La Lomita Farms
Mission, Hidalgo County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1849 Catholic priests of the missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate began mission work in Texas under the direction of Bishop Jean Marie Odin. From Brownsville, they traveled throughout the lower Rio Grande Valley, ministering to the residents of the area. Through their work in Northern Mexico, they met a Frenchman named Rene Guyard. A Reynosa merchant and a Texas landowner, Guyard made this part of his Rancho La Lomita available for the establishment of a mission to serve his ranch workers. The first chapel was constructed here in 1865. The Oblates inherited La Lomita and the nearby Nogalito Ranch following Guyard's death in 1871. A third connecting tract was purchased later with the help of an overseer. The priests hoped to produce food for their needs and to provide a profit to fund further missionary work in the area. Although the mission was successful, the farming operation proved to be a financial burden on the Oblates. In 1909 they sold all but 400 acres to John J. Conway. A town he founded (5 mi. N) was later named Mission in honor of the pioneer La Lomita Chapel, the center of early area Catholic missionary work. This site was abandoned in 1911, but later restored. (1981)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1849 French priests of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate fanned out from Brownsville to minister across the lower Rio Grande Valley, and a Reynosa merchant named Rene Guyard gave them part of his Rancho La Lomita for a mission to serve his ranch hands. The first chapel rose here in 1865, and after Guyard's 1871 death the Oblates inherited the land, farming it to fund further missionary work. Though the farm proved a financial drain and most of it was sold in 1909, the little La Lomita Chapel gave its name to the nearby town of Mission.
Why it matters
La Lomita anchors the deep Catholic and Tejano roots of the Rio Grande borderlands, showing how a frontier mission could seed a whole modern Texas town.
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Related people
- · Rene Guyard
- · Bishop Jean Marie Odin
- · John J. Conway
Themes & tags
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