About Holy Family · Albuquerque, New Mexico
Holy Family Catholic Church (Iglesia de la Sagrada Familia) is a Roman Catholic parish in the historic Atrisco neighborhood of southwest Albuquerque, New Mexico, affiliated with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and spiritually shepherded by Franciscan friars. Established in 1953, the parish has long served the working-class, multicultural Atrisco community along Atrisco Drive SW, and it is notable for offering American Sign Language (ASL) Masses as part of its wider outreach. The parish runs a robust bilingual schedule in English and Spanish, with a strong network of lay ministries, a religious education program, a youth group, and the parish is home to a St. Vincent de Paul conference that serves neighbors in need.
- Established
- 1953
- Patron
- The Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Fr. Patrick Schafer, OFM
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Why belong here
Holy Family combines a Franciscan heritage with concrete, on-the-ground ministry in one of Albuquerque's most historic neighborhoods. The parish offers a full bilingual schedule (two Spanish Masses every weekend and a 7:00 a.m. Spanish Mass on Wednesdays), a staffed religious education program under Director Karen Mitchell, an active youth group under Director Jeremiah Mitchell, a St. Vincent de Paul conference that meets twice a month to assist the poor of the Atrisco area, prayer groups like ACTS and the Spanish-language Grupo de Oración, the Knights of Columbus, the Secular Franciscans (Franciscanos Seglares), and even ASL Masses for the Deaf community — all reasons a parishioner can find genuine community and service here.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
- Weekdays: by appointment
Parish Identity & Heritage
Holy Family Catholic Church (Iglesia de la Sagrada Familia) is a Roman Catholic parish in the Atrisco neighborhood of southwest Albuquerque, founded in 1953 and entrusted to the spiritual guidance of the Franciscans. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and is administered by the Order of Friars Minor (OFM), drawing on the long Franciscan Catholic tradition in northern New Mexico. Its formal mission statement proclaims that the community lives "under the protection of the Holy Family" and commits itself to worship, prayer, teaching, and serving neighbors affected by drug/alcohol abuse, poverty, gangs, immigration struggles, and the hardships of urban growth in a multicultural setting.
- Patron: The Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Feast: Feast of the Holy Family (Sunday in the Octave of Christmas)
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Santa Fe
- Order: Friars Minor / Franciscan (OFM)
- Established: 1953
Franciscans & the Parish's Roots
From its earliest years Holy Family has been a Franciscan parish. Sacramental registers preserved on microfilm at the Archdiocese of Santa Fe cover baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and deaths from 1953 onward (film 16657). A 1953-1954 archival note in Marquette University's guide to Catholic records about Native Americans indicates that Franciscans of the St. John the Baptist Province assigned to Holy Family also ministered to students at the Albuquerque Government Indian School, drawing from Navajo, Tewa, and Jemez communities. The continuing Franciscan presence is reflected today in the parish's Secular Franciscan fraternity (Franciscanos Seglares), which holds formation and consejo meetings on the second Saturday of the month and fraternity meetings on the third Saturday.
- Friars Minor (OFM) staff the parish
- St. John the Baptist Province historical link
- Secular Franciscans active on-site (Franciscanos Seglares)
Clergy & Pastoral Staff
Holy Family is staffed by Franciscan friars together with lay administrators, parish secretaries, and directors of religious education and youth ministry. The pastor is Fr. Patrick Schafer, OFM, and he is assisted by parochial vicar Fr. Andres Gallegos, OFM. Two permanent deacons — Eddie Blea and Edgar Torres — round out the ordained ministry. The parish also employs a director of religious education, a youth-group director, a volunteer activities director, bookkeepers, secretaries, and maintenance staff who keep the parish office running Monday through Friday.
- Pastor: Fr. Patrick Schafer, OFM
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Andres Gallegos, OFM
- Deacon Eddie Blea
- Deacon Edgar Torres
- Religious Education Director: Karen Mitchell (505-842-5448, [email protected])
- Youth Group Director: Jeremiah Mitchell
- Volunteer Activities Director: Judy Gomez
- Secretaries: Anna Musciotto, Araceli Ortiz, Jessie Barajas
- Bookkeepers: Josefa Tarin, Paula Montoya
- Maintenance: Alberto Rios
Parish Office & Bulletin
The parish office is open Monday from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Tuesday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, and Friday from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM. Phone: 505-842-5426 (fax 505-842-9767). The parish publishes a weekly bulletin — "Holy Family Bulletin," distributed through JCPress / The Catholic Communicator — that prints the Mass schedule, ministry calendar, pastor's letter, weekly collection totals, prayer list, and announcements from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
- Office phone: 505-842-5426
- Fax: 505-842-9767
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 12127, Albuquerque, NM 87195
Liturgy & the Deaf Community (ASL Masses)
A distinctive feature of Holy Family under Fr. Schafer's pastorate is its outreach to the Catholic Deaf community. The parish has been listed among national ASL Sunday Mass providers, with the 8:00 a.m. Sunday Mass interpreted in ASL/English and the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass interpreted in ASL/Spanish; both services have been broadcast on the Holy Family Catholic Church Facebook page and YouTube channel. This makes Holy Family a regional resource for Deaf Catholics in central New Mexico who otherwise would have very limited access to the sacraments in sign language.
- Sunday 8:00 AM Mass in ASL/English
- Sunday 10:00 AM Mass in ASL/Spanish
- Streamed via Facebook (Holy Family Catholic Church) and YouTube
Parish Ministries & Groups
Holy Family maintains an unusually deep bench of lay ministries that meet weekly or monthly in its parish hall (Parish Hall), Mathew Hall, BM Hall, and 4-Way meeting rooms. These include two Spanish-language prayer groups (Grupo de Oración on Wednesdays and Fridays), the lay-led ACTS community, the parish's Knights of Columbus council, a Spanish-language women's group called Mujeres en Gracia, the Sacred Heart League, and the council of Secular Franciscans. A monthly calendar of all meetings is published in the weekly parish bulletin.
- ACTS prayer group — Mondays, Parish Hall, 7:00-9:00 PM
- Grupo de Oración (Spanish) — Wednesdays, Mathew Hall, 6:30-9:00 PM; Fridays, Parish Hall, 7:00-9:00 PM
- Knights of Columbus — Tuesdays, Mathew Hall, 6:30-9:00 PM
- Mujeres en Gracia — Thursdays, Parish Hall, 6:30-9:00 PM
- Sacred Heart League — 1st Sunday, BM Hall, 9:00-11:00 AM
- Pastoral Council — 3rd Thursday, Parish Hall, 6:30-8:00 PM
- Franciscanos Seglares Formación / Consejo — 2nd Saturday, 1:00-5:00 PM
- Franciscanos Seglares Fraternidad — 3rd Saturday, 3:00-5:00 PM
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish runs a religious education (CCD) program under Director Karen Mitchell. Families can reach the religious education office at 505-842-5448 or by email ([email protected]). The bulletin lists CCD class days and sacramental preparation cycles for First Communion and Confirmation, in line with the parish's bilingual identity.
- Director: Karen Mitchell
- Phone: 505-842-5448
- Email: [email protected]
Youth Ministry
Holy Family has a dedicated youth ministry led by Jeremiah Mitchell, providing weekly gatherings, faith formation, and outreach for the parish's middle-school and high-school youth. The youth ministry is also plugged into Archdiocesan young-adult events (such as the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament hosted by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe's Office of Faith Formation).
- Youth Group Director: Jeremiah Mitchell
Outreach & Charity
Holy Family is home to a Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference that meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month at 5:00 p.m. in BM Hall, providing material assistance (food, rent, utilities, household goods) to neighbors in need throughout the Atrisco area. The parish also participates in the Archdiocese's Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA), with a volunteer ACA campaign coordinator on staff. Weekly Sunday collections are reported in the parish bulletin.
- St. Vincent de Paul Conference — 1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 5:00 PM, BM Hall
- Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) — coordinated by Paula Montoya
- Weekly envelope and children's collections, plus special-project giving