About San Martin de Porres · Sunland Park, New Mexico
San Martin de Porres is a Roman Catholic parish in Sunland Park, New Mexico, a small border city across from El Paso, Texas, and just north of the Mexican border at Anapra. A member of the Diocese of Las Cruces (Mesilla Valley Vicariate), the parish serves a predominantly Hispanic Catholic community with daily weekday Masses in Spanish, two Spanish Sunday Masses plus one English Mass, and a weekly Hora Santa (Holy Hour) of Eucharistic Adoration. The parish takes its name from Saint Martín de Porres, the 16th-century Peruvian Dominican lay brother who is the patron of social justice and racial harmony — a fitting patron for a binational border community.
- Established
- 1990
- Patron
- Saint Martín de Porres
- Rector
- Rev. Carlos Espinoza (per Diocese of Las Cruces vicariate listings); recent directories also list Father Guillermo Rivera, O.P. and Father Eleazar Perez-Rodriguez as pastors
- Diocese
- Diocese of Las Cruces (Mesilla Valley Vicariate)
Why belong here
San Martin de Porres is the spiritual home of a vibrant, predominantly Spanish-speaking Catholic community on the U.S.–Mexico border. Parishioners can attend daily Mass in Spanish Tuesday through Friday, choose from three Sunday Masses including one in English, take advantage of weekly Eucharistic Adoration (Holy Hour / Hora Santa) on Thursday evenings, and find confession every Friday afternoon or by appointment. A Director of Religious Formation (currently a religious sister) coordinates faith formation for children and families, reflecting the parish's deep commitment to forming the next generation in the Catholic faith.
Mass times at San Martin de Porres
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (or by appointment / o por cita)
Adoration times
- Thursday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM — Holy Hour / Hora Santa
About the Parish
San Martin de Porres is a Roman Catholic parish located on McNutt Road in Sunland Park, New Mexico, just outside El Paso, Texas and minutes from the U.S.–Mexico border. A member of the Diocese of Las Cruces, the parish ministers primarily to Spanish-speaking families in this binational community. It is named for Saint Martín de Porres, the 16th-century Peruvian Dominican lay brother and patron of social justice and racial harmony.
- Named for Saint Martín de Porres, patron of racial harmony and social justice
- Diocese of Las Cruces — Mesilla Valley Vicariate
- 1885 McNutt Rd., Sunland Park, NM 88063
- Phone: (575) 589-2106
History & Building
The present church building was designed by the architectural firm Wright & Dalbin and completed in 1990. It has served Sunland Park's border-region Catholic community in the decades since, offering a steady sacramental schedule centered on Spanish-language liturgy and traditional Catholic devotions. The parish is recognized on road-arch.com's catalog of New Mexico mid-century and modern religious architecture.
- Building completed in 1990
- Architect: Wright & Dalbin
- Located in Sunland Park, the southernmost city in New Mexico on the U.S.–Mexico border
Patron Saint — San Martín de Porres
Saint Martín de Porres (1579–1639) was born in Lima to a Spanish nobleman and a freed Panamanian woman of African descent. After becoming a Dominican lay brother, he founded an orphanage and foundling hospital, ministered to enslaved Africans, and was renowned for care of the sick and the poor. Canonized in 1962, he is the patron saint of social justice, public health workers, mixed-race people, barbers, and racial harmony. His feast day is November 3.
- Born 1579 in Lima, Peru; died November 3, 1639
- Dominican lay brother, canonized by Pope John XXIII in 1962
- Patron of social justice, racial harmony, mixed-race people, barbers, public health workers
- Feast day: November 3
Parish Staff
The parish is led by a Dominican or diocesan priest, assisted by deacons, a Director of Religious Formation (a religious sister), and office staff. The Diocese of Las Cruces' vicariate page currently lists Rev. Carlos Espinoza as the priest assigned to San Martin de Porres, Sunland Park.
- Pastor — Rev. Carlos Espinoza (Diocese listing) / earlier listings named Fr. Guillermo Rivera, O.P. and Fr. Eleazar Perez-Rodriguez
- Deacon Jesus H. Favela
- Deacon Roger Montes
- Director of Religious Formation — Sister Rocio Florez (earlier: Sister Socorro Arenas)
- Office Manager — Dolores Saldaña Caviness
- Bookkeeper — Angela Regalado
- Administrative Assistants — Jessica Salazar, Mayra Morales
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation for children and families is coordinated at the parish level by a Director of Religious Formation, currently a religious sister on staff. The role connects families to sacramental preparation and ongoing catechesis under the Diocese of Las Cruces.
- Director of Religious Formation on staff
- Programs operate through the parish office at 1885 McNutt Rd.
Diocese & Vicariate
San Martin de Porres is one of the parishes of the Diocese of Las Cruces and sits in its Mesilla Valley Vicariate, which the diocese describes as covering the southern tier of New Mexico from the Arizona state line to the Texas border. Its neighboring parishes in the same vicariate include St. Thomas More in Chaparral, St. Anthony in Anthony, San José in La Mesa, San Miguel Arcángel in San Miguel, and St. John Paul II in Santa Teresa.
- Diocese of Las Cruces
- Mesilla Valley Vicariate
- Diocesan parish-finder: https://rcdlc.org/parishfinder
Visiting Sunland Park
Sunland Park sits directly across from El Paso, Texas — just minutes from the Bridge of the Americas crossing — and the parish's location on McNutt Road makes it accessible from both sides of the Rio Grande. The city is known for Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino and for its proximity to the historic Mission Trail parishes of the El Paso–Juárez borderplex.
- Across the Rio Grande from El Paso and Juárez
- Minutes from the U.S.–Mexico border ports of entry
- Nearest parishes: San Judas Tadeo (1.7 mi), St. Matthew (2.0 mi), St. Luke (4.6 mi) — all in El Paso
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Guillermo Rivera, O.P.
Listed as pastor in earlier parish directories; member of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans).
- Father Eleazar Perez-Rodriguez
Listed as pastor in more recent parish directories.
- Rev. Carlos Espinoza
Listed as the priest assigned to San Martin de Porres, Sunland Park on the Diocese of Las Cruces' current vicariate page.