About St. Michael · Los Ebanos, Texas
St. Michael the Archangel Church (San Miguel Arcángel) is a Catholic mission church in Los Ebanos, Texas, and the oldest of the four church communities that make up Saint Anne Catholic Community in Peñitas. The community sits literally next to the Rio Grande River — bordered by it on three sides — making it the southernmost worship site of the parish. It is administered as a mission of Saint Anne Parish under the Diocese of Brownsville, with Mass celebrated primarily in Spanish for a border community that has lived on this stretch of the river for generations.
- Patron
- Saint Michael the Archangel (San Miguel Arcángel)
- Rector
- Rev. Michael Montoya, MJ
- Diocese
- Diocese of Brownsville
Why belong here
St. Michael the Archangel is more than a Sunday Mass site — it is the spiritual home of a small, deeply faithful border community whose identity is shaped by the Rio Grande. Worship is celebrated in Spanish in a setting where families have worshipped for generations, and the annual blessing of the river on the Feast of Saint Michael (September 29) is one of the most distinctive parish traditions in the Diocese of Brownsville. Visitors are welcomed into a parish that Bishop Daniel E. Flores has called the poorest in the diocese, but whose people, in the words of their pastor, make clear that "the mercy of God knows no borders."
Mass times at St. Michael
Weekly Mass schedule
Saint Anne Catholic Community — A Quasi-Parish of Four Churches
On September 8, 2013, the Diocese of Brownsville established Saint Anne Catholic Community as a quasi-parish uniting four border church communities: Saint Anne in Pueblo de Palmas (Peñitas), Our Lady of Guadalupe in Sullivan City, San Juan Diego in Colonia El Flaco (Citrus City), and Saint Michael the Archangel in Los Ebanos. Rev. Michael Montoya, MJ — a priest of the Missionaries of Jesus — was named the founding pastor. The parish main office is located at Saint Anne Church, 17109 Coconut Palm Drive, Peñitas, TX 78576 (Tel: 956-583-9888).
- Saint Anne Church — Pueblo de Palmas, Peñitas (built 2009; parish seat and main office)
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Church — Sullivan City (formerly St. Williams Church; second pastoral office)
- San Juan Diego Church — Colonia El Flaco, Citrus City (corner of 7 Mile Road and Western)
- Saint Michael the Archangel Church — Los Ebanos (oldest of the four; southernmost site)
Saint Michael the Archangel Church — Los Ebanos
According to the parish's own website, Saint Michael the Archangel is "the oldest of the four churches" in Saint Anne Catholic Community. It is dedicated to the prince of all angels and is located in Los Ebanos, a small community that lives literally next to the Rio Grande River. It is the southernmost location of the parish, and the community borders the Rio Grande on three sides.
- Address: Casimiro Ortega St., Los Ebanos, TX 78565
- Patron: Saint Michael the Archangel
- Feast Day: September 29
- Bordered by the Rio Grande on three sides
- Oldest of the four Saint Anne parish churches
Feast of Saint Michael and the Blessing of the Rio Grande
Each September 29, the community of San Miguel Arcángel celebrates its patronal feast with a procession to the banks of the Rio Grande, where the river is blessed along with all the memories, joys, pains, and hopes associated with it. According to parish testimony, this tradition has become deeply rooted: the river is described by parishioners as "a symbol of hope, of connection, of life," even as the same river is associated in the wider world with violence and division. The feast typically draws about 150 people in procession — families carrying the image of Saint Michael, some in traditional Mexican attire, alongside priests in full vestments, altar servers, incense, and candles.
- Annual date: September 29
- Includes procession with image of Saint Michael the Archangel
- Ritual blessing of the Rio Grande
- Families gather in traditional Mexican attire
Life at the Border — Parish Testimony
Pastor Fr. Michael Montoya has publicly described the dual reality of parish life: an outwardly serene setting on the river that hides the daily experiences of fear, intimidation, and family separation faced by parishioners. He has recounted that during the 2017 Feast of Saint Michael procession, Border Patrol vehicles, a portable surveillance tower, a helicopter, and a blimp were visibly deployed around the gathering — and that despite this, the community chose to continue the ritual as planned. The parish's religious-education program includes children who cry because deported family members can no longer be with them.
- Some families hold Spanish-era land titles dating to Texas's mid-1800s annexation
- Parish phrase: 'We did not cross the border, the border crossed us'
- Parishioners and clergy have been stopped and detained after parish activities
- Parish churches have been broken into multiple times
Saint Anne Parish — Clergy and Leadership
Rev. Michael Montoya, MJ is the founding pastor of Saint Anne Catholic Community and currently serves as pastor of all four church communities, including Saint Michael the Archangel in Los Ebanos. He is a member of the Missionaries of Jesus (MJ), an international missionary religious institute founded in the Philippines on June 12, 2002, with missions in the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Guatemala, and the United States (Los Angeles and Brownsville, TX).
- Pastor: Rev. Michael Montoya, MJ (founding pastor, 2013–present)
- Parish office: [email protected]
- Parish office phone: (956) 583-9888
- Personal contact for Fr. Montoya: [email protected]
Missionaries of Jesus (MJ) — The Religious Institute
The Missionaries of Jesus is an international, multicultural religious missionary community founded in the Philippines on June 12, 2002. The institute's mission is 'to unveil the real face of Jesus hidden in our brothers and sisters,' with a particular focus on evangelization, formation of leaders, education of youth, and the socio-economic and health needs of the poor and indigenous. In the United States, the MJ community serves at a parish in Los Angeles and at Saint Anne Parish in Peñitas/Brownsville, TX — which Bishop Daniel E. Flores has called the poorest parish in the Diocese of Brownsville, and which the Missionaries describe as the poorest in the USA.
- Founded: June 12, 2002 in the Philippines
- Other mission sites: Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Guatemala, Los Angeles (USA)
- Weekly collection at Saint Anne Parish reported at approximately $400
Parish Outreach, Education, and Recognition
Beyond Sunday Mass, the Saint Anne community operates a religious education program serving children in the Peñitas and Los Ebanos area, and celebrates the liturgical year with Holy Week devotions including a Passion Play. In 2016, Saint Anne Parish and its missions received international attention when Pope Francis sent a personal video message to its youth for World Youth Day. Fr. Montoya told reporters: 'The pope is sending a message to us! I think that is proof enough, that the love of the church for our poor people is really palpable, it's real.' Bishop Flores has publicly recognized the parish's witness, calling it the poorest in the Diocese of Brownsville.
- Religious education / catechesis for children
- Holy Week and Passion Play traditions
- Received personal video message from Pope Francis in 2016 for World Youth Day
- Recognized publicly by Bishop Daniel E. Flores as a witness of faith on the border
Visit Saint Michael the Archangel — Los Ebanos
Saint Michael the Archangel is located at Casimiro Ortega Street (corner of Casimiro Ortega and René López) in Los Ebanos, Texas 78565, with phone (956) 585-5223. The community is reached via local roads off US-83 through Peñitas and Sullivan City. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 5:00 PM in Spanish. Visitors are warmly welcomed — particularly for the annual Feast of Saint Michael and Blessing of the Rio Grande on September 29, one of the most distinctive parish traditions along the U.S.–Mexico border.
- Sunday Mass: 5:00 PM (Spanish)
- Phone: (956) 585-5223
- Parish office: Saint Anne Catholic Community, 17109 Coconut Palm Drive, Peñitas, TX 78576 — (956) 583-9888
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Michael Montoya, MJ2013–present
Founding pastor of Saint Anne Catholic Community (2013); member of the Missionaries of Jesus, an international missionary institute founded in the Philippines in 2002.