About Our Lady, Queen of Angels · La Joya, Texas
Our Lady, Queen of Angels (Nuestra Señora Reyna de los Ángeles) is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the predominantly Hispanic community of La Joya, in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Brownsville and is known in Spanish as Reina de los Ángeles. Weekend liturgies are celebrated in Spanish (Saturday evening vigil) and English (Sunday morning), with a weekly Spanish Mass on Wednesday evening. The parish operates out of a single church campus on South Leo Avenue, just south of Expressway 83, and shares a local pastoral cluster with neighboring missions at Abram, Peñitas, and Havana.
- Established
- 1966
- Patron
- Our Lady, Queen of Angels (Nuestra Señora Reyna de los Ángeles)
- Rector
- Fr. Jaime V. Torres
- Diocese
- Diocese of Brownsville
Why belong here
Our Lady, Queen of Angels offers a warm, bilingual Catholic home in La Joya — a parish where Spanish- and English-speaking families worship side by side at the same altar. With a Saturday evening Spanish vigil Mass, a Sunday English Mass, and a mid-week Wednesday evening Spanish Mass, working families and young people can find a liturgy that fits their schedule. The parish supports faith formation for children (a DRE is on staff) and shares resources with neighboring missions at Abram, Peñitas, and Havana, so parishioners can attend services or devotions nearby when traveling.
Mass times at Our Lady, Queen of Angels
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (before vigil Mass)
Parish Identity and Location
Our Lady, Queen of Angels is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Brownsville, located in the small Rio Grande Valley city of La Joya, Hidalgo County, Texas. The parish's mailing name in English is Our Lady, Queen of Angels; in Spanish, it is known as Nuestra Señora Reyna de los Ángeles, and community members commonly abbreviate it as OLQA. The church sits at 916 South Leo Avenue (sometimes recorded as 912 Leo Avenue), just south of U.S. Expressway 83, easily reached from the Leo Street exit.
- Patron: Our Lady, Queen of Angels (Nuestra Señora Reyna de los Ángeles)
- Feast Day: August 2 (feast of Our Lady of the Angels / Portiuncula)
- Address: 916 S. Leo Avenue, La Joya, TX 78560
- Diocese: Diocese of Brownsville
- Founded: 1966 (per the Diocese of Brownsville's official timeline)
History
The parish was established in 1966, during the early growth years of the newly created Diocese of Brownsville. It was one of several parishes erected under Bishop Humberto Sousa Medeiros as the diocese expanded from 35 to 58 parishes to serve the Catholic population of the lower Rio Grande Valley. The parish has always served a predominantly Spanish-speaking community, with English ministries added as the area's demographics changed. The community takes its name from the centuries-old Marian title Queen of Angels (Reina de los Ángeles), a devotion made famous through the Franciscan Portiuncula chapels of Assisi and spread widely by the 1863 vision of a Bernardine nun, who received a prayer to 'August Queen of Heaven, sovereign Mistress of the Angels… that thou may crush the Serpent's head.' That prayer is still published on the parish's website as part of its identity.
- 1966 — Parish formally established by the Diocese of Brownsville
- Named for the Marian title 'Queen of Angels,' linked to the Portiuncula devotion
- Continuous bilingual ministry serving La Joya and surrounding rural communities
Parish Staff
The parish is led by a pastor and parochial vicar, supported by a small office team that includes a secretary, bookkeeper, and Director of Religious Education. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM – 5:30 PM.
- Fr. Jaime V. Torres — Pastor
- Fr. Jesus E. Paredes — Parochial Vicar (Parroquial Vicar)
- Mrs. Noemi Castillo — Secretary
- Ms. Mary Tovar — Bookkeeper
- Ms. Rosie Gonzalez — Director of Religious Education (DRE)
Pastoral Cluster
Our Lady, Queen of Angels belongs to a small cluster of Rio Grande Valley parishes that share ministry and announce Mass times together. The cluster includes mission parishes in rural communities west of Mission, Texas, so parishioners and visitors can attend Mass at a nearby church when traveling.
- St. Mary Magdalene, Abram — Sunday 8:30 AM (Spanish)
- St. Anthony of Padua, Peñitas — Sunday 10:30 AM (Bilingual)
- Our Lady, Queen of Angels, La Joya — Sunday 11:30 AM (English)
- San José, Havana — Saturday 6:30 PM (Spanish)
Ministries and Faith Formation
The parish employs a Director of Religious Education (Ms. Rosie Gonzalez) to coordinate faith formation for children and families. Catechetical preparation for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation, as well as ongoing adult faith formation, falls under this office's coordination. Office staff assist families in registering for classes and sacramental preparation throughout the year.
- Religious Education (Catecismo) for school-age children
- Sacramental preparation (First Communion, Confirmation)
- Office support for parish registration and sacramental scheduling
Devotion to Our Lady, Queen of Angels
The parish's Spanish name — Nuestra Señora Reyna de los Ángeles — reflects the rich Franciscan and Catholic tradition of devotion to Mary as Queen of Angels, rooted in the Portiuncula chapel near Assisi. The parish's WordPress site publishes the traditional prayer to 'August Queen of Heaven, sovereign Mistress of the Angels,' asking the Blessed Mother to send her holy angels to defend the faithful against the assaults of evil. This devotion is especially celebrated on the parish's feast day, August 2.
- August Queen of Heaven prayer (traditional to the Queen of Angels devotion)
- Feast Day: August 2 — Our Lady of the Angels (Portiuncula)
- Devotion emphasizes Mary's role as 'sovereign Mistress of the Angels'