La Lomita Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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La Lomita Chapel
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La Lomita Chapel in 2014
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 La Lomita Chapel
Location in Texas
La Lomita Chapel
Location in the United States
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| Location | 3 miles south of Expressway 83 on FM 1016, Mission, TX 78572 |
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| Built | 1865, 1899 |
| NRHP reference No. | 75002165 |
La Lomita Chapel is an old and important Catholic church in Mission, Texas. For many years, it was a key place for a group of priests called the Cavalry of Christ. These priests rode horses for long distances to help Catholic families living on lonely ranches near the Rio Grande river.
In 2018, the chapel became part of a big disagreement between the U.S. government and the Catholic Church. The government wanted to take the chapel's land to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. But in 2019, the plan to take the land was stopped by a decision made by Congress.
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What is La Lomita Chapel?
La Lomita Chapel is a small, historic church. It is made of white adobe, which is a type of sun-dried brick. The chapel is located very close to the Rio Grande river.
History of La Lomita Chapel
The land where the chapel stands was first called La Lomita, meaning "the hillock" or "little hill." A rancher named José Antonio Cantu was given this land by Spain in 1770.
In 1851, a French merchant named René Guyard bought the land. He was a very religious Catholic. Guyard built the first chapel in 1865. In 1871, he gave the chapel to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
The chapel was located between other important missions in Brownsville and Roma. This made La Lomita a vital stop for the Cavalry of Christ. These traveling priests often rested there. The chapel served about 65 ranches in the area.
Over time, the area around the chapel grew into a small village. The Oblate Fathers built more buildings. These included a rectory (where priests live), a guest house, a blacksmith shop, and places for workers. This area is now known as the La Lomita Historic District.
After a flood in 1899, the chapel was rebuilt. Stones from the nearby hills were used for the new building. When the city of Mission, Texas, was started in 1908, it was named in honor of La Lomita Chapel.
The chapel was recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1964. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. In 2010, experts worked to restore the building. This restoration project even won an award.
Some experts believe that a French-American priest and architect named Pierre Yves Kéralum designed La Lomita chapel. He was known for designing similar small buildings in the region. Today, La Lomita is seen as a humble but important place. It reminds people of its big role in the area's history.
Disagreement over the Border Wall
In October 2018, the United States Border Patrol started a legal case. They wanted to take the land around the chapel. They planned to survey the land to build a border fence.
The local pastor, Roy Snipes, and his bishop, Daniel E. Flores, were against this plan. The Brownsville diocese (the church's local leaders) tried to stop it in court. In December 2018, a group from Georgetown University Law Center supported the diocese.
The planned wall would have cut off access to the chapel. It would have put the chapel on the Mexican side of the fence. Bishop Flores said that the whole border wall project goes against Catholic beliefs. He felt it was against the idea of all people being connected.
Many local people showed their support for La Lomita. On Palm Sunday, April 14, 2019, over a thousand church members marched from another church to the chapel. Pastor Roy Snipes was even nominated for an award for his work.
Snipes faced criticism for opposing the wall. A group called "We Build the Wall" (which was trying to build parts of the border wall with private money) spoke out against him. They also criticized the National Butterfly Center, another place in Texas that opposed the wall.
In February 2019, a judge said the church must allow surveyors onto the land. The diocese planned to use a law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This law stops the government from making it very hard for people to practice their religion. Lawyers argued that blocking access to the chapel would be a big problem for religious freedom.
Later in February 2019, Congress changed a spending bill. They added rules that stopped new money from being used to build border barriers at La Lomita. This also protected other places like the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge and the National Butterfly Center.
However, then-President Trump declared a National Emergency Concerning the Southern Border of the United States. His lawyers said that the new rules from Congress did not apply. This left the chapel's future uncertain. In May 2019, a judge temporarily stopped the government from using money not approved by Congress for the wall. But another judge later allowed some spending to continue.
Even though the budget deal eventually protected the chapel from a physical wall, in May 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security talked about using "virtual wall" technology in the area. This technology would still need the chapel's permission to put any equipment on its land.
See also
