About Santa Rosa De Lima · El Sauz, Texas
Santa Rosa de Lima is a small Roman Catholic mission church in the rural community of La Rosita (Rosita), in southern Starr County, Texas, about seven miles east of Roma along Old Highway 83. It belongs to the Diocese of Brownsville and is canonically administered as a mission of the Church of the Sacred Heart in Escobares. The mission serves a predominantly Spanish-speaking, farming community of descendants of early Spanish colonists from the lower Rio Grande Valley, offering Sunday and weekday Mass in both Spanish and English and serving as one of the local landmarks of La Rosita alongside its parish hall and the volunteer fire department.
- Patron
- Saint Rose of Lima (Santa Rosa de Lima)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Brownsville (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
Santa Rosa de Lima is a small, bilingual mission rooted in the farming and ranching families of La Rosita, where the church has served as a community landmark for generations. Worshippers gather for a Sunday bilingual Mass and a Spanish weekday evening Mass in a setting that reflects the Spanish-colonial heritage of the lower Rio Grande Valley. As a mission of the Church of the Sacred Heart in Escobares, it links local families to the wider diocesan sacramental life while preserving an intimate, neighborhood-scale Catholic community.
Mass times at Santa Rosa De Lima
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity and Location
Santa Rosa de Lima Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church serving the community of La Rosita (also spelled Rosita) in southern Starr County, Texas. It is administered as a mission of the Church of the Sacred Heart in nearby Escobares and falls under the Diocese of Brownsville. The mission sits on Old Highway 83 about seven miles east of Roma, within a rural, predominantly Hispanic farming community whose roots go back to the Spanish colonial settlements of the lower Rio Grande Valley.
- Canonical status: Mission (dependent on Church of the Sacred Heart, Escobares)
- Diocese: Brownsville
- Address: 4195 Old Hwy. 83, Rio Grande City, TX 78582
- Setting: 7 miles east of Roma, in La Rosita / Rosita
History of the La Rosita Community
The mission is intimately tied to the history of La Rosita. According to the Handbook of Texas / Texas Almanac, La Rosita began as a small community of descendants of early Spanish colonists, probably followers of José de Escandón. A 1936 county highway map shows farm units and a school at the townsite, and by 1933 La Rosita had an estimated 75 residents. Growth accelerated with the construction of the four-lane U.S. Highway 83, after which the community expanded westward toward Garceño. By 1991 the locally-estimated population was about 1,000 (though the Texas Almanac listed 220 that year), and the Santa Rosa de Lima Catholic Church was identified alongside a parish hall, a volunteer fire department, and a recreational-vehicle park as one of La Rosita's central institutions.
- Origins traced to descendants of Spanish colonists following José de Escandón
- Pop. ~75 in 1933; ~215 in 1971; locally estimated ~1,000 in 1991
- Santa Rosa de Lima identified as a community landmark by 1991
Patron Saint: Saint Rose of Lima
The mission takes its name from Saint Rose of Lima (Isabel Flores de Oliva, 1586–1617), a Dominican tertiary and the first person born in the Western Hemisphere to be canonized by the Catholic Church (canonized 1671 by Pope Clement X). She is the patroness of Latin America, Peru, the Philippines, the indigenous peoples of the Americas, gardeners, florists, and embroiderers. Her liturgical feast is celebrated on August 23 in the General Roman Calendar (formerly August 30 in some Latin American countries and in the pre-1970 calendar, since August 24 — the date of her death — is the feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle).
- Born 20 April 1586 in Lima; died 24 August 1617
- Canonized 12 April 1671 by Pope Clement X
- Patroness of Latin America, Peru, the Americas, gardeners, florists, embroiderers
- Liturgical feast day: 23 August
Contact and Visiting
Visitors and parishioners can reach the mission at the phone number listed by the Diocese of Brownsville and parish-directory sites. Because the mission does not maintain a dedicated parish website, the Diocese of Brownsville's Parish Finder page (cdob.org) is the primary online reference, and sacramental needs beyond the regular Mass schedule are typically coordinated with the parent parish, the Church of the Sacred Heart in Escobares.
- Phone: (956) 849-1741
- Diocesan listing: www.cdob.org (Parish Finder)
- Parent parish: Church of the Sacred Heart, Escobares
Community Life in La Rosita
La Rosita remains an unincorporated, census-designated place within Precinct 1 of Starr County. The 2020 U.S. Census recorded 100% of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino, with a high proportion of family households. The mission serves as one of the community's key gathering points and institutions, alongside the La Rosita Volunteer Fire Department and local schools serving the area.
- Unincorporated CDP in Starr County, Precinct 1
- Predominantly Hispanic/Latino population
- Local emergency services provided by the La Rosita Volunteer Fire Department