During Holy Week, Fort Davis and nearby towns were filled with the energy and faith of Juventud y Familia Misionera (Youth & Family Missionaries), a dynamic Catholic missionary organization based in El Paso.
A group of 35 missionaries, made up of 12 families — children, teens, and adults — stayed for four nights and five days at the parish hall of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Leading them was Father Salvador Fernández, L.C., a charismatic priest from the Legionaries of Christ, a religious congregation known for missionary work.
Founded in Mexico in the late 1980s, Juventud y Familia Misionera has since expanded internationally, including a strong presence in West Texas. Ricardo and Armida Perez, local leaders for the Fort Davis mission, explained that for the past 15 years, the El Paso chapter has visited rural West Texas communities during Holy Week, with the full support of parish priests and Bishop Mark Seitz of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso.
Throughout the week, the missionaries visited homes, shared the Gospel, and helped bring the rich traditions of the Easter Triduum to life — from Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday.
Other teams spread across the region to towns like Saragosa-Balmorhea, Kermit, Monahans, Pecos, and Marathon. The mission culminated on Easter Sunday, when all groups gathered back in Fort Davis for a final Mass, attended by more than 325 people, celebrated by three priests — a joyful, vibrant finale to a week of faith, service, and community.
