About St. Agnes · Mirando City, Texas
St. Agnes Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church serving the rural community of Mirando City, a census-designated place in Webb County, Texas, about 30 miles east of Laredo. As a mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Hebbronville, St. Agnes is staffed and shepherded by Franciscan friars (OFM) of the Saints Francis and James Province, a Catholic presence that has served Mirando City and the surrounding South Texas ranch country since the Franciscans arrived in Hebbronville in 1926. The mission celebrates a bilingual Sunday Mass and serves as an important spiritual hub for the predominantly Hispanic ranching community of the area.
- Established
- 1926 (as one of the missions assigned to the Franciscans upon their arrival in Hebbronville; precise dedication date of the Mirando City chapel not published)
- Patron
- St. Agnes
- Rector
- Fr. Juan Jose Ibarra, OFM
- Diocese
- Diocese of Laredo
Why belong here
St. Agnes Mission offers the small but faith-filled ranching community of Mirando City a regular Sunday Eucharist in both English and Spanish, the sacrament of Reconciliation before and after every Mass, and a Wednesday evening prayer gathering in the parish hall where parishioners come together to pray for their families and neighbors. Under the pastoral care of Franciscan friars linked to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Hebbronville, the mission combines the warmth of a small rural community with the spiritual depth of a centuries-old religious order.
Mass times at St. Agnes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before and after Sunday Mass
St. Agnes Mission at a Glance
St. Agnes Mission is a Franciscan Catholic mission church in the small Webb County community of Mirando City, Texas. It belongs to the Diocese of Laredo and operates as a mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Hebbronville. Its mailing and physical address is 324 Linder St., Mirando City, TX 78369, and it is reached by phone at (361) 527-3865 or by email at [email protected].
- Type: Mission (not a parish in its own right)
- Mother Parish: Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Hebbronville
- Diocese: Diocese of Laredo
- Bishop: Bishop James A. Tamayo, D.D.
History of the Franciscan Presence
Catholic life in Mirando City is inseparable from the Franciscan history of Hebbronville. In August 1926, fleeing religious persecution in Mexico, Franciscan friars led by Fr. Bernardino Madueño arrived in Hebbronville at the invitation of Bishop Emmanuel B. Ledvina of the Diocese of Corpus Christi. On November 1, 1926, the bishop signed the contract formally entrusting the Hebbronville parish and a wide network of rural missions — including Mirando City — to the friars. In 2000, when the Diocese of Laredo was erected and Msgr. James A. Tamayo became its first bishop, the territory was redrawn. The only missions remaining under Franciscan care in the new diocese were Bruni, Oilton, and Mirando City. St. Agnes Mission therefore continues a nearly century-old Franciscan pastoral tradition in this part of South Texas.
- 1926 — Franciscan friars arrive in Hebbronville and are entrusted with Mirando City and other missions.
- 2000 — Diocese of Laredo is created; Mirando City is one of three remaining Franciscan missions.
- Today — served by the pastor and parochial vicar assigned from Our Lady of Guadalupe, Hebbronville.
Clergy
The mission is shepherded by two Franciscan priests who are based out of the mother parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Hebbronville.
- Pastor: Fr. Juan Jose Ibarra, OFM
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Pablo Cesar Cisneros, OFM
Parish Office & Administration
Because St. Agnes is a mission rather than an independent parish, day-to-day parish business is administered from the Mother Parish office in Hebbronville. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 504 E. Santa Clara St., Hebbronville, TX.
- Office: Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 504 E. Santa Clara St., Hebbronville, TX
- Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
- Phone: (361) 527-3865
- Email: [email protected]
Visit & Location
The mission is located at 324 Linder St. in the small ranching community of Mirando City, approximately 30 miles east of Laredo in Webb County. Visitors are warmly welcomed at Sunday Mass and at the Wednesday evening prayer gathering in the parish hall.
- Address: 324 Linder St., Mirando City, TX 78369
- Webb County, South Texas ranch country
- Approx. 30 miles east of Laredo
Sources & Further Information
Because the mission itself maintains only a minimal online presence, the most reliable information comes from the Diocese of Laredo parish directory page and the mother parish website at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Hebbronville, which lists the mission's Mass schedule, clergy, and contact details.
- Diocese of Laredo parish directory page for St. Agnes Mission
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Hebbronville (mother parish website)
- GCatholic.org entry (ID 34201)