About Prince of Peace · Lyford, Texas
Prince of Peace is a Catholic parish in the small rural community of Lyford, Texas, in the Diocese of Brownsville. Founded in 1967, the parish at 8413 Park Avenue serves Lyford together with two mission churches: St. Martin de Tours in Sebastian and Santa Monica Mission in Santa Monica. The parish celebrates Mass in English, Spanish, and bilingual form, and is led by Rev. Joshua A. Carlos as pastor. The community runs a CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) religious education program for elementary, middle, and high school students and offers regular confession and Eucharistic adoration in addition to daily and weekend Masses.
- Established
- 1967
- Patron
- Christ the Prince of Peace (Our Lord Jesus Christ, titled 'Prince of Peace' from Isaiah 9:6)
- Rector
- Rev. Joshua A. Carlos
- Diocese
- Diocese of Brownsville
Why belong here
Prince of Peace is a welcoming rural parish that makes Catholic life accessible to the families of Lyford, Sebastian, and Santa Monica through three connected worship sites, Mass in English, Spanish, and bilingual form, and a CCD religious education program for elementary, middle, and high school students. Regular opportunities for confession (Saturday mornings and Thursday evenings during Holy Hour) and Eucharistic adoration (Thursday evenings) make it easy to grow in prayer, while bilingual daily Masses give working families and young people multiple ways to participate in the liturgical life of the parish. It is a small, close-knit community where the pastor, DRE, parish secretary, bookkeeper, and marketing staff are all named and reachable, and where children are actively formed for the sacraments through parish classrooms led by catechists.
Mass times at Prince of Peace
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 9:00 AM — Prince of Peace (also 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM)
- Thursday 6:30 PM — Prince of Peace, during Holy Hour after Mass
- Sunday 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM — St. Martin de Tours, Sebastian
- Tuesday 6:30 PM — St. Martin de Tours, after Mass during Holy Hour
- Wednesday 3:30 PM — Santa Monica Mission (also listed 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM)
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM — Santa Monica Mission
Adoration times
- Thursday 6:30 PM — Prince of Peace
- Tuesday 6:45 PM — St. Martin de Tours, Sebastian
About Prince of Peace Parish
Prince of Peace Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Brownsville serving the small rural community of Lyford, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. According to the parish's own website and the Diocese of Brownsville's historical timeline, the parish was established in 1967 as part of a wave of new Catholic parishes founded that year across the Valley. From the beginning, the parish has been organized as a multi-site community, with St. Martin de Tours in Sebastian and Santa Monica Mission in Santa Monica serving as mission churches under the pastor of Prince of Peace. The parish is bilingual in its sacramental life, offering Mass and other liturgical services in English, Spanish, and bilingual form.
- Established: 1967
- Diocese: Brownsville
- Missions: St. Martin de Tours (Sebastian) and Santa Monica (Santa Monica)
- Languages: English, Spanish, Bilingual
History
Prince of Peace Parish was founded in 1967 in Lyford, in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley, the same year that the Diocese of Brownsville established more than ten other new parishes across the region, including parishes in Brownsville, Edinburg, La Grulla, Harlingen, Escobares, Hidalgo, Weslaco, El Ranchito, McAllen, and Santa Rosa. From its earliest days the parish was structured as a hub-and-mission community: Prince of Peace in Lyford is the parish church, while St. Martin de Tours in Sebastian and Santa Monica Mission in Santa Monica are served by the same pastor. The parish website notes that the three churches together form one parish family, and promises to add more historical information and photographs of the mission churches over time.
- 1967: Parish established in Lyford
- Two missions founded alongside the parish: St. Martin de Tours (Sebastian) and Santa Monica Mission (Santa Monica)
- Has remained a multi-site, bilingual parish community throughout its history
- Current pastor assigned in 2023
Pastoral Team & Staff
The parish is led by a small, named team published openly on the parish website. Rev. Joshua A. Carlos serves as pastor, having been assigned by the Diocese of Brownsville effective January 30, 2023. Marlena Rodriguez is the parish secretary, Ruben De La Rosa is the Director of Religious Education, Annie Ortiz oversees marketing and media, and a bookkeeper (whose name is not listed on the website) handles parish finances.
- Rev. Joshua A. Carlos — Pastor (assigned effective 01/30/2023)
- Marlena Rodriguez — Parish Secretary ([email protected])
- Ruben De La Rosa — Director of Religious Education ([email protected])
- Bookkeeper — ([email protected])
- Annie Ortiz — Marketing & Media ([email protected])
Faith Formation & CCD (Religious Education)
Prince of Peace runs a CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program for the children and youth of the parish. According to the parish website, the CCD program 'exists to assist children in embracing the word of God and lays the foundation of faith for them to become disciples of Jesus Christ.' Classes are offered for Elementary, Middle School, and High School students and meet in the parish classrooms, each led by a Catechist. In addition to general catechesis, the program prepares children to receive the sacraments, helps them learn about Christ and the Catholic faith, and emphasizes the importance of regular Mass attendance.
- Elementary CCD classes
- Middle School CCD classes
- High School CCD classes
- Sacramental preparation (First Communion, Confirmation) tied to the CCD program
- Catechist-led formation in parish classrooms
- Director of Religious Education: Ruben De La Rosa
The Eucharist & Catholic Teaching
A significant portion of the parish website is dedicated to catechesis about the Mass and the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The schedule page includes excerpts from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults and the Catechism of the Catholic Church explaining that the Eucharistic celebration is a single act of worship involving the proclamation of the Word, thanksgiving to the Father, the consecration of bread and wine, and reception of the Lord's Body and Blood. The parish also links to formative resources on the Mass, including 'The Elements of the Catholic Mass', 'The Lamb's Supper' by Dr. Scott Hahn, and 'The Eucharist', and references the FORMED digital platform for ongoing liturgical-calendar study.
- CCC 1408 explanation of the Eucharistic celebration
- Teaching on the Real Presence (CCC 1410–1413)
- Resources: 'The Elements of the Catholic Mass', 'The Lamb's Supper' (Dr. Scott Hahn), 'The Eucharist'
- Liturgical Calendar on FORMED
Mission Churches
Prince of Peace Parish is one parish with three worship sites. The mission churches extend the parish's reach into the surrounding rural communities of the Rio Grande Valley.
- St. Martin de Tours — Sebastian, Texas (Sun 8:30 AM Bilingual; Tue 6:00 PM English; Sun confessions 8:00 AM; Tue Holy Hour 6:30 PM; adoration Tue 6:45 PM)
- Santa Monica Mission — Santa Monica, Texas (Sat 4:30 PM English; Wed 4:00 PM English; Wed confessions 3:30 PM; Sat confessions 4:00 PM)
Contact & Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach Prince of Peace by phone at (956) 347-3580 or by email at [email protected]. The parish mailing address is P.O. Box 460, Lyford, TX 78569, and the church is located at 8413 Park Avenue, Lyford, TX 78569. The parish maintains a Facebook page at facebook.com/POPLyford and an Instagram location listing under 'Prince of Peace Catholic Church Lyford'.
- Phone: (956) 347-3580
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 8413 Park Avenue, Lyford, TX 78569
- Mailing: P.O. Box 460, Lyford, TX 78569
- Facebook: facebook.com/POPLyford
- Instagram location: prince-of-peace-catholic-church-lyford
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joshua A. Carloseffective 01/30/2023 – present
Current pastor, per Diocese of Brownsville Parish Finder and parish website.