Fiesta de San Lorenzo, St. Anthony's Seminary among best kermeses in El Paso County

If you are from El Paso, you know summer is the season of the church kermes. It is often a key fundraiser for that particular neighborhood Catholic church and brings parishioners together.

Whether people are helping to make food for the food booths, collecting prize items for the Loteria game or planning to attend, the kermes is a fun time for young and old alike. Church kermeses, sometimes called bazaars, are typically from July through September.

Admission is always free. However, people must bring cash to purchase all the goodies and to pay for their kids' favorite games.

Here are our picks for some of the best kermeses in the El Paso area:

St. John Paul II Mini Kermes

St. John Paul II Catholic Church, 516 Gallagher St., is blessed to have a gordita stand run by a longtime Mexican restaurant family. Martin Rios, owner of Martita's Lunch Box, his mother, and his siblings are often in the kitchen making hundreds of gorditas during the Kermes.

The Mini-Kermes will be from 2 to 10 p.m. July 6 inside the Amistad Hall, which is good in light of El Paso's hot summer. The Kermes will have plenty of food and drinks, kids' games and music.

Fiesta de San Lorenzo in Clint

The Fiesta de San Lorenzo might be the biggest of all Catholic church fiestas in El Paso County. It is held during the weekend that celebrates the Feast Day of San Lorenzo in Clint.

This year, the fiesta will be Aug. 9-11 in the church grounds, 611 Avenida De San Lorenzo in Clint.

The fiesta is a big tradition for Clint families, who often return to the church to celebrate in Mass, the pilgrimage and then the festivities with traditional kermes foods, kids games and bands each night.

St. Anthony's Seminary

For many El Pasoans, St. Anthony's Seminary kermes is a fun way to celebrate Labor Day weekend. The seminary comes alive with festive booths with enchiladas, gorditas and other items.

Many families like to play Loteria to win ceramic figurines and other knickknacks. There are also plenty of fun things for the kids to do on the lovely seminary grounds.

The fiesta will be Aug. 31-Sept. 2 this year.

La Purisima fiesta in the Lower Valley

La Purisima, the Ysleta Mission, 328 S Nevarez Road, is one of the most beautiful churches to visit. It's small but offers a tranquil place of worship and meditation.

However, the community always puts on a great fiesta with matachines dancing in the fall. This year, the fiesta will be from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, Sept. 27, 2 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Sept. 28, 1 p.m. to midnight Sunday, Sept. 29.

When is my church kermes in El Paso 2024?

Here is the complete kermes schedule from the El Paso Catholic Diocese. It will be updated as needed.

• St. John Paul II – July 6
• St Ignatius of Loyola – July 26-28
• St. Paul the Apostle -July 27-28
• Little Flower – Aug. 2-4
• Our Lady of the Light – Aug. 2-4
• San Lorenzo – Aug. 9-11
• St. Mark - Aug. 30-31, Sept. 1.
• Immaculate Heart of Mary in Canutillo, Texas - Aug. 30-31, Sept. 1
• St. Anthony’s Seminary – Aug. 31, Sept. 1-2
• Holy Spirit in Horizon City - Sept. 6-8.
• San Juan Diego - Sept. 6-8.
• San Pedro Maldonado – Sept. 13-14
• Santa Rosa de Lima in Pecos, TX - Sept. 13-15
• St. Patrick Catholic Church in Canutillo, Texas - Sept. 14-15
• San Judas Tadeo – Sept. 21-22
• Corpus Christi – Sept. 20-22.
• Christ the Savior – Sept. 21-22
• Our Lady of Fatima in Van Horn, Texas - Sept. 21, 3 p.m. - midnight
• La Purisima – Sept. 27 (6 p.m.-12 a.m.), Sept. 28 (2 p.m.-12 a.m.), Sept. 29 (1 p.m.-12. a.m.)
• St. Raphael Church – Sept. 27 (6 p.m.-11 p.m.), Sept. 28 (12 p.m.-11 p.m.)
• Our Lady of Sorrows – Sept. 28-29
• Our Lady of the Valley - Oct. 4-5
• St. Pius X - Oct. 4-6
• Cathedral High School – Oct. 11-13
• San Antonio de Padua - Oct. 19 1 p.m.-11 p.m.

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María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com, @EPTMaria on Twitter; eptmariacg on TikTok .

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Fiesta de San Lorenzo, St. Anthony's Seminary among best kermeses in El Paso County