Father Luis Prado celebrates Mass at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
While the Argentine national team is in Dallas to play World Cup matches, an Argentine priest at a local parish has extended an unusual invitation to them: Attend Mass and receive the sacraments here in the city.
Father Luis Prado, priest of St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church in the Casa Linda neighborhood of Dallas, was born in Mendoza, Argentina, and arrived in Dallas in 2020 as part of his missionary work.
The invitation to the Argentine team came after the Diocese of Dallas encouraged parishes to welcome the thousands of visitors who have come to the city to experience the World Cup, but Prado wanted to extend the invitation also to the players.
Article continues below this ad
“I invited them, but it’s not like they’re actually going to be here,” Prado said with a laugh. “Everyone was asking which Mass Messi and the national team would attend. If that had been the case, the church would have been packed.”
A parishioner receives communion from Father Luis Prado (center) as altar boy Steven Melgar, 8, looks on at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
The Argentine national team has been in Dallas since Sunday. On Monday, June 22, they played Austria and won; and this Saturday, June 27, they will play Jordan at Dallas Stadium.
Prado, 34, recorded a video wearing the Argentine blue-and-white jersey under his cassock and kicking a ball to invite fans and players to visit the parish, where there is an image of Our Lady of Lujan, one of the most beloved religious figures in Argentina. The video was a hit on social media. And although Prado admits he’d love to meet the Argentine captain, he insists that his main interest isn’t sports-related.
Article continues below this ad
“I want to meet him because he’s a star and the greatest player of all time, but my dream would be to help Messi or any player receive the sacraments while they are here,” Prado said to The News. “If they are good examples in matters of faith as well, imagine how many more people can find that peace by following their example.”
Prado’s life has been shaped by faith since childhood. He is the eighth of 15 children, four of whom are priests and two of whom are nuns.
Today, those family members are scattered around the world. A brother who is a priest and a sister who is a nun serve as missionaries in Papua New Guinea. Another brother is in Egypt, one more is in Argentina, and another sister, who is a nun, is in Ecuador.
Father Luis Prado celebrates Mass at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
Before arriving in Texas, Prado spent five years in Spain and was then sent to Maryland. The plan was for him to be sent to Papua New Guinea, too, but changes in the Catholic Church’s plans brought him to Dallas in March 2020, just before everything shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article continues below this ad
He devoted the early part of his ministry in Dallas to visiting hospitals and providing spiritual care to the sick and their families.
“I would go to the hospital up to three times a day. Miraculously, I never contracted COVID,” he recalled.
When things returned to normal, he focused much of his work on young people and altar servers, in addition to promoting the church’s presence on social media and WhatsApp groups.
A soccer fan since childhood and a passionate supporter of River Plate, Prado said the sport continues to be a tool for connecting with people, and that the World Cup should serve not only as a source of fun, but also to strengthen the community.