. In the early 1950s, the construction of Falcon Dam flooded the original townsite and surrounding ranch lands, displacing hundreds of families from Zapata, Falcon, and Lopeño. Our Lady of Lourdes' pastor at the time, French-Canadian priest Father Edward Bastien (in Zapata from 1946), organized the displaced American residents into a coalition that fought the International Boundary and Water Commission for over a decade. Bastien and his parishioners demanded full replacement value for condemned property, the right to buy back homes at salvage value, and clear land titles — a battle he publicly framed against an agency he renamed 'I Beat Widows and Children.'
- Father Edward Bastien served as pastor beginning in 1946
- Displacement by Falcon Dam (completed 1953) destroyed the original church and townsite
- Bastien's papers, edited by Maria F. Rollin, were published as 'The Fighting Padre of Zapata' (Texas Western Press, 2003)
- Current church replaced an earlier sanctuary, per Wikipedia's entry on Zapata
Sacraments & Sacramental Preparation
The parish prepares the faithful for the full sacramental life of the Church. Baptisms are scheduled through the parish office, with in-person and online classes offered every two months. Couples must begin marriage preparation at least six months before the proposed wedding date, and the same six-month lead time applies for families requesting a Quinceañera with a religious ceremony. The parish also coordinates visits to the sick and homebound, with Holy Communion administered on the First Friday of each month.
- Baptism classes — every two months, in-person and online
- Marriage preparation — six months in advance
- Quinceañera preparation — six months in advance
- Pastoral Care of the Sick — First Friday Communion visits
Religious Education & RCIA
Our Lady of Lourdes runs an ongoing Parish School of Religion (PSR) for children and youth and offers the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) for adults seeking to enter full communion with the Catholic Church or to learn more about the faith. Adult classes are offered in cycles, with both in-person and online options for parents and godparents preparing for an infant's Baptism.
- Parish School of Religion for children and youth
- RCIA for adults — in-person and online options
- Baptism preparation classes every two months
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is currently served by Rev. Antoni Stanislaw Michno as Pastor. Earlier diocesan and directory listings also name a parochial vicar (Fr. Jose De Leon) and a parish administrator (Fr. Agustin Escalante), along with Leticia E. Dominguez as Secretary & Bookkeeping and Patricia Sendejo as Parish Contact. Visitors are encouraged to call the parish office for current clergy assignments.
- Pastor: Rev. Antoni Stanislaw Michno
- Parochial Vicar (prior listing): Fr. Jose De Leon
- Parish Administrator (prior listing): Fr. Agustin Escalante
- Secretary & Bookkeeping (prior listing): Leticia E. Dominguez
- Parish Contact (Diocese of Laredo listing): Patricia Sendejo
Visit & Contact
Our Lady of Lourdes is located at 1610 Hidalgo Blvd. in Zapata, Texas 78076. The parish office can be reached by telephone at (956) 765-4216. The official website, lourdeszapata.org, publishes the current Mass, Confession, and Adoration schedule and links to the Diocese of Laredo's parish directory page for additional parish information.
- Address: 1610 Hidalgo Blvd., Zapata, TX 78076
- Phone: 956-765-4216
- Website: lourdeszapata.org
- Diocese of Laredo parish directory page also lists contact details
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Edward Bastien1946 – c. late 1950s/1960s
French-Canadian priest who arrived in Zapata in 1946 and led the fight against the International Boundary and Water Commission for fair compensation for residents displaced by the Falcon Dam project. Subject of 'The Fighting Padre of Zapata' (Texas Western Press, 2003), edited by Maria F. Rollin.