About Immaculate Conception Mission · Casa Colorada, New Mexico
Immaculate Conception Mission in Casa Colorada, New Mexico is a small Catholic mission church served by Immaculate Conception Parish of Tomé. The mission has been a dependent chapel of Tomé's parish since 1821, making it one of the longest-running mission relationships in the Middle Río Grande Valley. Casa Colorada, a small village about five miles south of Belen on NM State Highway 304, was re-established in 1823 when settlers received a land grant. Mass is celebrated at the mission every fourth Sunday of the month at 12:00 p.m., and the parish website (olic-tome.org) shares this and all other Tomé schedule information. The mission falls under the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
- Established
- 1821
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Why belong here
The Casa Colorada mission offers monthly Sunday Mass (12:00 p.m. on the fourth Sunday of the month) in the heart of a small, tight-knit village with deep Spanish-colonial roots. It belongs to Tomé's Immaculate Conception Parish — a parish with nearly three centuries of history, an active music ministry with multiple choirs, Knights of Columbus and women's auxiliary groups, Eucharistic Adoration on First Fridays, RCIA, and a strong tradition of faith formation and charitable outreach. For Spanish-surnamed families along the southern Río Grande Valley, it is a beloved place to pray with neighbors who share the same centuries-old heritage.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays at 4:00pm, or by appointment (Tomé)
Adoration times
- First Friday after the 9 a.m. Mass (Tomé); Holy Hour at 11 a.m. followed by Benediction (except summer months)
About Immaculate Conception Mission, Casa Colorada
Immaculate Conception Mission in Casa Colorada is a small village mission in Valencia County, New Mexico, served by Immaculate Conception Parish of Tomé. The mission has been a chapel dependent on Tomé parish since 1821. Casa Colorada is in the southern Río Grande Valley near Belen, and the mission falls under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
History of Casa Colorada and the Mission
Spanish settlers first came to the Casa Colorada area in the 1740s but soon abandoned the settlement. The community was re-established in 1823 under the name Casa Colorada when a group of settlers received a land grant. According to Immaculate Conception Parish of Tomé, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception at Casa Colorada has been a mission of Tomé from 1821 to the present — making it one of the oldest continuously functioning mission relationships in central New Mexico.
- 1740s: First Spanish settlement; later abandoned
- 1823: Casa Colorada re-established under land grant
- 1821 onward: Mission status under Tomé parish (one of up to ten Tomé missions or visitas)
- Original church built in the 1920s; fell into ruin during the 1930s
- Current church rebuilt in 1949 in style reminiscent of earlier adobe churches
Parish Ministries & Organizations
The Tomé parish — which administers the Casa Colorada mission — runs a wide range of lay ministries covering music, hospitality, faith formation, charity, and parish governance. Many ministries are led by parish volunteers with the Mayordomos welcoming tradition and the Ladies Auxiliary particularly rooted in the area's Hispanic heritage.
- Music Ministry with multiple choirs (5:30, 8:00, 10:00) and Youth Mass choir on 1st Sundays
- Knights of Columbus — Padre Pio Council (1st Thursday, 7:00 p.m.)
- Men's Coffee/Rekindle the Fire Group (2nd Saturday, 7:00–9:00 a.m.)
- Ladies Auxiliary (Saturday mornings)
- Monday Night Prayer Group
- Altar Servers / Senior Altar Servers
- Extraordinary Ministers of Communion (incl. visits to sick and homebound)
- Baptism Preparation, Bereavement Meal, Flowers & Grounds
- Finance Council, Offertory Counters, Sacristans, Lectors
- Program for Child and Youth Protection
Faith Formation & Sacraments
Adult Christian Initiation (RCIA) prepares adults for the Catholic sacraments of initiation. Parents of infants and young children attend Baptism Preparation on the 2nd Sunday after the 10:00 Mass, one month before the child's baptism, which takes place on the third weekend of the month at the Vigil or Sunday Mass. The Anointing of the Sick is offered at the special First Saturday 9:00 a.m. Mass.
- Baptism Preparation
- Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
- Anointing of the Sick on First Saturdays
Parish Staff & Leadership
At the time of writing, the position of pastor at Immaculate Conception Parish of Tomé (and therefore of the Casa Colorada mission) is listed as vacant on the parish website. The retired pastor emeritus, Father Jose A. Hernandez, remains associated with the parish. Deacon Chris Garcia serves as permanent deacon, with Erica Chavez as secretary and Bessie Gallegos as bookkeeper.
- Pastor — vacant
- Permanent Deacon — Deacon Chris Garcia
- Retired Pastor Emeritus — Father Jose A. Hernandez
- Secretary — Erica Chavez
- Bookkeeper — Bessie Gallegos
- Office Volunteers — Bonnie Shea, Dolores Sanchez, Anna Martinez
Visiting Casa Colorada Mission
Casa Colorada is in Valencia County along NM State Highway 304, roughly five miles south of Belen, in the southern part of the Albuquerque–Santa Fe metropolitan area. Visitors traveling to Sunday Mass at the mission should follow NM 304; those attending Mass at Tomé parish should turn onto Church Loop Road from NM-27.
- Casa Colorada Mission — along NM SH 304, about 5 miles south of Belen
- Tomé Parish — 7 Church Loop, Tomé, NM 87060
- Phone — (505) 865-7497
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Padre Manuel de Madariagafrom 1822
Became the first resident pastor of Tomé parish; oversaw the Casa Colorada mission.
- Father Jean Baptiste Rallièremid-to-late 19th century
French immigrant priest assigned to Tomé; oversaw the wider mission network including Casa Colorada.