The worshipping community of Mission Santo Nino de Atocha in Tecolote may be small, but their faith is strong. Nestled in the midst of mesquite trees and brush land about 10 miles north of Alice on Highway 281, a committed group gathered Nov. 18 for a community milestone, the ground breaking of their new church, Today is truly a wonderful day, said Johnny Vela, one of the original members of the faith community who began meeting in homes and even an abandoned dance hall in the 1980s.
The grass roots desire to meet in their own community was originally helped along by now-retired Deacon Candido DeAnda, who served out of Orange Grove. Eventually the pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Alice was assigned pastoral leadership and acquired an old house which was moved to Tecolote, refurbished and dedicated as the Santo Nino de Atocha Mission in 1992.
Read more Dreams of new church in Tecolote becoming a reality
Photo by South Texas Catholic Paper
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