About Saint Emily · Toyah, Texas
St. Emily Mission is a small Catholic chapel on Grand Street in Toyah, Texas — a tiny, near-ghost town in Reeves County that was once a thriving stop on the Texas & Pacific Railroad. The chapel is one of five missions operated by Santa Rosa de Lima Parish in Pecos, and it is served by the same pastoral team as the parent parish: Marianist priests (Missionaries of the Society of Mary, MNM) along with two deacons. Because Toyah's population has dwindled to only a handful of residents, the chapel functions as a mission for the wider West Texas ranching community, and sacramental life is celebrated by arrangement with the Pecos-area parishes.
- Established
- 1890
- Patron
- St. Emily (Emily — often identified with St. Emily de Vialar, foundress of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, though the parish register would confirm)
- Rector
- Rev. Jose De la Cruz Longoria, MNM (Marianist, pastor of Santa Rosa de Lima Parish which operates St. Emily Mission)
- Diocese
- Diocese of El Paso
Why belong here
St. Emily Mission exists to keep the Catholic faith alive in one of West Texas's most historic and most depopulated communities. For Catholics in Toyah and the surrounding ranch country of Reeves County, it offers a familiar local place to celebrate Mass, hold rosaries for the deceased (with burial at the Toyah Cemetery), and gather as a small but loyal community. It is sustained by the larger Santa Rosa de Lima Parish family in Pecos, which sends Marianist priests and deacons to serve its cluster of missions including Christ the King (Balmorhea), Our Lady of Refuge (Barstow), Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine (Saragosa), and St. Catherine (Pecos).
History of St. Emily Mission
Catholic worship in Toyah dates to 1890, when the railroad boom had turned the small town into one of the most important shipping points in Reeves County. GCatholic records the chapel's founding in 1890, with a later construction phase in 1946. The mission is today part of the Santa Rosa de Lima Parish family in Pecos, in the Vicariate of St. Luke (West Texas) of the Diocese of El Paso. The chapel still serves longtime Catholic families of the Toyah area, with funeral Masses and rosaries continuing to be held there as recorded in the Pecos Enterprise.
- Founded as a chapel in 1890 (GCatholic)
- Construction phase in 1946
- Now a mission of Santa Rosa de Lima Parish, Pecos
- Located in the Diocese of El Paso's Vicariate of St. Luke (West Texas)
Toyah: A Historic West Texas Railroad Town
St. Emily sits in a town that was once among the most important stops on the Texas & Pacific Railway. Founded in 1881, Toyah grew rapidly as a shipping point for area ranches and reached a peak population of 1,052 in 1910, with four churches, four stores, two banks, two hotels, and a drugstore. The loss of its railroad shipping business, followed by the Great Depression, brought steady decline: the bank closed in the late 1930s, the population fell to 409 by 1950, and most of its historic buildings are now abandoned. Despite its small permanent population, Toyah retains a post office and remains the oldest town in Reeves County.
- Founded 1881 with arrival of the Texas & Pacific Railway
- Peak population 1,052 in 1910, with four churches
- Bank closed late 1930s; population 409 by 1950
- Today a sparsely populated community widely described as a ghost town
Clergy and Pastoral Team
Because St. Emily is a mission rather than a parish, it does not have its own resident priest. Pastoral care is provided by the Marianist (Missionaries of the Society of Mary, MNM) team that serves Santa Rosa de Lima Parish in Pecos, along with two deacons. The team also serves St. Catherine (Pecos), Christ the King Mission (Balmorhea), Our Lady of Refuge Mission (Barstow), and Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine (Saragosa).
- Rev. Jose De la Cruz Longoria, MNM — Pastor (Marianist)
- Rev. Gabriel Terrones Marin, MNM — Parochial Vicar (Marianist)
- Deacon Oscar Machuca
- Deacon Rudy Villegas
Liturgy and Sacraments
St. Emily Mission does not publish a fixed public Mass schedule of its own; sacramental celebrations are arranged through Santa Rosa de Lima Parish in Pecos. The Pecos Enterprise records show that funeral Masses and rosaries for Toyah Catholic families continue to be celebrated at St. Emily's, with burial at the Toyah Cemetery.
- Masses and sacraments coordinated through Santa Rosa de Lima Parish, Pecos
- Funeral Masses celebrated as needed
- Rosary services traditionally held the evening before funeral Mass
- Burials at Toyah Cemetery
Visiting St. Emily
St. Emily Mission is on Grand Street in Toyah, Texas, in the heart of the old railroad town between Pecos and Balmorhea along Interstate 20. Visitors should contact Santa Rosa de Lima Parish in Pecos at (432) 445-2309 for current information on Masses, devotions, or sacramental needs.
- Address: Grand Street, Toyah, TX 79785
- Parish phone (via Santa Rosa de Lima): (432) 445-2309
- Diocese listing: elpasodiocese.org/parishes.html
- Located off Interstate 20 in Reeves County, West Texas