New Mexico Catholic Pilgrimage

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Schola Cantorum of Santa Fe

. The Schola Cantorum of Santa Fe, a capella sacred - music ensemble group, sang both Vespers and the Mass in Gregorian Chant on a recent Sunday evening at San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe. For more than 20 years the Schola Cantorum has been sharing the sounds of sacred music masterpieces in the chapels, missions, cathedrals and basilicas of New Mexico and Colorado. The Schola Cantorum was founded by Dr. Billy Turney in 1990. Dr. Turney was the principal organist and music director of the Saint Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe from 1990 to 2005. Turney studied Gregorian chant and polyphonic music of the Renaissance in Rome at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music and has the unique perspective of presenting sacred music pieces in their original context. In addition to singing the ordinaries of the Mass at San Miguel Mission, the ensemble sang Salve Regina at the offertory and Pange Lingua at communion.

Listening to Schola Cantorum reminded me that Gregorian chant has no accompaniment, no instrumentals; it is plainchant performed by a single voice or many voices. The rhythm is very free and there is much room for pitch improvisation. The language is Latin except for the Kyrie sung in ancient Greek. The Schola Cantorum exuded a secure and confident love of Gregorian chant. There was nothing either self conscious, packaged or artificial about their performance. Their Gregorian chants were not of the commercial cross-over kind recently popular. Instead they sang true to the liturgy. Their sound was simply put - sacred. As Schola Cantorum sang their Gregorian chants, I was moved to devotion and prayer to our Lord, Jesus Christ. I would encourage all Christian pilgrims to the Southwest to seek out a concert by Schola Cantorum of Santa Fe, particularly their Gregorian Chant Mass.

For Schola Cantorum of Santa Fe's schedule of events, click on

Schola Cantorum of Santa Fe, New Mexico - Sacred Music of the ...

schola-sf.org/‎

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Latin Mass

When I attended the 2 P.M. Mass on a recent Sunday at San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe, I thought that I had traveled back in time to an earlier decade before 1962 when the Mass was almost universally celebrated in Latin. To my surprise the Mass at San Miguel was in Latin with the priest facing the tabernacle and not the congregation. Although I had trained as an altar server for the Latin Mass in the early sixties and had studied Latin for 4 years in the mid sixties at Bellarmine, a Jesuit high school in Tacoma, my Latin these days is very rusty so I had difficult keeping pace with the liturgy. Certain Latin phrases such as "et cum spiritu tu o" are easy to remember and the" Agnus Dei" is often cited in mixed English- Latin Masses. For other responses and prayers I needed to use the Latin- English Missal Guide in the pews. What struck me most about the rendition of the Latin Mass was the seemingly large number of blessings and genuflections performed by the priest. Also those receiving communion knelt at the altar rail and took Communion on their tongues - just as practiced when I was an altar server. I remember holding the patent to prevent the Eucharist from dropping on the rail or the floor. The women in attendance at San Miguel Mission all wore scarves or hats and some wore veils. The congregation was also older than at the English Mass I attended at San Miguel Mission although there were a number of college age students. My general impression of my first all Latin Mass in 50 years was favorable. The Latin liturgy is beautiful to hear as Latin is a very vowel heavy language, albeit different than the melodious vowel tones of a Hawaiian Mass I once heard. Spoken Latin sounds like a sacred language so I would imagine that a Latin Mass would be especially appropriate for a wedding or an ordination to invoke the sanctity of those events. I also found San Miguel Mission, an ancient church, ideal for this liturgy. Again I will admit that despite my Latin background I couldn't always keep up with either the prayers or the responses but I presume that regular attendees at the Latin Mass become very familiar with the Latin phrases and their translations. Also it was difficult to see exactly what the priest was doing with his back to us. I wondered whether the Latin Mass couldn't be celebrated with the priest facing the congregation.
Upon returning home that evening I was curious - why had the Latin Mass all but vanished in the sixties and was it making a comeback? The Latin Mass has also been known as the Tridentine Mass, which is the form of the Roman Rite Mass, contained in the typical edition of the Roman Missal that was published from 1570 to 1962, promulgated originally at the Council of Trent. In 1962 permissions were granted from Pope Paul VI to celebrate the Mass in vernacular languages. Subsequent liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council from 1962-66 encouraged a wider participation of the laity in the liturgy of the Mass. The priest was to face his congregation to make the Mass more relevant and to encourage the laity to join in prayers and liturgical responses. The Roman Missal was translated into modern languages also to enhance understanding of the liturgy. In 1969 the Mass of Pope Paul VI was introduced and officially replaced the Tridentine Mass. It was to be celebrated in the popular languages of the congregations. I will mention that neither the Second Vatican Council nor the subsequent revisions of the Roman Missal abolished Latin as the liturgical language of the Roman Rite. Indeed the official text of the Roman Missal continues to be in Latin. After 1969 permission to celebrate the Tridentine Latin Mass had to be granted by the local ordinate and was reserved for unique liturgical occasions. As an older generation of priests versed in the Latin Mass retired, they were replaced by a younger generation of priests without any training in the Latin Mass. In some respects the Latin Mass went away with the attrition of the previous generation of priests. Also the fervor from the Vatican Council for the modern Mass of Paul VI led to the restrictions placed on the classic Tridentine Latin Mass. The 'times were also changing' in the Catholic Church in the sixties.
Yet the Latin Tridentine Mass still had its advocates. Traditionalist Catholics, who rejected some of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, such as the move away from the Latin Mass, either broke from the Catholic Church altogether or sought relief from their Bishops for the celebration of Latin Masses. Those who separated from the Vicar in Rome, such as Archbishop Marcel Lefebrve of France, were excommunicated. Those who remained within the Catholic Church and who attended approved Latin Masses continued to petition the Vatican for a relaxation of the restrictions placed on celebrating the Latin Mass. In 2007, Pope Benedict issued an Apostolic Letter "Summorum Pontificum" liberalizing the approval for celebration of the Latin Mass. He encouraged Bishops to make the Latin Mass more available upon requests by the faithful. Indeed the Latin Mass at San Miguel Mission was officially approved by Archbishop Michael Sheehan in 2008 in response to a petition from some of the faithful in Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Espanola. I was informed that attendance at the Latin Mass at San Miguel has steadily increased since its inception.
I encourage Catholic Pilgrims to attend a Latin Mass. The Latin Mass isn't meant to replace the Mass of Paul VI, yet it has its own unique beauty and sacredness. It is the Mass our parents and grandparents celebrated. The Catholic Mass in New Mexico, whether celebrated in English, Spanish or Latin has always been a summons for us to encounter Christ and to become the holy people of God.

To read Pope Benedict's "Summorum Pontificum" click on

Summorum Pontificum

www.vatican.va/.../hf_ben-xvi_let_20070707_lettera-vescovi_en.html‎

Friday, August 2, 2013

San Miguel Mission - Santa Fe

Last Sunday I visited the oldest church in North America, San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe, which was originally built in 1610 by the Tlaxcalan Indians from Mexico under the supervision of Fray Alonso de Benavidez, OFM. The church predates the Puritan settlement at Jamestown and the Spanish settlement at St. Augustine, Florida. Indeed it has been center stage in the early history of Santa Fe and the New Mexico territory. It is said that the Pueblo Indian rebellion of 1680 began with the burning of San Miguel Church. Eighty Tlaxcalan Indians, Spanish settlers and missionaries died within the Church when the roof was set afire by Pueblos, leading to its collapse. After defeating the Pueblo tribes and resettling Santa Fe in 1691, the Spanish Conquistador General Diego de Vargas had a new roof constructed and the thick adobe walls redone by 1710. Subsequently a three tiered bell tower was constructed in 1830. In 1858 Bishop Lamy purchased the Mission San Miguel from local residents and converted the meeting rooms into the first school of the New Mexico territory, taught by Christian brothers. In 1862 the Christian brothers covered the dirt floor with wooden planks, built an altar rail in front of the sanctuary and enlarged the entrance door to the chapel. In 1872 a 4.5 earthquake took down the three tiered church tower and the San Jose bell. The church was closed as the Christian brothers lacked funds for repairs and even considered demolishing the 250 year old structure but Santa Fe residents came to the rescue, raising the necessary revenues to restore their beloved historical Mission. In 1875 stone buttresses were built on the front of the chapel to shore it up, both the exterior and the interior were plastered, a tar and gavel roof replaced the old mud one, and finally a new and smaller bell tower was built. The remodeled bell tower still stands but the bell is no longer in the tower. Owing to its weight it was brought down to help preserve the tower. The San Jose bronze bell which was cast in Spain in 1350, now rests in the vestibule of the Mission.

The interior of the chapel is long and narrow consistent with Spanish Southwestern colonial mission architecture. The ceiling is supported by 20 hand carved wood vigas. A large wooden beam holds up the front of the choir loft in the back of the church. On it, carefully inscribed in Spanish, was written, " The Marquis of Penueala. The building was erected by the Royal Ensign Don Augustus Flores Vergara, his servant, in 1710." Several religious paintings grace the walls. In the left rear of the chapel is an early reproduction of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Facing the altar, the painting on the left on buffalo hide is of Christ on the Cross, the painting on the right on deer skin is of Saint John the Baptist. These were painted by he Franciscan friars around 1630 and were used as teaching aids in their work of converting the Indians. Directly to the left of the altar is a painting of the Annunciation, believed to be the work of a disciple of the Spanish painter Murillo. To the right of the altar is an encased Penitente carving of the crucifixion from the early 1700's. The oldest reredos in New Mexico hangs as the backdrop to the altar. This wooden structure which was hand carved and painted in 1798 contains a statue of San Miguel, the patron of the Mission Church. This statue was carved in old Mexico in the 1600's and was brought by the Franciscan missionaries to Santa Fe. Above the statue of San Miguel is a painting of Christ the Nazarene. The 4 oval paintings on the reredos date back over three hundred years. The oval painting at the top to your left is St. Theresa of Avila. Below it is Saint Francis of Assisi. To the right is Saint Gertrude of Germany, and below is Saint Louis IX, king of France.

In 1955 the Christian brothers commissioned an archaeological study of the ancient chapel. The investigation revealed the original sanctuary dirt floor and altar steps as well as the adobe walls burned during the Pueblo rebellion. The dig also uncovered 300 human remains, most believed to be the devout Tlaxcalan Indians, buried beneath the sanctuary floor. The Franciscans, in those ancient days, often made arrangements for the dead to be interred, if possible, under the altar of their Catholic Church in the hope of being remembered in the prayers of the faithful who attended Mass there. On the Sunday I participated in Mass at San Miguel Mission, the history of this Mission church reminded me of the early Christians who settled in New Mexico, their diversity reflected in our contemporary Southwestern Christian population, their perseverance and sacrifice a testimonial to the staying power of their faith, passed on to us. I encourage all Christian pilgrims to visit San Miguel Mission and to remember in their prayers those who first brought the Christian faith to New Mexico.

For more history of San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe click on

SAN MIGUEL MISSION - Rozylowicz

www.rozylowicz.com/pdf-files/mission.pdf‎

Friday, May 31, 2013

9/11 Memorial at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Barelas

I recently attended the funeral mass for Father Jim Moore at Sacred Heart Church in the Barelas neighborhood, just south of downtown Albuquerque. I knew Father Moore when he was an associate of the Blessed Sacrament clergy at St. Charles Borromeo parish and would celebrate the 7 A.M. early Mass. During his previous tenure as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish from 1996 to 2006 , Father Jim was a witness to the transformation of the Barelas neighborhood from drugs, gangs and graffiti to art murals and newly painted homes. As part of that transformation Father Moore and his parishioners established a 9/11 Memorial in Sacred Heart Church. Steel girders, each 30 feet in length, were brought from the ruins of the World Trade Centers in New York to the Sacred Heart Church in Barelas in 2003. The parish raised $250,000 to build a towered belfry to house the beams. That belfry today stands atop the Church like a sentinel. The beams were blessed by Father Moore before they were trucked from New York City and again by Archbishop Michael Sheehan upon their arrival at Sacred Heart Church. In the belfry these sacred steel shards have been placed against each other to resemble a cross. Also on display is a wall of engraved granite listing the names of all those who were murdered on 9/11. There is a copper-plated book with names and biographical entrees for each of the deceased. There is a New York State flag, a t-shirt signed by 9/11 rescue workers, a New York City firefighter's helmet and police hats. On the wall facing the steel beams is a religious icon - it depicts the Madonna with her arms encircling the tall World Trade Center towers as twin engine jetliners circle overhead. Next to this icon stands a shrine statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe with an adjacent kneeler for prayers. With arms out she seems to be calling visitors to prayer.
The 9/11 Memorial at Sacred Heart Church in Barelas is both a National and a Catholic shrine. It is a place to reflect on the tragedy that struck our nation that day, the innocent loss of life and the suffering of the victims and their families and friends. It also recalls the individual acts of heroism by police, firemen and other first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of others. The setting of this 9/11 Memorial at Sacred Heart Church enables us to honor the victims and their families with our prayers. It also calls us to contemplate Christ's teachings on forgiveness: Matthew 18:22 - Then Peter came up to Him and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say seven times but seventy times seven.' In other words Jesus is telling us that we must always forgive. Even in the face of a grave injustice causing great harm- like 9/11? Listen to the words of Jesus on the cross: Luke 34 - 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.' Jesus asked His Father to forgive His tormentors and those who crucified Him even though at the time most were unrepentant. To forgive is not to forget. Indeed the 9/11 Memorial helps us to remember the injustice of that date. It's just that there is no place for hatred and vengeance when we understand that we belong to God - who has already forgiven us 'seventy times seven'.

Listen to this sermon from Father Robert Barron on 9/11 and forgiveness:

Sermon 557 : September 11th, 2001 - Anger and Forgiveness : 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Shrine of The Stations of the Cross - San Luis, Colorado

While driving from Denver to Albuquerque, I stopped in San Luis De La Culebra, Colorado just north of Questa, New Mexico to visit Colorado's newest Catholic Shrine - La Mesa de la Piedad y de la Misercordia (Hill of Piety and Mercy). The shrine's two centerpieces are The Stations of The Cross and La Capilla de Todos Los Santos (The Chapel of All Saints) . The Stations of The Cross are 15 bronze sculptures, depicting the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, winding up the Hill of Piety and Mercy to the adobe Chapel of All Saints. Each station is strategically placed along a 3/4 mile ascending trail to look out over the San Luis Valley and to the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range. The stations were sculpted by a local artist Huberto Maestas in 1986. The Chapel of All Saints is a domed adobe structure resting atop the Hill of Piety and Mercy and visible across the San Luis Valley. Local architects, Arnold Valdez and Milton Bertin designed and supervised the construction of this elegant Spanish - Moorish styled church. Catholic families from the Sangre de Cristo Parish of San Luis, many of whom trace their ancestry to the original Spanish settlers who farmed and ranched the San Luis Valley by right of a land grant from Spain, donated the building fund for the Shrine.
The Stations of the Cross are by themselves well worth the visit to San Luis, Colorado. Huberto Maestas's statues embrace drama and emotion and capture the sense of movement up the Hill of Piety and Mercy - a San Luis version of Golgotha. The statues are 2/3 life size with the exception of the life size Crucifixion and Resurrection near the top of the mesa. Each statue is meticulously detailed, down to the folds of clothing, and the sharp thorns protruding from the crown of thorns Jesus wore. Most memorable are the expressions on the faces of Jesus, His mother Mary, His followers and tormentors. In successive stations, Jesus' face reveals sorrow, suffering, resolve and compassion. On the last station, the image of the Resurrection, Jesus' face glows with rapture as he points upwards to Heaven. Each station is positioned next to a large bronze plaque, anchored in concrete, bearing the name of the station and the corresponding Bible verses in both Spanish and English. Benches allow the visitor to rest and meditate on the impact of each station. On Friday afternoons during Lent, the priest from the Sangre de Cristo Parish leads parishioners as well as visitors in The Stations of The Cross by walking the Hill of Piety and Mercy. On Good Friday most of San Luis's residents turn out for a procession up the path of The Stations of the Cross and on Easter Sunday, a Lenten veil is removed from the 15th Station to celebrate Christ's Resurrection.

La Capilla de Todos Los Santos ( The Chapel of All Saints) perches atop The Hill of Piety and Mercy and can be seen across the San Luis Valley, conveying a certain Catholic religiosity to this agricultural setting. The Chapel was finished and dedicated in 1997. The Spanish-Moorish architecture suggests an antiquity belying its real age. The walls are thick adobe and whitewashed. Two steeples and a dome afford elegant balance to the building's exterior. The interior of the chapel is remarkable for its simplicity. The wood pews were hand carved and the aisle rug was hand woven by local artisans. On the afternoon I visited, sunlight streamed in thru the porthole windows on the apse wall. An Icon of the Madonna and her Child adorned the south wall. A hand carved Crucifix and Retablos graced the sacristy. The Chapel of All Saints conveyed sacred solitude and peace, commensurate to its location on a hilltop above the Stations of the Cross Shrine.

I left the town of San Luis in the evening and drove south down the length of the San Luis Valley to the New Mexico border. The sun was descending over the mountains in the west. It was one of those classic Sangre De Cristo sunsets - rose red then dark red. It reminded me of Willa Cather's description of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, "those red hills, never become vermilion, but a more and more intense rose carnelian, not the colors of living blood, but the color of the dried blood of saints and martyrs." Indeed the Franciscan Padres initially traversed these mountains and valleys in the late sixteenth century, bringing Christianity to the Native American tribes. Most were martyred for their efforts. A second wave of Franciscan Padres came up the Camino Real in the 17th century and brought Spanish settlers with them. The legacy of those early Franciscan missionaries is evident in the Catholic religious symbolism that is integral to life in the San Luis Valley. The Shrine of The Stations of The Cross is one of those symbols. It is a place where the Christian faith is still prominent, where Christian and other religious pilgrims are welcome to visit.

Watch a video of the San Luis Shrine by clicking

Local Tourist Colorado - San Luis and Stations of the Cross - YouTube

► 5:43► 5:43

www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1zqm-C0T_Q

► 5:43► 5:43

www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1zqm-C0T_Q‎

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver

During a recent stay in Denver, Colorado, I was able to attend the noon-day Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception which is situated in downtown Denver near the state capitol. Although 250 miles from New Mexico, Denver shares a common Catholic history with its southern neighbor as it was originally within the Territory of New Mexico and under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Indeed the Very Rev. Joseph P. Machebeuf, the first bishop of Denver and the Colorado Territory, was a lifelong friend of ArchBishop Jean Baptiste Lamy of Santa Fe and had been recruited by Lamy in 1851 to follow him from Ohio to Santa Fe to serve the new Archdiocese of Santa Fe which at that time included the future states of Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. As gold and silver mines and the railroad brought more settlers to Denver and the Colorado Territory, Colorado was established as an independent vicar apostolate in 1875 with its own Bishop.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception was dedicated on October 27, 1912, consecrated in 1921 and was elevated to minor basilica status in 1975. On August 13 and 14 of 1993, His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, celebrated masses at the Cathedral Basilica as part of the celebration of World Youth Day. Today the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception serves as the mother church of a faith community of approximately 500,000 Catholics spread amongst 144 parishes and missions in Northern Colorado. The Cathedral houses the kathedra ( chair), from which the Archbishop carries out his duties to the Archdiocese of Denver as teacher and shepherd. The Cathedral has also been designated a Southwestern Shrine Church attracting pilgrims to its liturgical services.
The cruciform Cathedral was inspired by French Gothic architecture. The Cathedral is 195 x 116 feet in length and width with a vaulted ceiling rising 68 feet above a slightly sloping nave. The bell spires were capped at 210 feet in 1912. The east spire contains 15 bells. The foundation is made of Gunnison granite, the exterior walls of Indiana limestone and much of the interior structural marble from Marble, Colorado. The finest Carrara marble from Italy was used for the altars, the pedestal, the pulpit, the statues, the communion rail, and the Bishop's throne. The front doors are made of brass and show the papal insignia miter with two keys. Busts of 19th century popes and the baptismal font are on the east side of the vestibule and a statue of Saint Anthony of Padua is on the west side of the vestibule.
The outstanding feature of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception are the 75 stained glass windows - more than any other church of any denomination in America. The windows were crafted by F.X. Zettler, a chemist known for his use of beautiful dyes in making stained glass at the Royal Bavarian Art Institute of Munich, Germany. He oversaw 50 artisans in the production of the windows for the Denver Cathedral in 1912 and considered these windows the finest of his tenure at the Bavarian Art Institute.
The other work of art worth noting is the W.W. Kimball pipe organ filling the choir gallery. The pipe organ has 31 speaking registers embracing every known tone-color of organ voicing and also contains the speaking registers for vox humana, which closely resembles the tones of the human voice. While I was visiting the Cathedral, a visiting organist was teaching a class of local students and the music was heavenly.
The weekday Mass I attended was populated with a few young mothers and their children, some elderly women, men in business suits and a few visitors like myself. The visitors were easy to pick out as they were marveling at the stained glass windows. In particular I was struck by the colors of the large west transept stained glass window depicting the formal proclamation of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Pius IX in 1854 and by the rose window behind the choir loft depicting angels above us. The window colors had a transcending quality, exposing a small glimpse of the vivid brilliance of God's kingdom. I had entered the Cathedral with some apprehension about medical tests I had undergone earlier that morning. I would be meeting my physician in the afternoon to learn if I was responding to treatment. Inside the Cathedral my attention was drawn to the artistic beauty of this house of God and I stopped worrying about my pending doctor's visit. I was pleased that I was there, celebrating the Mass with my fellow Catholics in this magnificent Cathedral..
The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is definitely worth a side trip to Denver for New Mexico Catholic pilgrims. See for yourself.

West Transept Window

Rose Window

For more information on the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception please click on

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception

www.denvercathedral.org/‎

Monday, April 29, 2013

Aquinas Newman Center - University of New Mexico

My first visit to a Newman Center was in 1970 when I was an undergraduate at the University of Washington. I was seldom attending Mass then. It wasn't that I had rejected Christianity just that I was ignoring my faith. Although I was a science major, I sampled courses in philosophy, anthropology, history and American literature and just didn't encounter mention of Christianity. In lit classes we somehow didn't read Flannery O'Connor. I also wasn't aware of theology course offerings at UDUB. My Catholic undergrad friends never discussed their faith. Practicing Catholicism seemed inconvenient until I needed God's help. In 1970 I was devoting most of my study time to a very difficult organic chemistry class and was preparing to sit for the MCAT exam. I seemed to be unsure of my academic performance for the first time in my college life so I decided to attend Sunday Mass at the Newman Center for the purpose of requesting the Lord's assistance in my study and exam efforts. The Newman Center Chapel was on the North side of campus on 17th street in the midst of fraternity row. What I remember about that service was how avidly the Newman Center Catholic students worshiped and enjoyed the celebration of the Mass. When I walked back to my dormitory I realized that I had lapsed in practicing my Catholic faith as an undergrad at the University of Washington. The following week I received the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. In large measure owing to my Newman Center experience, I committed myself to a more active prayer and sacramental life for the remainder of that academic year. Returning to my Catholic faith returned to me a sense of confidence and optimism about my remaining academic goals that year.
The concept of Newman Centers was inspired by the British theologian and convert to Catholicism, Blessed John Henry Newman, who wrote in the 1800's that "religious truth is not only a portion, but a condition of general knowledge." His inspiration led to the founding of the first Newman Club at Oxford University in1888. The initial Newman Club and all subsequent Newman Centers have provided Catholic ministries to Roman Catholics on non-Catholic University campuses. Christians of other denominations have always been welcomed to attend services. In addition to Catholic liturgies, a variety of university and parish related social events take place at the Newman Centers.
The Aquinas Newman Center at the University of New Mexico was established on Las Lomas Road on UNM's campus in 1950 and the current chapel was built in 1954. The lounge and meeting hall were built in 1957. Dominicans were recruited to serve as clergy for the Newman Center at UNM when it opened and fulfill that role today. The Newman center has been recognized as a parish of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and currently serves more than 1000 families in addition to UNM students, staff and faculty. The parish mission statement says that the primary mission of the Newman Center is to "embody Christian principles through cooperative ministry with the academic community and alumni of the University of New Mexico". The Newman Center also houses the Dominican Ecclesiastical Institute, which seeks to promote Catholic intellectual life in the tradition of the Dominican order, through public discourse and media offerings. The DEI sponsors the bi-monthly Catholic Business Forum, offers Catholic theology education as well as media resources for exploring the Catholic faith. The Newman Center also maintains a theology library open to its parishioners and the university community.
The Sunday evening Mass I attended at the University of New Mexico Newman Center was specifically targeted to the student community. The chapel was packed, predominantly with students. There was an excellent student choir conducted by the Newman's Center director of music. Students also served as acolytes and lectors. The announcements at the end of the Mass included information on a future baccalaureate Mass and an upcoming John Angotti concert at the Newman Center. I was impressed with how enthusiastically the students participated in the liturgy, both in prayers and in song. They seemed to be a very committed Catholic community, excited about their faith. When I left the UNM Newman Center I experienced a deja vu to that evening 40 plus years ago, when I attended Mass at the Newman Center near the University of Washington campus. Again I felt reinvigorated to practice my Catholic Christian faith and hopeful for the future. I encourage Catholic pilgrims, particularly Catholic university students to visit the Newman Center, an oasis of spirituality within the University of New Mexico campus - definitely a place to reconnect to one's Catholic faith.
For a Newman Center Promo vimeo click on

Newman Promo Video on Vimeo

► 2:10► 2:10

vimeo.com/20104379‎

For information on the Aquinas Newman Center at UNM click on

Aquinas Newman Center - Home - Albuquerque

www.aquinasnm.org/‎

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