MISSION ON A HILL

The tiny La Lomita Chapel, named for the hillock it was built upon, originally served as home base to the Oblate missionaries who rode horseback throughout the Rio Grande Valley in the mid-1800s. The missionaries, known as the "Cavalry of Christ," delivered religious services to the Valley residents who were spread far and wide during a period when travel to the nearest settlement meant days by horseback or wagon. La Lomita's Rio Grande River valley location made it vulnerable to floods resulting in its first incarnation washing away in 1865. Rebuilt in 1899 using stones carved from the surrounding hill, the chapel resumed serving area parishioners. It was replaced once again in the 1920s and underwent repairs and restoration in 1937. Today, the chapel stands as a religious shrine and reminder of the region's past. Located in Mission, the South Texas town named after the chapel's vocation, La Lomita and the surrounding park-like grounds offer an ideal, shaded respite along the Texas Tropical Trail.