Retired Msgr. Arturo J. Bañuelas, former pastor of St. Mark Catholic church, has earned the Catholic Extension Society’s prestigious Lumen Christi Award for 2026.
The Lumen Christi Award is the organization's highest honor given to those who radiate and reveal the light of Christ present in the communities they serve.
Bañuelas, who served for 46 years in the Catholic Diocese of El Paso, beat seven other finalists for the award.
Rev. Jack Wall, president of Catholic Extension Society, said Bañuelos and other finalists did extraordinary things in the name of their faith and on behalf of the Catholic Church.
“Their stories are a reminder to us of the hope and transformation the Church brings into communities throughout America every day,” Wall said.
Bañuelas most recently served as pastor of St. Mark Parish from 2015 until he retired in July 2022. His main service as pastor was at St. Pius X parish from 1988 to 2014. The church was singled out as one of the most outstanding Hispanic parishes in America in the book "Excellent Catholic Parishes," published in 2001.
Among his biggest accomplishments was being the founding director of Tepeyac Institute, a diocesan ministry formation center and one of the largest laity training facilities in the nation.
In a Catholic Extension Society article, he wrote that he was inspired to start Tepeyac while on a retreat in Mexico City. He was inside the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, praying his rosary.
"Then, all of a sudden, an illumination happened," he said in the article. "I got a sense of energy and creativity, and I started writing. It was like a vision that the Blessed Mother had, that this was the age of the laity and people needed to take their rightful role in the life of the Church.
"So, I was writing the mission, the goals, the program and the structure that is still being used today about how to start an institute to train laypeople to take their rightful role in the life of the Church. I almost felt like the Blessed Mother was telling me what to write.
"As is tradition, I wanted to climb the hill where the last apparition happened. Meanwhile, I was thinking, when I told the Blessed Mother goodbye, I said, 'I'm going to name it after you.' As I was walking up the hill, there was a sign there with an arrow, and it said Tepeyac. I said, 'Even the name, the Blessed Mother has given me.' So I went up the hill, and there was an image of Juan Diego holding the tilma. I thought, 'That's the logo.'”
In 2015, he established the Hope Border Institute-Instituto Fronterizo Esperanza, which focuses on justice issues in the three border dioceses of El Paso, Las Cruces, and Juárez.
Bañuelas will receive $15,000 to support and enhance his ministry. He will also be given a $100,000 award, split between himself and the Catholic Diocese of El Paso.
María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @eptmaria.bsky.social on Bluesky, and @eptmariacg on TikTok.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso Msgr. Arturo Bañuelas earns Catholic Extension’s highest honor
