About Saint Catherine · Pecos, Texas
Saint Catherine is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Pecos, Texas, one of the oldest Catholic communities in far West Texas. It is part of the Diocese of El Paso and is clustered with the nearby Santa Rosa de Lima Parish, sharing the same pastoral team of Mill Hill Missionaries (MNM) priests and deacons. St. Catherine hosts the Sunday English-language Mass (8:30 a.m.) for the Pecos Catholic community and continues a worship tradition that began on the windswept Pecos frontier more than 130 years ago.
- Established
- 1893
- Patron
- Saint Catherine
- Rector
- Rev. Jose De la Cruz Longoria, MNM
- Diocese
- Diocese of El Paso
Why belong here
St. Catherine offers the only regular English-language Sunday Mass in Pecos and is the historic heart of Catholic life in Reeves County, with roots reaching back to 1892. The parish is cared for by an experienced international missionary team (Mill Hill Missionaries) supported by two permanent deacons, and is part of a tight-knit cluster that also serves Santa Rosa de Lima in Pecos and mission communities in Saragosa, Balmorhea, Barstow, and Toyah — giving parishioners a chance to worship, serve, and connect across the wide-open West Texas landscape.
Mass times at Saint Catherine
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Catherine Parish
Catholic life in Pecos began in 1888 when Carmelite friar Boniface Peters, traveling from the Marienfeld Monastery in Martin County, met with about 30 Mexican Catholic families in Pecos City. With no church of their own, the fledgling community worshipped at the Pecos County courthouse. In 1892, roughly 150 parishioners dedicated a mission chapel to St. Catherine — the founding moment of the parish. The current church building was completed in 1893. The parish's first resident priest, Carmelite Rev. Joseph Hoban, arrived in 1901 and continued the friars' practice of traveling by train, buggy, and horseback to bring the sacraments to scattered West Texas Catholics.
- 1888 — First Carmelite visit to Pecos; Mass said in homes and courthouse.
- 1892 — Mission chapel dedicated to St. Catherine by ~150 parishioners.
- 1893 — St. Catherine's Catholic Church built.
- 1901 — Rev. Joseph Hoban, Carmelite, becomes first resident clergy.
Carmelite Roots in West Texas
St. Catherine is a direct spiritual descendant of the Marienfeld Carmelite Monastery in Martin County, Texas, founded in 1882–83 by German Carmelite friars. Beginning in 1885, monastery priests began regular visits to Catholics in remote West Texas communities including Colorado City, Big Spring, Pecos City, and Toyah. By 1895, the Marienfeld Carmelites were serving roughly 5,000 Catholics in some 35 mission stations across West Texas and southeast New Mexico. St. Catherine was one of the earliest fruits of that vast missionary effort, and the Carmelite missionary tradition of traveling long distances to scattered flocks is still embodied in the parish's modern cluster of mission churches.
- Marienfeld Carmelite Monastery founded 1882–83 (Martin County).
- Marienfeld's territory 'stretched 200 miles long' along the Texas & Pacific Railway.
- Carmelites first visited Pecos in 1888; chapel dedicated in 1892.
- Carmelite stewardship of West Texas missions continued until 1901.
Parish Cluster & Missions Served
St. Catherine is administered jointly with Santa Rosa de Lima Parish (620 E. 4th Street, Pecos) and shares one pastoral team. From Pecos, the priests and deacons also staff four mission communities across Reeves County and beyond: the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Saragosa, Christ the King Mission in Balmorhea, Our Lady of Refuge Mission in Barstow, and St. Emily Mission in Toyah. The parish office is reached through the Santa Rosa de Lima phone number.
- Santa Rosa de Lima — 620 E. 4th Street, Pecos (parish office).
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine — Saragosa.
- Christ the King Mission — Balmorhea.
- Our Lady of Refuge Mission — Barstow.
- St. Emily Mission — Toyah.
Clergy & Pastoral Staff
St. Catherine is staffed by Mill Hill Missionaries (MNM) — an international missionary society founded in the Netherlands — together with two permanent deacons. The same pastoral team serves the entire Pecos-area cluster of parishes and missions.
- Rev. Jose De la Cruz Longoria, MNM — Pastor.
- Rev. Gabriel Terrones Marin, MNM — Parochial Vicar.
- Deacon Oscar Machuca.
- Deacon Rudy Villegas.
Vicariate & Diocese
St. Catherine belongs to the Vicariate of St. Luke (West Texas) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso. The Diocese of El Paso covers the western tip of Texas and is led by Bishop Anthony Celino. St. Catherine is one of the historic anchor parishes of the West Texas vicariate, alongside Santa Rosa de Lima (Pecos), Our Lady of Peace (Alpine), St. Mary (Marfa), St. John the Apostle (Monahans), St. Thomas–St. Joseph (Kermit), Santa Teresa de Jesus (Presidio), and Our Lady of Fatima (Van Horn).
- Diocese: El Paso.
- Vicariate: St. Luke (West Texas).
- Bishop of El Paso (current): Anthony Celino.
Giving & Parish Endowment
Parishioners and visitors can support St. Catherine through the shared Pecos-cluster online giving portal at ParishSoft Giving, and via text-to-give. The parish also has a permanent endowment fund managed by the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso, established to help sustain the parish's life and programs in perpetuity and to support pastors who travel to serve the West Texas mission communities.
- Online giving: https://giving.parishsoft.com/app/giving/santarosa
- Text to Give: (432) 348-2309.
- St. Catherine Parish Endowment — Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso.
Visiting St. Catherine
St. Catherine is located at 1201 S. Plum Street in Pecos, Texas, on the city's south side. The parish is north of Interstate 20 and west of US-285, situated at the corner of Walthall Street and South Plum. The parish office (under the Santa Rosa de Lima cluster) can be reached at (432) 445-2309 for inquiries about sacraments, schedules, and mission Mass times.
- Address: 1201 S. Plum Street, Pecos, TX 79772.
- Phone (parish office): (432) 445-2309.
- Located north of I-20, west of US-285, at Walthall Street.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Hoban (Carmelite)1901–
First resident priest of St. Catherine; also traveled by train, buggy, and horseback to serve churches in surrounding towns.