Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

History & Significance

Cathedral · Est. Parish established 1953; cathedral built 1965–1966; elevated to cathedral 1982

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Las Cruces, New Mexico, grew from a chapel built in 1947 and a parish established in 1953, serving a community swelled by workers at the White Sands Missile Range. The present church was constructed in 1965–1966 in a modern Southwestern style. When Pope John Paul II erected the Diocese of Las Cruces on August 17, 1982, the church was elevated to serve as its cathedral, the seat of the bishop. It remains the mother church of the Diocese of Las Cruces, a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

Modern Southwestern style (built 1965–1966)

• •Seat (mother church) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces
• •Present church built 1965–1966; parish dates to 1953
• •Elevated to cathedral in 1982 when Pope John Paul II erected the diocese
• •Suffragan to the metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Fe
• •Located at 1240 S. Espina, Las Cruces, New Mexico