Voice of the Southwest, Winter 2015

Voice of the Southwest The Official Publication of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup | dioceseofgallup.org | Vol.54 No.3

Year of Mercy:

“Open Wide the Door to Christ”

Columns 4

Bishop James S. Wall

Opening the door to the Year of Mercy Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and the physical manifestation of the infinite mercy of God.

News 5

Local Bishops: Refugees deserve respect and protection

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Two New Deacons Greg Carlson from Winslow was ordained a permanent Deacon; Robert Badger is a transitional deacon and will be ordained a priest in 2016.

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Ft. Defiance Church Gives Thanks for 100 Years

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Diocese Hires CFO

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75 Years as a Diocese

New Chancellor Rev. Mr. Randolph Copeland, M.D., is new chancellor

A look back at the old and inactive mission churches

Features 16

Calendar and Classifieds

18

NM Supreme Court Deals Blow to Private Schools

20

Farmington Catholics Witness Door-to-Door

21

Fr. Andres Gallegos: Inspired

by Joy

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Closing the Year of Consecrated Life

23

Benedictines Celebrate 25th Anniversary

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Cover Story

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Voice

of the

Southwest

Publisher

The Most Rev. Bishop James S. Wall

Editor

Suzanne Hammons

Advertising/Office Manager Ella Roanhorse

Contributors

Julie Ferraro Deacon Frank Chavez Br. Glenn Humphrey, OFM Sr. Rene Backe

Email comments to:

designoffice@dioceseofgallup.org

Write to:

Voice of the Southwest PO Box 1338, Gallup NM 87305-1338

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Letter to the Editor: Thank you for support of the Lumen Christi award As a Lumen Christi finalist, I am deeply grateful to all in the Diocese of Gallup who supported my me. Bishop Wall’s nomination was indeed a humbling experience. So many in this diocese are deserving of such recognition. Thank you to Cathy McCarthy who spent many hours on the application. I appreciate Superintendent Jeanette Suter’s backing and the publicity from Suzanne Hammons. St. Francis of Assisi School has received $10,000 from Catholic Extension for our teacher housing fund. God bless all of you for your votes and good wishes as the campaign went forward.

Madeline Lyon, Principal of St. Francis Catholic School Lumberton, NM

Letter to the Editor: What about Native Americans, Franciscans and the Diocese of Gallup?

The association of Native Americans and Franciscans in the Diocese of Gallup divides into two eras. From the 1540s to the 1840s, Franciscan friars from Spain and later Mexico served as missionaries to bring the Roman Catholic faith to the Native Peoples of the Southwest. The first European in the Diocese of Gallup was a lost Franciscan, Fray Marcos de Niza in the 1530s. He was followed by friar missionaries who came as part of the Oñate entrada in 1598. Franciscans reached out to the Pueblo Indian villages, and in 1680, many were killed during the Pueblo Indian Revolt – the first successful revolution against a colonizing power in the history of North America.

Franciscans of this first era, being men of their times and sometimes the unwitting agents of foreign nations, while good intentioned, made many of the same mistakes missionaries everywhere (including Junípero Serra) make when they think that superior worldly power somehow bestows spiritual superiority, too. Even while doing much good, they often failed to recognize the truth and beauty of the deep faith already present in the Native Americans of the Southwest.

The last Franciscan missionary of the colonial and Mexican era died about 1850.

Some fifty years later, Franciscan friars arrived on the Navajo Reservation and returned to the Southwest. These Franciscans did not come with a “top down” attitude as had the previous friars, but instead, they came as people used to working their way from the “bottom up.” German Franciscan friars had come to Cincinnati and St. Louis in the middle of the nineteenth century to serve German Catholic immigrants. Not only were these immigrants economically poor, they were also often despised for being foreigners and Roman Catholic. The Franciscans, who came to what is now the Diocese of Gallup in the late 1890s and early 1900s, were the sons and grandsons of German immigrants who were used to being part of a persecuted minority. After World War I began, they were often also ashamed of their own ethnicity because of what others said about them. When they went among Native Americans, and later worked with Mexican immigrants, they recognized kindred spirits.

The association of Franciscans with Native Americans in the Southwest over the last 115 years includes many great things: 1) The Navajo language was first put in

written form by Franciscans, who also produced the first Navajo dictionary, using a specially designed linotype machine with “Navajo” letters the friars created.

2) The territory of the Navajo reservation grew when Navajos, with the help of Franciscans, went to the U.S. Congress seeking the return of their traditional lands.

3) In the 1930s and 1940s, the people of the outlying villages of Acoma and Laguna, encouraged by far-sighted Franciscans, built chapels to serve their community needs incorporating their traditional art and architecture. The use of Native American artwork and architecture remains a hallmark of Franciscan missions. The “Hogan Church” at Chinle is an outstanding example of the use of Navajo art and architecture for Catholic worship.

4) In the 1950s, as Native Americans moved from the reservations to Albuquerque, Franciscans followed them and established an urban Native American ministry near the present-day Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. They also founded and staffed the Catholic Indian Center in Gallup.

5) In the 1980s, Native Americans began to express their pride in being both Native and Catholic with the annual Indian Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis in Santa Fe undertaken with the help and encouragement of the Franciscan friars working there and on the reservations.

Today, Franciscan friars continue to serve at St. Michael Mission, Fort Defiance, Tohatchi, Ganado, and Chinle as well as the Pueblos of Jemez, Santa Ana, Zia, Laguna and Acoma.

While this is a far cry from less than fifty years ago when Franciscan friars also served at a half dozen other Navajo missions, Zuni and other Pueblos, it marks a continuing commitment to Native American ministry, even as the Franciscans themselves face diminishment. Franciscan Education Fund scholarships support Catholic education for Native Americans. In short, Franciscan friars first came to the Southwest in the 1500s to serve Native Americans and returned to New Mexico after a fifty year absence in 1900 again to serve Native Americans. Their current Minister Provincial was ordained a priest at Jemez Pueblo. Native Americans are a vital part of the identity of Franciscans in the Southwest, just as the Franciscan heritage is important to the history of the Diocese of Gallup.

Jack Clark Robinson, OFM Albuquerque, NM

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From the Bishop: Opening the Door to the Year of Mercy Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis formally began the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy when he opened the Holy Door at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. Following his example, cathedrals and churches across the world opened their own Holy Doors. On December 13, I opened a special Holy Door at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Gallup, New Mexico.

In the Scriptures, we are reminded again and again of the infinite compassion of God, who is rich in mercy. It is appropriate that the beginning of the "Year of Mercy"falls during Advent, the season in which we celebrate Christ humbling Himself to live among us. There is no greater display of God's love than Christ, the living manifestation of the Father's face of mercy. The words and deeds of Christ are continually at work in the Church through the gifts and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The opening of a door is a physical reminder of God's call to grace. As Pope Francis stated in his opening remarks: “This Extraordinary Holy Year is itself a gift of grace. To pass through the Holy Door means to rediscover the infinite mercy of the Father who welcomes everyone and goes out personally to encounter each of them.” It also shows that we recognize Christ as the sole door through which we enter salvation and the one way that leads to the Father. We must not be afraid to seek an encounter with Christ, and in doing so open ourselves to the gift of His infinite grace and compassion.

This Year of Mercy does not mean that Christ is suddenly more receptive to us than before. He has always loved us and desired us to know, love, and serve Him. Rather, this year is meant to stand in stark contrast to violence and evils committed by human beings which at times can be overwhelming. We must remember that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). This is the ongoing pilgrimage of the Church: to move always toward Christ. What better way for a fallen world to make that pilgrimage than through a door, a symbol of hope, of grace, and of mercy.

The Most Rev. James S. Wall is the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Gallup. On Saturday, December 12 - the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe - he formally consecrated the Diocese to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The prayer he wrote for the consecration is on the right. The painting depicts Our Lady of Guadalupe near the area of Grants, NM, and was done by Jerry Montoya.

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O holy ever-virgin Mary, refuge of sinners and gate of Heaven, in order to fulfill the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and thus to manifest more clearly the everlasting reign of your eternal Son, I consecrate to you this Diocese of Gallup.

I entrust to you now and forever this land that we love, with all its rivers and springs, deserts, mesas and mountains, every village, town and city.

I commend to your protection our families and children, our parishes, missions and schools, everything we have labored to build here as an expression of our faith, and everything we will do in the future to proclaim the good news of God’s mercy.

I consecrate this Diocese to your Maternal and Immaculate Heart without exception, and ask only that you use us as you can to accomplish your designs in this world.

Enkindle in our hearts and homes the flame of purity, the practice of a virtuous life, an ardent love of the Eucharist and a zeal to save souls by bringing Christ to the world and the world to Christ.

Hear us, O Mother of the Word Incarnate, and accept this offering which I make, as Bishop of this Diocese,in humble union with Pope Francis on this the Solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, 2015, the Patronal Feast of this Diocese.

May your Immaculate Heart triumph everywhere in the world!

AZ & NM Bishops:

Helping Refugees World Catholic News - Refugees Is A Moral Action In the wake of the tragic loss of innocent life taken by terrorist actions in Paris, the Bishops of the Arizona Catholic Conference (ACC) understand the increasing hesitation on the part of our government and American citizens to receive Syrian refugees into the United States.

While our country clearly needs to be concerned about terrorist activity, safeguards to prevent terrorist infiltration into our country are in place and should continue to be updated to meet changing circumstances.

However, we must remember that not all refugees are terrorists and the majority of Syrian refugees are men, women and children fleeing violence and simply striving to find safety for themselves and their families in other countries.

We need to remain committed to prayer and to the charitable works provided for people in great need. Accordingly, we will continue the important work done by our local Catholic Charities’ offices to resettle people fleeing violence and persecution and remain dedicated to helping refugees as the right and moral action to take.

The Catholic Bishops of New Mexico call all residents of New Mexico to

pray for refugees fleeing their war torn homes and communities. Our Lord, in a special way, holds the most vulnerable close to his heart and, in this time of tragic loss of innocent life, we too should hold the people of Syria and Iraq close to our hearts.

In the wake of the tragic events in Paris, Beirut and Mali, the Bishops of New Mexico join the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in calling the faithful to pray for refugees. Write a letter to President Obama urging him to expand U.S. resettlement efforts of Syrian refugees who are fleeing unspeakable atrocities and violence.

Urge your members of congress to provide urgently needed development aid for refugee host countries.

We remind New Mexicans that refugees and immigrants are all human persons, made in the image of God, bearing inherent dignity and deserving our respect, care and protection by law from persecution.

Locally, Catholic Charities in New Mexico has been resettling families, children, and adults from many different countries in cooperation with the United States Government.

Catholic Charities serves as a partner with the Federal Government who makes every effort to clear and

verify the identities and backgrounds of refugees before resettlement in New Mexico.

Some leaders have tried to use the tragic events in Paris to influence the outcome of state legislation regarding driver’s licenses for immigrants. In the 2015 legislative session the New Mexican Catholic bishops supported a fair two-tier compromise that passed the New Mexico Senate with bipartisan support. We pray that this compromise will become law so all eligible residents can drive to complete the daily tasks of making a living, getting children to school, and participating in our communities.

We must remember that the vast majority of refugees are innocent, law-abiding people who are fleeing persecution and death. We must all, Federal Government, State Government, communities, and neighbors, work together to keep our homeland safe and at the same time, as the Gospel calls us, keep the most vulnerable safe.

Online: azcatholicconference.org nmccb.businesscatalyst.com Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org

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2 Upbringings, 1 Path: New Deacons Reflect on the Desire to Serve the Church Greg Carlson already has big plans for his service as a deacon.

“I always thought it would be pretty cool to baptize my own grandkids,” he says.

Deacon Carlson, from Winslow, was ordained on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, along with Robert Badger, a seminarian for the Diocese. Carlson is a permanent deacon, and Badger is a transitional deacon, now in his final year of seminary before his ordination to the priesthood next year.

Both men were born outside the Diocese but ended up moving here and spending most of their lives in Arizona. Deacon Carlson has lived in Winslow with his wife, Beth, for 27 years, where they raised three sons. He first became enamored with the idea of being a deacon after attending a weekend retreat some 12 years ago, but the time demands of his job didn’t leave much room for him to pursue the training.

“In 2009 the chain I worked for went through bankruptcy and they closed my store,” he recalls. “Then I found a job which gave me weekends off and I realized at that point that maybe I should look into the deacon program again.”

He found that the interest he initially discovered was still strong, and with his wife’s encouragement and support, began studying to become a deacon. For Deacon Carlson, his new office is a continuation of a relationship with the Church that has been going strong since before birth.

“My mom had always had trouble having kids,” Carlson said. “So when she became pregnant, she prayed to God that if He would let me survive, she would dedicate me to Him. And as a young kid, I was completely enthralled with the Church, and I’ve stayed that way throughout my life.”

Deacon Badger found his devotion to the Church much later. As a child, he was raised in the Mormon faith of his family, who moved to St. Johns when he was five. At age 19, living with relatives in Salt Lake City, he converted to Catholicism.

“The historical problems with Mormonism led me to really have doubts about the faith I was raised in,” he said. “I always had an inter-

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est in history and in the Catholic Church, so it was the logical place to look after deciding to leave.”

He recalls that his conversion was difficult for his family to accept at first, but eventually their relationship became a positive one.

Much of Badger’s family was present at his diaconate ordination, and enjoyed a posole lunch and visiting with other attendees at the reception afterwards.

While converting to Catholicism is one thing, discovering a vocation to the priesthood is another, but Deacon Badger readily accepted the offer by Bishop Wall to consider becoming a priest for the Diocese.

“I always had an interest in the priesthood.

It was suggested to me by different priests and lay people as something I should look into.”

There was an additional benefit to pursuing his vocation – one that as a Mormon he might never had imagined – and it led to serving Mass for the Pope at St. Peter’s Basilica. Deacon Badger attends the Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio, a seminary which is called “Pontifical” because it falls under the Jurisdiction of the Holy See. Each pontifical seminary has a chance to send seminarians to serve Mass for the Pope, and Deacon Badger’s opportunity came last year during a retreat in Italy, on January 1st, 2015.

“Everything in St. Peter’s is so huge you’re under the glare of all the TV cameras and all the people in there, and you’re hoping boy, I hope I don’t trip or drop something!” He laughs as he recalls the Mass. “It was really quite an amazing thing to climb the steps of the altar to bring up the gifts. There were also terrifying moments, like we had to carry the torches and kneel in front of the altar while the Holy Father celebrated the Mass, when he elevated the Host. And those torches, you have to be very careful, because it’s easy to pull the tops off of them and have them go bouncing down the stairs, which I’m told has happened. But thankfully everything went very well. It was amazing, terrifying - all the emotions!”

He jokes that after his experience in Rome, serving for Bishop Wall will be easy.

Although he has less than a year of service

as a deacon before ordination to the priesthood, he hopes to use the time to hone his preaching skills.

“I will be preaching here in the seminary to an audience of my brothers, and unlike the congregation, I have to live with them. They are usually not shy about offering advice!”

Deacon Carlson, as a permanent deacon, will be serving two parishes in Winslow: St. Joseph and Madre de Dios. He realizes that there are still many painful memories, as Winslow was one of the towns in the Diocese most affected by the abuse scandal. But he loves his community, and expresses hope that he can be an agent of positive influence.

“There’s still tension out there, but most folks are pretty well connected with each other, so we’re healing those wounds. This is a community with a lot of wonderful, prayerful people, and I look forward to praying with [them].”

He also has high praise for the current pastor, Fr. Peter Short, saying that as he undertakes his new role as deacon, it will be helpful to have Fr. Short’s experience and guidance.

“The job of a deacon is to be there to support, and I’m offering my time and my effort to serve the life of the parish.”

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Above: The newly ordained are embraced by their fellow deacons Right: Bishop Wall places his hands over those of Greg Carlson Bottom right: Deacons of the Diocese of Gallup watch the ordination of Greg Carlson and Robert Badger Bottom left: Greg Carlson, left, and Robert Badger, right, process into the Cathedral. In front of them is Deacon Timoteo Lujan, one of the directors of the diaconate formation program

In 1868

, after the Long Walk and relocation of the Navajos to Ft. Sumner, the Navajo Nation was returned to its ancestral land. The old military installation at Ft. Defiance, Arizona was designated as the administrative center for the U.S. Government’s oversight of the Navajo people.

Thirty years later, the Franciscans sent four friars into the area to learn about the culture and language of the Navajo people. Fr. Berard Haile undertook a scientific study of the beliefs and customs of the tribe, along with an effort to learn the Navajo language and capture it in writing. Frs. Leopold Ostermann and Anselm Weber soon began to teach catechism classes to the children at the local government boarding school.

One layman was instrumental in these early efforts. Peter Paquette was at the time the superintendent of the boarding schools in Ft. Defiance, and a Catholic. In order to teach the children and meet with local families, the Franciscans had to travel each week to and from St. Michaels. Anyone wishing to receive the Sacraments or attend Mass had to travel 8 miles each way from Ft. Defiance to St. Michaels. As there was no church or other religious building available at the time, Mr. Paquette made his government buildings available to the friars for their evangelization efforts.

By 1912, the number of people from the Ft. Defiance area who wished to be baptized reached into the hundreds, along with a class of 89 confirmation candidates. Transporting people back and forth was difficult, and the need for a church at Ft. Defiance was recognized.

Fr. Weber by that time had been in the process of obtaining land from the Santa Fe Railway Pacific Company, and when it was acquired the people began the process of building the church. It was named Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1915.

The original stained glass windows are still a modern feature, along with the names of the original donors. Some of those names include many local Navajo people and their children, who proudly contributed to the building of their own church.

100 Year Anniversary

The Navajo parishioners at Ft. Defiance are just as proud of their church

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Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org

Parish children sing for the congregation.

Ft. Defiance Celebrates 100 years of parish life

now as they were a century ago. For several years, a committee planned the 100 year anniversary, with excitement reaching an all-time high in the weeks before the celebration. The anniversary Mass was celebrated on Thanksgiving Day

by Bishop Wall, and a turkey dinner followed in the parish hall.

Fr. Gilbert Schneider, pastor at Ft. Defiance, composed a special anniversary prayer with input from the committee. The people of the church have since used the prayer at every staff meeting and once a month during Mass.

“It draws from parts of both Native and Catholic spirituality,” Fr. Schneider said. “And of course we want to emphasize ancestry – give thanks for those who brought us to this point, both Native people and the superintendent of the boarding school.”

Some of the most passionate members of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament belong to the local Kateri Circle. After a long fundraising effort, the members of the circle obtained a statue of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and a shrine to the saint was dedicated and blessed after Mass on October 4.

Marie Allen, a longtime member of

both the parish and the circle, wrote of the experience.

“At last we have a St. Kateri Tekakwitha statue. Brother John and Ben Laughing constructed the shrine with the design and site selection done by Marie Allen and other Circle members.

The plan was to establish the shrine during the Centennial Year of the church.

The presence of the shrine is a reminder of the blessings we receive through St. Kateri.”

Allen also noted that while the Kateri Circle was raising the funds to purchase the statue, the members also contributed to the support of local Navajo elders, Thanksgiving meals for jail inmates.

They also took part in the movie In Her Footsteps, which tells the story of St. Kateri.

Sr. Mary Hottenroth has lived and worked at Ft. Defiance for fifteen years.

In that time, she’s helped to build and maintain several ministries, such as two separate choirs, potlucks and religious activities for families, and an inter-generational ministry, where elders, parents, and children learn about the Faith together.

Each of these ministries have contrib-

Bishop Wall celebrates the anniversary Mass.

After Mass, everyone enjoyed a Thanksgiving Day dinner in the Parish hall

Photos by Br. Glenn Humphrey, OFM View the entire gallery of photos online: voiceofthesouthwest.org/category/photos uted to the anniversary festivities, and a group of parishioners created a float to participate in the 2015 Navajo Nation fair. They chose for their theme “Care of Our Common Home”, in keeping with both the Pope’s encyclical and the prayer

by Fr. Schneider.

“We joyfully evangelized by pulling our float three miles down highway 264 in the midst of approximately 40,000 parade watchers,” Sr. Hottenroth said.

“The float was enthusiastically prepared by parish members under the direction of Maria and David Tsosie. The picture of the float speaks for itself demonstrating the creative artistry of parishioners and

their care for the earth – ‘Beauty is Our Tradition. Conservation is Our Mission.’

They recycled plastic bottles and ‘grew’ them into beautiful flowers!”

Marie Allen dressed in the float as Mother Katharine Drexel, along with two high-schoolers dressed as Franciscans and a little girl as St. Kateri. Other volunteers distributed prayer cards and candy along the parade route.

In his time at Ft. Defiance, Fr. Schneider reflected on how the ministry and faith of the people of the parish has grown.

“People are taking hold and getting involved. It’s especially obvious during

the Jubilee, when there’s so much to do, that they do all the work. It’s reawakened our pride. They really got into the float for the Navajo Nation Fair – it was a real evangelization effort on their part.”

He hopes that the sense of community and friendship will remain even after the anniversary celebrations, and that the new shrine and the anniversary prayer will strengthen the faith of the local families.

“We want to make this a place for retreat and a reflective place for people,” Fr. Schneider said. “Prayer is what we need, because this celebration is a bold undertaking.”

Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org

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Diocese Welcomes New CFO After more than two years without a local chief financial officer, the Diocese of Gallup in September welcomed Bob Horacek as the new head of the diocesan finance department.

Horacek, a native of Grants, NM, takes over from the firm of Keegan, Linscott & Kenon, a Tuscon-based financial group who appointed a manager, John Gordon, to fill in as interim CFO after the departure of Deacon James Hoy in 2013.

After retiring from a career in Administration and Management with the City of Grants, Horacek enjoyed a couple of years outside of the workforce, pursuing personal hobbies. He was aware of the opening for a chief financial officer at the diocese, but only began to seriously consider applying for the job after speaking with his parish priest and a fellow parishioner from St. Teresa Church in Grants.

“I think even when I was working I was aware of the initial information – that they were looking for somebody in this position,” Horacek said. “Probably I was first made aware from my pastor, Fr. Avella, in Grants. Then, also Denise Lujan, who works in the Diocesan Finance Office – we go to the same parish and actually went to the same high school. She was instrumen-

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tal in me making contact with the diocese. Then I spoke with John (Gordon) and Bishop Wall, and met the finance council here, and was offered the job.”

A native of the Diocese of Gallup, Horacek grew up in Grants, achieving degrees in Accounting and Human Resources from New Mexico State University. After finishing work with the City of Grants and enjoying a brief retirement, he decided to accept the job with the diocese, seeing it as an opportunity to serve.

“I want to learn as much as I can, and if there’s an area I see where I potentially can make a difference, I’ll suggest it,” Horacek said. “I told the bishop when I interviewed that hopefully I can give him some options, and he’s ultimately the one who makes the decisions.”

Moving from a government to religious sector will not necessarily be easy, especially for a new CFO who will oversee the budget for a diocese in the middle of a Chapter 11 reorganization.

But for Horacek, the position requires commitment to people as much as it does to finance.

“I want to promote an environment where I can improve myself in my own life and hopefully help others enrich their lives. I’m used to working in a

secular environment, but here I hope I can offer my advice in a constructive manner. The goal here to me is, especially, to promote each individual working together. I mean, I’m Catholic, most people here are Catholic, and even if they’re not…we’re all human, we’re all striving for a unified goal, with the struggles along the way.”

Despite the new pressures and responsibilities of the position, Horacek still plans to use his spare time to pursue the same activities he enjoyed in retirement. Calling himself an “animal advocate”, he volunteers with the animal shelter in Grants, goes road biking, and takes in as many baseball games as he can.

“In my free time my wife and I go to many Albuquerque Isotopes games. I love going to the noon games – there’s just a good feeling about being at an 11:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. game, when you’re out enjoying the afternoon.”

After several months in the position, Horacek has settled in well with chancery staff, and hopes to work for the good of people throughout the diocese in the months to come.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to work here, and I appreciate those involved in giving me that opportunity.”

Deacon Copeland, left, blesses the priests at the 2015 diaconate ordination Mass

New Chancellor: “I’m Looking Forward to Serving God’s People” In a career that has included medical work with the military and hospitals in several countries, Deacon Randolph Copeland is about to add a new title to his list: chancellor of the Diocese of Gallup.

Although Deacon Copeland is familiar with overseeing the work of teams, he is also humble and matterof-fact about his qualifications. He accepted the position with the Diocese when Bishop James Wall approached him with an offer for the role of Chancellor.

“I finished my military career as the chief of a medical department, which includes a lot of leadership responsibilities, and it appears that’s what the Bishop was looking for,” Deacon Copeland says.

Deacon Copeland has spent the past 14 years as an orthopedic surgeon with the Gallup Indian Medical Center and had planned to scale back his working time.

“I’m partially retiring from medical practice. I’ll still be working one day a week primarily taking care of children with musculoskeletal problems,” he says. “I hadn’t been looking for a new assignment upon my retirement,

but for the greater glory of God, here I am!”

The chancellor of a Diocese primarily oversees the daily activity of a chancery, and in particular is responsible for Diocesan archives. But the impact of the Chancellor’s office, Deacon Copeland says, is turned outward across the whole Diocese.

“Certainly the purpose of the chancery is not to serve itself, but to serve the entire Diocese. It needs to make sure that we as people of God are working in concert and not becoming discordant with one another. We’re responsible for supporting the mission and ministries of the people, as well as our own mission.”

Everyday ministries are familiar to Deacon Copeland. His was one of the first ordinations made by Bishop Wall in 2009, and besides serving as a deacon at Sacred Heart Cathedral since 2009, he and his wife Maria have run Engaged Encounter, a weekend retreat for Catholic Couples, for ten years.

After completing medical school in 1975 and training for orthopedic surgery, his medical career began with the military. Besides his primary medical duties, he held various teach-

ing and leadership positions. He has also published several papers on the practice of orthopedics and presented medical lectures across the country, both during his time as a military physician and afterwards while serving the Indian Health Service.

Through all of this, it’s evident that Deacon Copeland’s biggest legacy has been his family, which includes four children and seven grandchildren.

With such a schedule, Deacon Copeland has little time for hobbies outside of his work and family, but there is one activity he hopes to soon pick back up.

“In the past I’ve done archery – I used to be an archery instructor back when I was a boy scout leader when I was younger. It’s a little bit like golf: you go to a spot where you shoot, then you go pick up your arrows, then you go to another spot and shoot.” He laughs, “It is a little different than golf, though, because there’s no such thing as archery carts.”

When asked about what he enjoys reading, he unhesitatingly names the Gospel of John.

“The way that the theology is woven through the story, it really appeals to me. It raises my mind to the bigger picture...it calls me to think on a higher plane.”

This is high praise from a man who has made a career out of higher thinking and advanced medicine.

Now he will be able to devote his time to serve the Church he was received into in 1974. His time in the military, as a doctor, as a Deacon, and now as the new chancellor of the Diocese has all directed him to one goal: “Keeping my focus on Jesus Christ. It’s His mission. I’ve given my life to Him, through the Church. I’m looking forward to serving the people of the Diocese – God’s people.”

Fr. Kevin Finnegan, the present chancellor for the Diocese, will continue to serve until January 25, 2016, at which time Deacon Copeland will assume responsibility for the office.

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1939 - 2015: Celebrating 75 Years as a Diocese Note: the excerpts taken here come from various histories collected in the Diocesan archives, as well as an excellent book written by Elizabeth Kelley for the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Diocese in 1989,

A Look Back at missions now closed or abandoned

1a. Santa Rosalia, Moquino

One of many small villages settled in the early 1800s in the foothills of Mt. Taylor. The church here, along with its nearby neighbor in Bibo, was once a mission of Seboyeta, until a dwindling population led to its closure.

2a. St. Aloysius, San Luis

San Luis is 30 miles to the south of Cuba, NM. It was settled in the Rio Puerco Valley as a farming town and a stop for the old mail buggy. Records indicate that even when it was still a village in the care of Jemez, it was very small, with a single main street.

In 1918, a Fr. Fridolin Schuster, OFM, writes of a trip taken with Archbishop Pitaval of Santa Fe in order that people in the smaller villages in the north of NM might be confirmed: “Leaving Cuba on the morning of the 5th, after several hours of driving, we reached San Luis, which belongs to the parish of Jemez. The usual hearty reception awaited us. The Archbishop was conducted to the new chapel, a neat, simple but handsome structure, although not quite completed. Here 34 children were confirmed.�

12 Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org

1b. Our Lady of Loretto, Bibo

This small village was named after a local family who settled in the area and owned several stores and a famous bar. The church here was constructed of adobe and was for many years a mission of Seboyeta, but now stands closed.

12. St. Eleanor, Ft. Wingate

The old military Fort Wingate was established in 1868 when the fort, until then located at San Rafael, was moved to the west to be nearer the Indian Reservation.

Early settlers in the area attended church services at the small town of Page, south of McGaffey, then also a thriving town. The church of Saint Anthony lasted until the town was abandoned, about the same time as the establishment of a church at Fort Wingate.

Fort Wingate was an army post until 1928, when troops were no longer needed. In 1930, the buildings were turned over to the Department of the Interior to be used as a high school for Navajo youths. At this time, it was felt that a church was needed here.

Funds from a private donor were obtained to construct the beautiful church which was dedicated to Saint Eleanor in 1930 by Archbishop Daeger of Santa Fe.

(see next page for more)

Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org

13

(Continued from previous page - see map on pages 12 and 13 for placement of churches and missions throughout the Diocese of Gallup)

3b. St. Rose, Pine Springs The church at Pine Springs was built in 1952 and, along with Manuelito, was a mission church of Houck during its active days.

2b. Guadalupe (Ojo del Padre) This town was 45 miles to the south of Cuba - no name exists for the church here. It was originally settled by a group of Spanish families along the Rio Puerco river, and was noted for being extremely sheltered and closed-off. Even in the early days, the inhabitants spoke only Spanish, necessitating the use of a translator or Spanish speaker when a priest visited for religious reasons or to say Mass. It is now a ghost town, with its last inhabited building – the post office – having closed in the late 1950s.

3a. St. Catherine, Manuelito Originally served by the priests from Houck, the church here became too deteriorated and had to be demolished. A hogan chapel was built in 1970 to take its place.

4b. St. Paul, Mangas The earliest record of Mangas is from 1873, by a family who settled there near a spring. The name of the village could refer to a transfer of land from Mangas, CO, but the name means “sleeve” in Spanish and could also refer to the “sleeve” that rain sometimes forms when falling.

The famous son of an Apache chieftain also lived nearby. He was ultimately killed unjustly by American troops, and named Mangas Coloradas (“red sleeves”).

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Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org

5a. Little Flower Chapel, Adamana

5b. Manila Station

In 1930, Fr. Patrick Beaton, with the manual assistance and the financial assistance of the people of the small railroad town of Adamana, erected there the Mission of the Little Flower, and this became one of the missions of Holbrook. The linens for the chapel were donated by the Sisters of St. Mary’s hospital in Gallup, and a set of vestments by the Late Archbishop Schrems of Cleveland, Ohio.

It is likely that Mass and instruction were given in peoples’ homes or public buildings. There is a record of Catechist Sisters teaching a total of 4 children here in 1953, but at some point Manila was given up as a mission.

6b. Our Lady of the Lake, Wheatfields Built in 1962, this hogan chapel originally served as a summer mis-

4a. St. Anne, Horse Springs Originally founded in 1879, legend has it that the town was named when a group of soldiers traveling between Ft. Tularosa and Socorro found a lost horse at a spring of water, about 20 miles northeast of Aragon. After the spring was discovered, a post office was built nearby and used to send mail to Socorro.

6a. St. Anne, Tsaile

sion for not only the Navajo people but also tourists who visited the nearby lake.

St. Anne’s at Tsaile was one of the first outreach missions of Lukachukai.

Religious services were held in a home in the area before 1920. On June 8, 1943, the mission was dedicated by Bishop Espelage.

Present at the dedication was the General Superintendent of the Indian Bureau from Window Rock and the chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council, the late Henry Chee Dodge, last of the great Navajo Chiefs, reported that there was a “good attendance” at the first Mass celebrated and about seven hundred local Navajos. in the chapel.

7. St. Anthony, Cedar Creek

9b. St. Valerian, Smith Lake

In 1947, Father Leo Simon, OFM, then pastor at Whiteriver, undertook the task of constructing a church at Cedar Creek. The church was completed and dedicated to Saint Anthony in September, 1947. Fr. Simon reported that there was a “good attendance” at the first Mass celebrated in the chapel, September 24, 1947.

8a. St. Joseph the Worker, Gamerco This church originally served the working families of Gamerco and Yatahey. In 1965 it became a mission of St. Francis in nearby Gallup. St. Francis eventually became the parish that served these families when the church in Gamerco closed.

9a. Holy Spirit, Smith Lake In 1947, Father Leo Simon, OFM, then pastor at Whiteriver, undertook the task of constructing a church at Cedar Creek. The church was completed and dedicated to Saint Anthony in September, 1947. Fr. Simon

gious center, doing most of the work This mission was sold in the 1940s, himself with donated materials. and both its furnishings and patron13 a-g. Sanostee, Fruitland, Rattleage transferred to the St. Valerian snake, Nava (Naschitti), Toadlena, Catholic Center in Gallup, NM (now Red Rock, and Cove the Catholic Charities building in Gallup).

In the early days of the Diocese, the population around Shiprock was large 10. San Ignacio, Star Lake enough to warrant stations in each of This mission was built in order to these villages. Later, the population assist the church at Crownpoint in began to shift or dwindle, and evenvarious outreach programs. tually these outposts were dropped, although a priest would occasionally 11. St. Philip, Church Rock visit to say Mass in a local home.

Church Rock Village began as a group of temporary structures built by the government during World War II to house employees of the nearby Fort Wingate Ordinance Depot.

After the war, the buildings were sold to the Navajo tribe which managed the village until 1965.

In the early 1970s, a one-story building was leased from the Navajo tribe to serve as chapel, rectory and meeting room. Father Timon Cook spent the next three years remodeling the building into a suitable reli-

14 a-f. Leupp, Cornfields, Steamboat, White Cone, Low Mountain, and First Mesa Each of these small outposts fell under the care of the parish at Keam’s Canyon. Most lay in the heart of the Hopi reservation. Leupp was a special case. In the 1940s, the U.S. Government built a Japanese internment camp in Leupp, and the priest at Keam’s canyon included this camp in his visits.

Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org

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Calendar of Events/Classifieds January 15 17

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Theology of the Body Talk & Retreat Place: Sacred Heart Retreat Center

NM 602

Gallup, NM Time: All day Contact: 505-722-6755 Fr. Peter Short will lead a weekend formation retreat on the Pope St. John Paul II’s writings on human sexuality and family life.

February Mardi Gras 06 Bishop’s Place: Sacred Heart School

Gym

515 Park Avenue

Gallup, NM 87301 Time: 7:00pm - 11:00pm Contact: 505-726-8295 Catholic Peoples Foundation will host the Annual Bishop’s Mardi Gras. Tickets will be $65 per person. The event includes dinner, dance and a fantastic silent auction!

10

Lent Begins The 2016 Lenten Season will begin on Wednesday, February 10 and end on Holy Thursday, March 25.

Promise to Protect If you or someone you know has been abused by a priest, deacon or other employee or minister of the Catholic Church, please report this to: Elizabeth Terrill Victim Assistance Coordinator 505-906-7357 victimsassistance@dioceseofgallup.org

We will help.

Your confidentiality will be protected.

16 Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org

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8th Annual LifeGuard Banquet and Auction Place: Fort Lewis College Ballroom

1000 Rim Drive

Durango, CO Time: 6pm Contact: lifeguardlaplata.org 970-385-8451 Keynote speaker, Dr. Alveda King (niece of Martin Luther King, Jr.) will speak on topics of activism and healing for America. Auction items will be featured throughout the evening. Tickets are on sale now for the raffle of a new ATV! Buy your banquet ticket for $40 before February 12, or $50 after that date. Raffle tickets can be purchased for $25 each or 5 for $100.

Lenten Day of Retreat Place: Sacred Heart Retreat Center

NM 602

Gallup, NM Time: 9:30am - 5:00pm Contact: 505-722-6755 Sr. Doris Klein, CSA will lead a Lenten retreat, concluding with Mass celebrated by Bishop Wall.

Send us your classifieds!

Rates are $3/line - includes online posting at voiceofthesouthwest. org. To submit a classified, contact Suzanne at 505-863-4406 or email designoffice@dioceseofgallup.org

Si usted o alguien que usted conoce ha sido víctima de abuso por parte de un sacerdote, diácono u otro empleado o ministro de la Iglesia Católica, favor de reportar el incidente a: Elizabeth Terrill Coordinador de Asistencia para Víctimas 505-906-7357 victimsassistance@dioceseofgallup.org

Nosotros le ayudaremos.

Su confidencialidad será protegida.

March Encounter Weekend 04 - Engaged Place: Sacred Heart Retreat 06 Center

NM 602

Gallup, NM Time: 9:30am - 5:00pm Contact: 505-726-2707 engagedencountergallup.org A special weekend retreat for Catholic couples preparing for marriage.

Recurring Events Lenten Stations of the Cross Bishop Wall will lead the Stations of the Cross each Wednesday evening during Lent, for the intention of healing for victims of sexual abuse. The Stations will begin at 6pm at Sacred Heart Retreat Center.

Ministry Formation Weekends Ministry Formation Weekends in the Diocese of Gallup for the Spring semester will take place on the following weekends: February 19-21, March 18-20, April 15-17, and May 20-22. For more information, please call Sr. Rene at 505-722-6755.

Want to see your event here or online?

Send announcements and notices about upcoming events to designoffice@dioceseofgallup.org or call 505-863-4406

Do Háida’bił bee hodozįįł daíigi beeádee haho’dzíí’ Catholic Church dóó éé’ neishoodii yił ndaałnishi’ igíí dóó Baa ndaałah’ igíísh doo há’ atééh’ igoo da, nínįi’ yiyiiłaah’ Dóó’ oóshlí ła’ ísh ákóbí’ diiłyąą go nił beehoozin, Akohootįįngo nił beehoozin’go baahwíí’ diłníi’ Elizabeth Terrill Victim Assistance Coordinator 505-906-7357 victimsassistance@dioceseofgallup.org

2016

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

MARCH 3-5 SAN DIEGO

Restoring Marriage Today San Diego Sheraton Hotel and Marina

Featuring

The Most Reverend James S. Wall

Dr. Ray Guarendi

Christopher Check

Fr. Larry Richards

Trent Horn

Tim Staples

Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D

Jimmy Akin

Patrick Coffin

Register today at CatholicAnswersConference.com Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org

17

NM State Supreme Court Deals Blow to Private Schools Most private schools in New Mexico rely on special allocations that reduce the overall cost of instructional materials - allocations which have now been ruled unconstitutional

by Jeanette Suter On November 12, 2015 the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that a state law in place since 1978 allowing private schools to acquire publicly purchased textbooks and instructional materials is unconstitutional. This comes after both a lower court and court of appeals had upheld the legislation and the instructional materials for private school students.

There is a great deal of historical knowledge needed to understand this ruling. However, beyond the history leading to this ruling is concern over what this means for our students now and in the future.

Historically speaking, we have to

Many of the schools in the New Mexico side of the Diocese of Gallup receive instructional texts through state funds.

18 Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org

go back to the wave of Catholic immigrants to the United States in the 1800’s. German, Italian, and Irish Catholics arrived in America and found their children in public schools that were decidedly anti-Catholic. The King James Bible, Protestant hymns, and readers with offensive images of the Pope were standard instructional materials in the schools of the day.

Catholic parents, priests, and Bishops found this to be an unacceptable educational environment for Catholic children. The Catholic community, lead by the Bishops, began to establish Catholic schools, and asked state legislatures to assist with funding for the schools. This met with strong opposition throughout the country.

In 1875, James G. Blaine, a member of the US House of Representatives, proposed an amendment to the US Constitution which would prohibit the use of state funds for sectarian schools (aka religious schools). While this amendment was defeated in the US Senate, many states went on to add such “Blaine Amendments” as they are called, to their state constitutions.

States joining the union after 1875, including New Mexico were virtually required by Congress to include such amendments in their state constitutions in order to be accepted into the Union.

It is due to this requirement that Article XII Section three of the New Mexico Constitution composed in

1911 states:

“…No part of the proceeds arising from the sale or disposal of any lands granted to the state by congress, or any other funds appropriated, levied or collected for educational purposes, shall be used for the support of any sectarian, denominational or private school, college or university.”

It is based upon this text that the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that instructional materials funds granted to private schools is unconstitutional in the state of New Mexico.

Private schools in New Mexico, including Catholic schools in the Diocese of Gallup, have been receiving allocations of instructional materials through the Instructional Materials Bureau (IMB) of the Public Education Department since the late 1970’s.

Legislation passed in 1978 and reauthorized by the state legislature a number of times since, had allowed students in private schools to have access to publically-purchased instructional materials based on an annual per pupil allotment. Private schools were able to select instructional materials from lists of state adopted materials to be loaned to the students in their schools. Private schools were also permitted to use up to 50% of their allotment for other instructional materials of their choice, as long as they were not religious in nature, to be purchased by the IMD and distributed to the schools.

In the past three years, this has meant an average allotment to the students of the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Gallup of $58.00 per student per year. When a single hardcover Reading book for second grade costs nearly $90.00, it is easy to see that the allocations granted to the private schools from the IMB is not enough to purchase even one textbook per student per year. While these allotments for materials seem inconsequential on a per student basis, they are significant when you look at it from the school’s perspective.

Our Catholic schools in the Diocese of Gallup have received anywhere from $2500 to $10,000 per year in allotments for instructional materials through the IMB, depending upon the number of students in the school. Re-

ceiving no other federal or state funding, and trying to keep tuition reasonable for our parents, the loss of even this much assistance is worrisome.

Additionally, the plaintiffs who filed the case against the IMB funding are also pursuing avenues with the Public Education Department to discuss the possibility of having the instructional materials already in the schools retrieved. If this is done by the PED, especially depending on when it would be done, it could be devastating to our students. It would be one thing for this to be done at the end of the school year, but it would be a completely different catastrophe for it to be required during the school year. It would amount to taking textbooks out of the hands of students and having nothing with which to replace them.

Schools do not have the money in their 2015-2016 school budgets with which to make this kind of mid-year purchases.

Based upon statistics gathered by the National Educational Association, New Mexico spent approximately $11,000 per public school student during the 2012-2013 school year. During that same school year, it was estimated that New Mexico had over 225 private schools serving 26,000 students.

This means that private schools saved the state of New Mexico $286 million in educational costs in one year alone, and continue to save the state money every year. According to a report in the Albuquerque Journal, the allotment of IMB funding for the 2014-2015 school year to private schools was $1.4 million dollars to 109 schools. It seems that the private schools are saving the state much more than they have been receiving.

The New Mexico Association of Non-public Schools (NMANS), to which many of the schools of the Diocese of Gallup belong, is hoping this battle is not over. They, in conjunction with many private schools, hope to file for a rehearing before the NM Supreme Court.

Jeanette Suter is the Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Gallup.

Live Sunday Mass from Sacred Heart Cathedral Sundays at 11:00 AM MST

dioceseofgallup.org/watch (Watch live or archived)

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Farmington Catholics Take Their Faith Door-to-Door

by Deacon Frank Chavez The New Evangelization calls on Catholics to “go forth to evangelize,” and one Catholic parish is answering that call in a very literal way.

Patsy Baca is the President of the Legion Of Mary at St. Mary Parish in Farmington, and Deacon Frank Chavez is the Legion’s spiritual director. Early in 2014, they approached St. Mary’s pastor Fr. Chacon with the idea of implementing door-to-door evangelization in their community.

With Fr. Chacon’s permission, they contacted a Houston chapter of the Legion of Mary and asked them to come and conduct a “Peregrinatio Pro Cristi”, a door-todoor evangelization effort, and to teach the local legionaries how to carry on the effort in Farmington.

The Houston group arrived in early September 2014. Their week-long training was full of prayer, instructions, and visits to homes in the parish. Initially, the experience of encountering strangers in their homes and telling them about Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church was daunting for the local team. But the confidence and courage of the Houston team was infectious, and the ministry efforts quickly became a joyful task.

Soon the evangelists came back with stories of great encounters. One team described a conversation with a young man

who was not practicing his faith and was in Farmington only to take care of his ill mother. When he was given the evangelist package, he immediate spotted the Miraculous Medal and related how he had carried one in his wallet for years but had lost it only the Sunday before and was missing it.

He showed the team the indentation in his wallet where he had carried the medal. The young man thanked the team profusely, and after some prayers and tears they left him in great spirits.

The Houston team soon returned home, and it was now up to the parish to build and maintain the evangelization program.

When the call went out for volunteers, the response from the Spanish-speaking members of the parish was especially strong.

The experienced Legionaries in the parish began training the newer members and formed them into teams. Originally, each member of the group was fearful of negative responses from the residents, but the legionaries who had done these visits were encouraging. Any volunteer with initial fears is encouraged to rely on trust in God. A typical visit begins with a team prayer before knocking on a door. When the door is answered, one of the team introduces the group as representing the pastor and asks if the resident has a faith practice. The rest of the visit is done in a way that uplifts a Catholic resident and introduces a non-Catholic resident to Catholicism while reaffirming

Members of the ministry team pose for a photo before heading out to evangelize

the resident’s own faith. The teams then pray with the resident and leave a packet of informational material which includes a rosary and a medal. Each team also has at least one Spanish speaker and one English speaker and packets in both languages.

Veronica Lugo and Joanna Klepac provides the leadership, organization, training, and planning for St. Mary’s Evangelization group. Fr. Chacon holds a monthly meeting with the entire group, when he encourages their efforts and gives them more catechesis.

Since starting the program, the Legionaries have visited over 2,000 homes in the parish by conducting visits once a month.

Only one home has closed the door on the evangelists.

In one memorable encounter, they visited a home where the wife was attempting to practice her faith but was often criticized by her husband because of it. She would attend mass by herself. After the visit, both husband and wife are now attending mass and receiving communion.

The members of the evangelization group themselves have experienced tremendous spiritual growth through their efforts. Several have found a gift – a Godgiven charism – for this style of evangelization. They receive true spiritual fulfillment and joy in talking about Jesus and their faith with strangers.

New Franciscan priest: “I was inspired by joy!”

At just 14 years of age, Andres Gallegos joined the Franciscan order.

Gallegos grew up in Guanajuato, Mexico. One day his uncle, a Franciscan, brought some friars to Guanajuato to preach and teach the Catechism to local kids. It didn’t take long for Gallegos to discover an attraction to the work of the friars.

“They were very joyful,” Gallegos recalls. “That is the main reason why I decided to join them.”

He spent his school years as a lay member of the order, and later joined as a novice at age 22. Eventually he moved to the United States, joining the Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 2001. This province was established in 1985 and primarily serves Navajo, Pueblo, and Hispanic peoples of New Mexico and Arizona.

In the last century, the number of Franciscan priests in the Southwest has decreased, and the decline in numbers was not lost on Gallegos.

“I saw the need for priests all around me,” he said. “The reflections that I had during my theology studies little by little increased the fervor in me and helped me to decide to become a priest.”

A little over a month before his ordination on August 15, 2015 , the province assigned Gallegos to Gallup, where he worked at St. Francis parish.

On the Feast of the Assumption at Holy Family Parish in Albuquerque, the Franciscan Friars of Our Lady of Guadalupe, friends, families and guests gathered in the church to see Gallegos ordained to the priesthood by Santa Fe Archbishop John C. Wester.

The Missionaries of Charity and other Sisters were also in attendance, traveling from Gallup for the occasion, in support of Deacon Gallegos.

“I was surprised the Missionaries came to my ordination,” Gallegos recalls. “They are very busy, and still made some time to come over and be present.”

The Mass, mostly in Spanish, celebrated Gallegos’ commitment to his vows as a Franciscan, and vocation as priest.

During the procession into the church, Gallegos’ parents accompanied him, pausing at the edge of the sanctuary to bless their son. The couple, in turn, was thanked by Archbishop Wester and Fr. Jack Clark Robinson, OFM, provincial minister, for giving their son to God’s service in this special way.

Called forward by the Archbishop after the Gospel, Gallegos prostrated himself as the congregation sang the Litany of the Saints. Beside him, Brother Jorge Hernandez awaited his own ordination as deacon.

Gallegos, far right, stands with Archbishop John Wester, of Santa Fe, and other newly-ordained priests

Archbishop Wester laid hands upon Gallegos, followed by the other priests – Franciscan and secular – in attendance.

Then, his hands were anointed with holy oil, after which his parents assisted him into his set of priestly vestments.

Accompanied by heartfelt applause, Fr. Gallegos was embraced by all the Franciscans present before the Mass continued, during which he concelebrated with the Archbishop at the altar.

Following the recessional, a reception was held in Holy Family Parish hall for the newly ordained, before Fr. Gallegos returned to Gallup to assume his new duties at St. Francis Parish.

Now, Fr. Gallegos says, he is ready to serve the Gallup community.

“People are very good and welcoming, and they definitely are looking for God. People have a desire for a deep relationship with Christ.”

But in order to help his parishioners, Fr. Gallegos must also have the opportunity to grow in his own spiritual life. This opportunity is readily found in Gallup, as well as time for his new favorite priestly duty – writing homilies.

“Preparing a homily helps me to deepen the word of God, trying to find out its meaning,” Gallegos said. “It is very enriching and invites me to pray. And since Gallup is a small town, then I have time to meditate and pray.”

Gallegos’ spiritual service with the Franciscans, begun in childhood, has started anew as a priest.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to help this community,” he says. “I hope that God may give me the strength to be faithful to my vocation.”

Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org

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Bishop Wall celebrates a Mass for all members of religious orders in the Diocese of Gallup

Closing the Year of

Consecrated Life On December 5 Bishop Wall celebrated Mass at Sacred Heart Retreat Center with members of Consecrated Life Communities as a way to close and celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life. Pope Francis has called us to “Look to the Past with Gratitude, Live the Present with Passion and Embrace the Future with Hope”.

Persons living Consecrated Life are those who dedicate their lives totally to God. Most do this through publicly professing the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience, frequently called the vows of religion.

These vows are a continuation and enhancement of our Baptismal vows

and are lived in accord with the specific spirituality and charism of the institute to which these persons belong.

Throughout Church history there have been associations, communities and institutes formed for the purpose of sanctifying the world through living a holy life personally and by ministering to people in imitation of Jesus.

There is an immense variety of ways of serving God and God’s people.

Founders of communities felt a strong call from God to serve in a particular spirit and manner. They were given a gift, charism, from God to use in their service of others. Other men and women observed their way of life and were

by Sr. Rene Backe inspired by it and attracted to serve in the same manner. Main ministries of consecrated people are teaching, care for the poor and for children, a variety of ways of health care, and caring for the elderly and the dying . Some are called to live lives where most hours of the day are spent in prayer.

The Mass with Bishop Wall honored the presence and service of the consecrated women and men of the Diocese of Gallup through the variety of charisms present in the lives and ministries of these dedicated servants of God who have brought the gifts given to their founders to the Church of Gallup.

“Look to the past with gratitude, live the present with passion and embrace the future with hope!” - Pope Francis 22 Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org

“We’ve come to the desert to seek God” Benedictines Celebrate 25 Years Many early men and women saints left their lives behind to go and live a secluded life in the desert. In February of 1990, one group of Benedictine nuns in New Mexico followed these saints’ example, and this year celebrated their 25th anniversary as a formal community.

The Benedictine order began in the 6th century A.D., when siblings and saints, Benedict and Scholastica, started the formal monastic community in the Church. Natives of Italy, Benedict began an order for men and Scholastica an order for women. From Benedict’s famous monastery at Monte Cassino, which still stands today, the Benedictine order spread throughout the world in the following centuries.

The call of Benedict and Scholastica to men and women was to “establish a school for the service of the Lord... [that by] persevering in the monastery according to His teaching until death, we may by patience share in the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 4:13) and deserve to have a share also in His kingdom.”

The seven nuns who founded Our Lady of the Desert Monastery answered that call. For several years the community moved between various New Mexico towns before the nuns were invited to share space with the monks of Christ of the Desert Monastery, a community of Benedictines settled in Abiquiu, NM in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Now, they live in a modest yet welcoming community, 30 miles to the east of Blanco, NM, in the Diocese of Gallup.

“We’ve come to the monastery to seek God, and well, have we found him?” asks Mother Mary Benedicta, the superior of the nuns. She laughs as she ponders the question.

Mother Benedicta and her sisters now have a convent, several guest houses, a small gift shop, gardens, and a chapel. The monastery has come a long way since 2008, when the Benedictines moved from Abiquiu to the Diocese of Gallup, at the invitation of the pastor at Aztec, Fr. James Walker.

“That’s what we wanted to celebrate. It’s a big undertaking, building this monastery from Ground Zero. Getting the water, roads, gardens, everything,” said Mother Benedicta. “We also wanted time to sit back and reflect on our lives - on what this past 25 years has been.”

Although the official founding anniversary was in February, the nuns decided to hold the celebration in the warmer months. The big event of the day was a Mass celebrated by Bishop James Wall, and attended by two abbots from Christ in the Desert monastery. Throughout the day, visitors were encouraged to walk around the grounds and buildings.

“We’re just so blessed to be here!” Mother Benedicta said, noting that the nuns now own all of the buildings and property.

But the most fervent hope of the sisters is to build a true monastery, a home on top of the mesa with a full convent, chapel, and retreat house. Just as the ancient Church Fathers went to live in the desert, Mother Benedicta says that a monastery on the mesa would help the nuns “to grow in our monastic life and holiness, and our search for God.” In the meantime, they live in the moment. As the nuns tend the gardens, welcome visitors, and pray the Liturgy of the hours, they do the work of God. “It’s not glamorous, but it is the real experience of God,” Mother Benedicta says. “It’s an oasis in the desert, I like to call it. And we never know who is going to come down the road.”

Voice of the Southwest | dioceseofgallup.org

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