Arturo Bañuelas receives Lumen Christi Award for lay leadership

Monsignor Arturo Bañuelas, a priest of the Diocese of El Paso, Texas, has been named the recipient of the Catholic Extension Society’s 2026–2027 Lumen Christi Award. This distinction is the highest honor bestowed by the Chicago-based nonprofit organization.

Bañuelas is recognized for his 50 years of ministry and his work in empowering laypeople to take active roles within the Church. He founded the Tepeyac Institute, a lay ministry formation center that has trained approximately 80,000 leaders across the El Paso Diocese.

The award ceremony is scheduled for November 3 at St. Mark’s Church in El Paso. Bañuelas, who was born in Pecos, Texas, previously served indigenous Otomi communities in central Mexico, an experience that shaped his vocation to serve the poor.