Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines

The Catholic Faith comes to the Mexican Border
by Louise Dubrule

Those of us who were born in the Northeastern part of the US or in Canada tend to believe that our ancestors brought the Catholic faith to North America. Movies have been made about the Jesuits in their black robes trying to convert the tribes of Iroquois or Algonquins. Truly, they were early missionaries in the New World, but they were not the first, nor the only ones.

In 1598, Don Juan de Onate made his way north from Mexico with a caravan of pilgrims. The line of march stretched some four miles and included about 700 men, 130 of whom were with their wives and children, 83 wagons of all sorts, and about 7000 head of livestock of various kinds. There were also 800 to 1000 Indians from the interior of Mexico; some were servants, but others were warrior-allies. In April of that year, they crossed the Rio Grande River at the site of present-day El Paso, Texas. The Franciscan priests that accompanied the expedition were happy to hold a thanksgiving ceremony, an event that is remembered with a celebration every year in San Elizario, just down the road from El Paso. They are proud to tell you that this was 23 years before the Thanksgiving in Plymouth.

Onate was the first of many other colonists who made their way into the territory that would become New Mexico and Texas. Spanish Franciscan friars ministered to the spiritual needs of these settlers and attempted to convert the Native peoples where possible. They built strings of missions, sometimes in conjunction with fortifications against hostiles.

The El Paso area has three such churches along a nine-mile stretch of highway called The Mission Trail. The Isleta Mission was originally constructed near Albuquerque, N.M., in 1613, but in 1680 there was a revolt against the Spanish rule by the Pueblo Indians.

The Tigua Indians, along with the Spaniards, packed up and moved to what is now El Paso and in 1690 they established a new mission called Nuestra Senora del Carmen , more commonly known as Mission Ysleta The thick-walled adobe church, rebuilt several times because of flooding or fire, has become the focal point for the only recognized Indian reservation within city limits in the United States. Another mission in the group is the Socorro Mission. It, too, had its beginnings in New Mexico when the Piro Indians fled after the Pueblo revolt. They arrived in the El Paso valley and started a new building in 1682. San Elizario is the third and largest of the early adobe churches, and this was established in 1789 as part of the garrison that protected the settlements along the Camino Real (King’s Highway), forged by Onate and his compatriots.

San Antonio is famous for the Alamo, which was just part of the Mission San Antonio de Valero. It is now a shrine to the heroes of the war of independence. The city is also fortunate to have its own Mission Trail, with four lovely churches along a 9 mile route. As is the case with the El Paso churches, these are all still active parishes and bear witness to history of the area. The oldest unrestored stone church in the United States, Mission Concepcion was started in 1735. The largest of the San Antonio Missions is Mission San Jose, and it is graced with a Rose Window. This complex also includes a granary, a gristmill that is operational, and living quarters that once held some 350 Indians. The last two are more remote and less splendid: Mission San Juan Capistrano and Mission Espada.

New Mexico was the scene of early Catholic colonization. Besides the early missions that were involved in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the parish of San Felipe de Niri in Albuquerque was established in 1704. It is now the centerpiece of the section of the city called Old Town, and the Sunday Masses are in English and Spanish with singing in both languages. During festivals, it is standing room only.

The city of Santa Fe (Holy Faith) was established in 1610 by Spanish explorers and settlers, and the city boasts many early chapels and missions. The Loretto Chapel is famous for something other than its age. It was built in 1853 by the Sisters of Loretto, and when the church was finished it was discovered that there was no way for anyone to get to the choir loft…and no place for a staircase. After the nuns prayed a novena for guidance, a carpenter arrived and went to work building a spectacular winding staircase that makes two complete 360 degree turns. He left quietly without collecting his pay, and legend has it that the man was St. Joseph himself. Today’s carpenters are left wondering how the work was done without nails.
The story has been told in TV movies and can also be read at

http://www.lorettochapel.com/staircase.htmlwhere you will find several photos.

I grew up in Vermont on the Canadian border where the Catholic Church was the center of our lives. When we came to this part of the country, it was comforting to see the familiar spires and stained glass. El Paso is over 85% Hispanic, and thanks to the early colonists from Spain, the Catholic Church is alive and well on the Mexican border. Next time we’ll discover how the Spanish influence has altered some of our familiar practices and even added new ones.

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