About Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary · Laguna, New Mexico
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Catholic mission church in the small Laguna Pueblo village of Encinal, New Mexico, about 15 miles northwest of the main pueblo of Laguna. It is one of eight mission communities supervised by St. Joseph Parish in Laguna, within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup. The present adobe chapel was built by local villagers and the Franciscan friar Fr. Fridolin Schuster, OFM, between August 1920 and August 1921, and was dedicated on September 8, 1921 — the feast of the Nativity of Mary — by the Archbishop of Santa Fe, Most Rev. Albert T. Daeger, OFM. It remains an active mission served from St. Joseph Parish, where the Laguna people still regard San José de la Laguna as their 'mother church.'
- Established
- 1921
- Patron
- Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Diocese
- Diocese of Gallup
Why belong here
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary mission is a small, living Catholic community of Laguna Pueblo, rooted in a chapel that the villagers themselves built in 1920–1921 with their own hands and the help of a Franciscan friar. Worshipping here connects a parishioner directly to the Laguna feast-day tradition: the annual Encinal Village Feast on September 8 brings the village together for Mass, procession, and traditional dances, and the satellite mission is lovingly tied to the 'mother church' of San José de la Laguna and to the wider cluster of eight Laguna Pueblo missions staffed from St. Joseph Parish in Laguna. It is a place where Mass is celebrated in the rhythm of Pueblo life and where a small but devoted Catholic community keeps a century-old Franciscan mission alive.
Mass times at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00–4:00 pm at St. Joseph, Laguna (supervising parish), or half an hour before any scheduled Mass
History of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Encinal
The mission chapel in the village of Encinal was built by the local villagers themselves, working under the direction of the Franciscan friar Fr. Fridolin Schuster, OFM, between August 1920 and August 1921. It was solemnly dedicated on September 8, 1921 — the feast of the Nativity of Mary — by the Most Reverend Albert T. Daeger, OFM, DD, Archbishop of Santa Fe. The chapel took its place as one of the satellite mission churches of the Pueblo of Laguna, all of which are spiritually and pastorally rooted in Mission San José de la Laguna, founded in 1699 by Friar Antonio de Miranda, OFM.
- Built August 1920 – August 1921
- Built by Encinal villagers under Fr. Fridolin Schuster, OFM
- Dedicated September 8, 1921 by Archbishop Albert T. Daeger, OFM
- Feast day: September 8, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Patron and Feast Day
The chapel is dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with the annual feast celebrated on September 8. The Encinal Village Feast is one of the major public celebrations of the Pueblo of Laguna and draws pilgrims and visitors together with the local Catholic community for Mass, traditional dances, and festivities in the village.
- Patron: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Feast day: September 8
- Encinal Village Feast is held each year on the feast day
Architecture and Setting
The Encinal mission is a small adobe chapel in the Pueblo-Franciscan tradition that defines the churches of Laguna Pueblo, sharing stylistic roots with the older Mission San José de la Laguna at the main pueblo. Encinal is located about 15 miles northwest of the main Laguna village and 6 miles east of Cubero, NM, set within the homelands of the Pueblo of Laguna, the largest of the Keresan-speaking pueblos.
- Style: early Pueblo-Franciscan mission chapel
- Construction: adobe, built 1920–1921
- Location: village of Encinal, Pueblo of Laguna, NM
The Laguna Pueblo Mission Cluster
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of eight mission churches supervised by St. Joseph Parish in Laguna. Together they form a single pastoral cluster covering the Pueblo of Laguna's principal villages, with the historic Mission San José de la Laguna at the main pueblo serving as the spiritual 'mother church' for the surrounding communities.
- Supervising parish: St. Joseph, Laguna (Pastor: Fr. Joseph Xavier Kanna)
- San Esteban del Rey, Acoma
- St. Anne, Acomita
- Santa Maria de Acoma, McCartys
- Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Encinal
- Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mesita
- St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Paguate
- St. Margaret Mary, Paraje
- St. Anne, Seama
Contact Information
The mission is administered through St. Joseph Parish in Laguna. Mail for the mission may be sent to the parish's PO Box; phone inquiries should be directed to St. Joseph Parish.
- Mailing address: PO Box 1000, 1 Friar Rd, Laguna, NM 87026-1000
- Phone: (505) 552-9330
- Parish website: dioceseofgallup.org (parish pages)
- Supervising parish: St. Joseph, Laguna
Visiting the Pueblo of Laguna
Encinal lies within the Pueblo of Laguna, a sovereign tribal community. Visitors are welcome to attend public fiestas — including the September 8 Encinal Village Feast and the September 19 Feast of St. Joseph at San José de la Laguna — but should observe the pueblo's rules regarding photography, recording, and access to private areas. The wider Pueblo of Laguna is also notable as the home of the only Pueblo still visible from historic Route 66, with Mission San José de la Laguna (1699–1701) listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973.
- Encinal Village Feast: September 8
- Feast of St. Joseph at San José de la Laguna: September 19
- Pueblo rules apply — photography and recording restricted without permission
- Mission San José de la Laguna is a National Register of Historic Places site
Historical Context: The Pueblo of Laguna
The Pueblo of Laguna is the largest of the Keresan-speaking pueblos, established in 1699 by Kawaik people and others displaced after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. It is the only Pueblo founded after the European arrival in the Americas. Catholic mission work began with Friar Antonio de Miranda, OFM, who built Mission San José de la Laguna in 1699–1701; after the Franciscans were expelled in the early nineteenth century, missionary activity lapsed until they returned in 1910, when Fr. Fridolin Schuster, OFM, rebuilt and expanded the mission network — including the chapel at Encinal.
- Pueblo of Laguna founded 1699
- Mission San José de la Laguna: 1699–1701
- Franciscans returned to New Mexico in 1910
- Fr. Fridolin Schuster, OFM, built the Encinal chapel 1920–1921
- Archbishop Albert T. Daeger, OFM, dedicated it September 8, 1921