About Immaculate Conception · Tome, New Mexico
Immaculate Conception Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the historic village of Tomé, New Mexico, part of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The parish, with Catholic heritage dating back to 1754, sits on one of the oldest church sites in Valencia County and serves as the 'Mother Church' from which at least ten surrounding missions once flowed. Today it offers daily and weekend Masses in both English and Spanish, Eucharistic adoration and benediction, confession, and Lenten devotions, while sharing ministry with its active mission, the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Casa Colorada.
- Established
- 1754
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception (Nuestra Señora de Concepción Purísima)
- Rector
- Vacant
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe (Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Fe)
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception is one of the oldest parishes in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, with roots going back to the Spanish colonial era and a living devotion to the Immaculate Conception that has drawn the community together across more than two and a half centuries. Worship here is genuinely bilingual — Saturday Vigil in English, Sunday morning Mass in Spanish and a second Sunday Mass in English, with weekday Mass Tuesday through Friday — and the parish keeps strong traditional Catholic rhythms: First Friday Exposition and Benediction, First Saturday Mass with Anointing of the Sick, Friday Lenten Stations of the Cross followed by a parish meal, and Saturday confessions. It is also a tight-knit historic village parish whose families funded the recent restoration of their own adobe church, and it still shepherds the long-running Casa Colorada mission.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays at 4:00 p.m.
- By appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday Holy Hour at 11:00 a.m., following the 9:00 a.m. Mass, followed by Benediction (except summer months)
History of Immaculate Conception, Tomé
After a 1739 land grant, Spanish settlers built the first chapel in 1743 under Bishop Martín de Elizacoechea of Durango; it was completed in 1750 and dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. Bishop Pedro Tamarón's 1760 visitation praised the church, and by the time of Fray Francisco Atanasio Domínguez's 1776 report, Tomé had 135 families and 727 persons despite repeated Apache and Comanche raids. In 1822 Padre Manuel de Madariaga made Tomé an independent parish, and for decades it administered up to ten missions, including Casa Colorada, Manzano, Peralta, Valencia, Bosque Farms, Tajique, Torreon, Isleta, and La Ladera.
- Foundations laid: 1739
- Chapel completed and dedicated to the Immaculate Conception: 1750 / 1754 (parish anniversary)
- First independent pastor: Padre Manuel de Madariaga, 1822
- Bishop Tamarón's 'decent church' visitation: 1760
- Comanche raids of 1777 and 1778 killed 23 and 30 settlers
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe: one of the oldest parishes
The 'Mother Church' of the Rio Abajo
For more than a century Tomé was the Mother Church of the lower Rio Grande valley. The parish's own history lists ten missions or visitas that once belonged to Tomé, with Casa Colorada the only one still directly attached today. Many of the others grew into independent parishes after 1852, the 1860s, and into the 1890s.
- Our Lady of Sorrows, Manzano — Mission of Tomé 1854–1859
- Santa Ana de La Ladera — Mission of Tomé 1867–1891
- San Agustin, Isleta — Mission of Tomé 1858–1859
- San José de los Pinos (now Bosque Farms) — Mission of Tomé 1852–1891
- San Antonio, Tajique — Mission of Tomé 1834–1859
- Saint Anthony and the Holy Family, Torreon — Mission of Tomé 1852–1859
- Sangre de Cristo, Valencia — Mission of Tomé 1821–1971
- Our Lady of Guadalupe, Peralta — Mission of Tomé 1892–1971
- Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Casa Colorada — Mission of Tomé 1821 to the present
Architecture, Plaza and Church Restoration
The parish stands on the historic Tomé plaza, across from the surviving 1875 Tomé Jail, with Cerro de Tomé rising three miles to the east. The current church sits on unexpectedly deep rock foundations (four feet deep and four feet wide) and was covered for decades by heavy cement plaster. In a roughly $1 million parish-led preservation funded almost entirely by parishioners, that plaster was stripped back and the bells were returned, restoring the adobe building to its earlier appearance. New Mexico Magazine and the parish's own YouTube channel document the work.
- Tradition: Rio Abajo Spanish-colonial plaza church
- Foundations: rock, four feet deep and four feet wide
- Plaza neighbor: the historic Tomé Jail (1875 courthouse)
- Restoration: ~$1 million, funded by parishioners
- Cerro de Tomé: pilgrimage hill with three large crosses placed after WWII
Parish Staff and Clergy
The pastoral seat is currently vacant, with retired Pastor Emeritus Father Jose A. Hernandez and Permanent Deacon Chris Garcia serving the parish. Day-to-day operations are run by Parish Secretary Erica Chavez and Bookkeeper Bessie Gallegos, supported by office volunteers Bonnie Shea, Dolores Sanchez, and Anna Martinez. The parish office can be reached at 505-865-7497.
- Pastor: Vacant
- Pastor Emeritus: Father Jose A. Hernandez
- Permanent Deacon: Deacon Chris Garcia
- Secretary: Erica Chavez
- Bookkeeper: Bessie Gallegos
- Office Volunteers: Bonnie Shea, Dolores Sanchez, Anna Martinez
Lenten Season: Stations of the Cross
During Lent the parish gathers every Friday at 6:30 p.m. to pray the Stations of the Cross, followed by a communal Lenten meal in the Parish Hall — a tradition that doubles as a community-bonding event in addition to a devotion.
- Stations of the Cross — Fridays during Lent at 6:30 p.m.
- Lenten meal to follow in the Parish Hall
Casa Colorada Mission
The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Casa Colorada is the longest-running mission parish of Tomé — the website lists its mission status from 1821 to the present. Located about five miles away in Casa Colorada (Valencia County), its current church was rebuilt in 1949 in a style reminiscent of earlier New Mexico mission churches, and a Sunday Mass is held there at 12:00 p.m. on the fourth Sunday of each month.
- Mission of Tomé since 1821
- Original church fell into ruin in the 1930s; rebuilt in 1949
- Mass: 4th Sunday of the month, 12:00 p.m.
- Listed under the Archdiocese of Santa Fe as a separate GCatholic entry
Parish Life and Outreach
In its own words the parish is 'a growing community of faith, family, and heritage,' seeking 'to care, to compassion, and mercy as heralds of God's Grace.' Beyond the liturgical schedule it maintains a YouTube archive of parish history (the 1946 Good Friday celebration, the 2002 Good Friday, the church restoration, and the 2021 Hobo Cane Concert), publishes a regular bulletin, and runs a network of parish office volunteers who support visiting pilgrims and families year-round.
- Weekly parish bulletin (online)
- YouTube archive of historic Good Friday celebrations and the church restoration
- Office volunteer corps (Bonnie Shea, Dolores Sanchez, Anna Martinez)
- Newcomer registration via the parish office
Visiting the Parish
Immaculate Conception is located at 7 Church Loop, Tomé, NM 87060, on the historic Tomé plaza in Valencia County, midway between Albuquerque and Socorro via the Rio Grande valley. An interactive map and driving directions are available on the parish website; to reserve parish facilities or schedule an event, contact the office at 505-865-7497 or [email protected].
- Address: 7 Church Loop, Tomé, NM 87060
- Phone: (505) 865-7497
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.olic-tome.org
- Facebook: Immaculate Conception-Tome NM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Padre Manuel de Madariaga1822–
First pastor when Tomé became its own parish (previously a mission of Belen and Isleta).