About Santa Monica · Santa Monica, Texas
St. Monica Mission (sometimes listed as Santa Monica Mission) is a small Catholic mission church in the rural community of Santa Monica, Willacy County, Texas. It is a mission of the Church of the Prince of Peace in Lyford, in the Diocese of Brownsville, and together with St. Martin de Tours in Sebastian forms part of Prince of Peace's tri-parish family. The mission serves the dispersed ranching community of Santa Monica — a census-designated place of fewer than 100 residents — offering weekend and weekday Mass, regular confession, and Eucharistic Adoration in both English and Spanish. Worship is supported by the pastoral team based at Prince of Peace in nearby Lyford.
- Patron
- St. Monica
- Rector
- Rev. Joshua A. Carlos
- Diocese
- Diocese of Brownsville
Why belong here
St. Monica Mission is the spiritual home for the small Catholic ranching community of Santa Monica and the surrounding Willacy County countryside. It offers two weekly Sunday/Saturday-connected Masses — Saturday at 4:30 PM and Wednesday at 4:00 PM, both in English — plus bilingual and Spanish Masses at the mother parish, Prince of Peace in Lyford. Regular confession times, Eucharistic Adoration, and a supportive pastoral team led by Fr. Joshua A. Carlos make it a welcoming place for traditional rural Catholic devotion.
Mass times at Santa Monica
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (at Prince of Peace)
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM (at Santa Monica)
- Sunday 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM (at St. Martin de Tours)
- Tuesday 6:30 PM at St. Martin de Tours after Mass during Holy Hour
- Wednesday 3:30 PM or 4:30 PM at Santa Monica (per the confession-times page)
- Thursday 6:30 PM at Prince of Peace after Mass during Holy Hour
Adoration times
- Tuesday 6:45 PM at St. Martin de Tours
- Thursday 6:30 PM at Prince of Peace
About St. Monica Mission
St. Monica Mission is a small Catholic mission church serving the rural community of Santa Monica in southeastern Willacy County, Texas. It is a mission of the Church of the Prince of Peace in Lyford, within the Diocese of Brownsville, and is part of a tri-parish community that includes St. Martin de Tours in Sebastian. The parish's website describes it as part of a family that will 'include more information in the future and more pictures of our mission churches.'
- Community: Santa Monica, Texas (CDP, Willacy County, pop. ~86)
- Diocese: Brownsville
- Mother parish: Church of the Prince of Peace, Lyford (founded 1967)
- Sister mission: St. Martin de Tours, Sebastian
Pastoral Team and Staff
The pastoral team for the parish family — including St. Monica Mission — is based at Prince of Peace in Lyford. The team is led by the pastor and supported by a parish secretary, a director of religious education, a bookkeeper, and a marketing & media coordinator.
- Rev. Joshua A. Carlos — Pastor
- 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])
Sacraments and Religious Education
St. Monica Mission shares its sacramental life with the parish family. Confession is offered weekly across all three sites, and Religious Education is coordinated by the Director of Religious Education at Prince of Peace. The parish encourages parishioners to take advantage of FORMED for daily readings, the liturgical calendar, and formation resources.
- Reconciliation (see confession schedule)
- Eucharist (weekday and weekend)
- Eucharistic Adoration (at sister churches)
- Religious Education / CCD through Prince of Peace
History of the Community of Santa Monica
The mission takes its name from the rural community it serves. According to the Texas State Historical Association, Santa Monica is on Farm Roads 1018 and 1420 in southeastern Willacy County; ranches in the area go back to the early 1800s. In 1925 Clarence Ayers, president of the American Life Insurance Company, supplied development capital and named the community after Santa Monica, California. By 1940 the settlement had two stores and forty inhabitants, growing to fifty by 1945 and to 78 by the 2000 census; the 2020 census recorded 86 residents.