About Our Lady of Guadalupe · Albuquerque, New Mexico
Our Lady of Guadalupe is a bilingual Roman Catholic parish in the Los Griegos / Los Candelarias area of northwest Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The parish traces its roots to the 19th-century Capilla de Guadalupe and Capilla de San Antonio chapels and serves a community that includes long-established Albuquerque families and Latin American immigrants, offering Mass in both English and Spanish. It is led by Father Chris Hallada and staffed by two deacons, a religious education director, and parish office and facilities personnel. The parish is known for its welcoming atmosphere, its grotto honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe and San Juan Diego, and a wide range of ministries and groups that meet on its campus on Griegos Road NW.
- Established
- 1950
- Patron
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Rector
- Father Chris Hallada
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Why belong here
Our Lady of Guadalupe offers a bilingual Catholic home for families from across Albuquerque and for Latin American immigrants, with Mass celebrated in both English and Spanish every weekend and most weekdays. The parish supports the full sacramental and faith-formation life of its members — religious education for children, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation) for adults, two-year First Communion and Confirmation programs, weekday Mass, Saturday confessions, Tuesday Eucharistic Adoration, and a private prayer chapel open daily. A wide variety of parish groups, from the Spanish Choir and Grupo de Oración to the Knights of Columbus, the Kateri Circle, the Altar & Rosary Society, and Walking with Moms in Need, give every parishioner a place to grow in faith, serve neighbors, and build community.
Mass times at Our Lady of Guadalupe
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 2:00 PM (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Tuesday: After Mass until 12:00 PM (in the Chapel)
About Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish
Our Lady of Guadalupe is a bilingual Roman Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, located in the historic Los Griegos / Los Candelarias area of northwest Albuquerque at 1860 Griegos Road NW. The parish traces its roots to the old Capilla de Guadalupe (c. 1890) in Los Griegos and the Capilla de San Antonio in Los Candelarias, both of which were absorbed into Albuquerque in the 1950s. Today the parish serves families from across the city as well as a substantial community of Latin American immigrants, offering Mass in both English and Spanish. The parish describes itself as a member of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in union with the Roman Catholic Church, and it offers many volunteer opportunities and a warm welcome to those seeking a place to worship and call home.
- Parish established in 1950; present church built in 1955
- Old chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe dates to c. 1890
- Grotto honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe and San Juan Diego built in 1996
- Member parish of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe
- Led by Father Chris Hallada
History of the Parish
The communities of Los Griegos and Los Candelarias, north of Albuquerque's Old Town, have existed since at least 1708 and for generations were served by San Felipe de Neri Parish. An old chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe was built in the area around 1890. The parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe itself was canonically established in 1950, formed from the union of the two historic chapels: La Capilla de Guadalupe in Los Griegos and La Capilla de San Antonio in Los Candelarias. The present-day church building was constructed in 1955, and in 1996 the community built an outdoor grotto honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe and San Juan Diego to mark the parish's fortieth anniversary. In the modern era the parish has grown into a bilingual community serving families from across Albuquerque and a significant population of Latin American immigrants.
- 1708: Los Griegos and Los Candelarias communities established
- c. 1890: Old Capilla de Guadalupe built
- 1950: Parish canonically established
- 1955: Present-day church built
- 1996: Grotto of Our Lady of Guadalupe and San Juan Diego built for 40th anniversary
Parish Staff and Clergy
The parish is led by Father Chris Hallada, an Albuquerque native who was born on November 7, 1979, baptized at the Jerusalem Community south of Belen, and ordained in 2017 after undergraduate and graduate studies at UNM and service as a Youth and Young Adult Minister at Annunciation Parish. Before coming to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Father Hallada served at Cristo Rey, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, and Our Lady of Fatima. He is supported by two deacons — Deacon Enrique Retana and Deacon Juan Ortiz — and a parish staff that includes Rosa De Aragon (Director of Religious Education), Juan Manuel Cabrera (Office and Facilities Manager), Charlotte Flores (Secretary), and Anna Maria Gomez (Plant Operations Manager). Many of these roles are offered in both English and Spanish on the parish website.
- Father Chris Hallada — Pastor
- Deacon Enrique Retana
- Deacon Juan Ortiz
- Rosa De Aragon — Director of Religious Education
- Juan Manuel Cabrera — Office and Facilities Manager
- Charlotte Flores — Secretary
- Anna Maria Gomez — Plant Operations Manager
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith Formation classes for children are held on Sundays from 10:45 AM to 11:45 AM, with attendance at the 9:30 AM Sunday Mass required. The First Holy Communion and Confirmation programs are both two-year programs. The parish also publishes a full Faith Formation Calendar covering Elementary, Middle School, High School Confirmation sessions, OCIA classes, First Reconciliation, First Communion rehearsals, and an annual High School Confirmation Retreat held jointly with St. Therese Parish.
- Sunday Faith Formation: 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
- First Holy Communion — two-year program
- Confirmation — two-year program
- First Reconciliation for children
- High School Confirmation Retreat (joint with St. Therese Parish)
OCIA — Order of Christian Initiation for Adults
Adult Faith Formation classes for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) are held on Tuesdays from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM in the Parish Hall dining room and St. Rose room. The program welcomes adults who have never been baptized, those baptized in another Christian denomination, and Catholics who have not yet received First Holy Communion and/or Confirmation. The Sacraments of Initiation are celebrated at the Easter Vigil.
- OCIA sessions: Tuesdays 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
- Open to uncatechized adults, Christians from other denominations, and Catholics completing initiation
- Easter Vigil: Sacraments of Initiation celebrated
Parish Ministries and Groups
Our Lady of Guadalupe hosts a wide variety of ministries and groups that meet on a regular basis, many of them bilingual or offered in both English and Spanish. Spiritual, service, fellowship, and cultural groups give parishioners of every age and background a way to grow in faith and serve the wider community. The parish website lists groups with their regular meeting days, times, and locations in the Parish Hall rooms (Sts. Peter and Paul Room, St. Andrew Room, St. Rose Room, Knights of Columbus Room, and Dining Room) and in the church itself.
- Altar & Rosary Society — 3rd Sunday, 2:00 PM, Sts. Peter and Paul Room
- Bereavement Ministry — assists with funeral planning
- Walking with Moms in Need — partners with Birthright of NM
- Queen of Angels Kateri Circle (Native American Ministries) — 3rd Sunday, 11:00 AM, Parish Hall Dining Room
- Al-Anon — support for families of alcoholics
- Fiesta Committee — organizes the yearly parish fiesta
- ACTS — 2nd Monday, 7:00 PM, Knights of Columbus Room
- Spanish Choir — rehearsal every other Monday, 6:00 PM, in the church
- Senior Group — Thursdays during the school year, 8:30 AM, Parish Hall Dining Room
- Grupo de Oración (Spanish Charismatic) — Tuesdays, 6:30 PM, in the church
- Cursillos — Mondays, 6:30 PM, Parish Hall Dining Room
- Lectio Divino Group — Thursdays, 10:30 AM, St. Rose Room
- Knights of Columbus — 3rd Tuesday, 6:30 PM, Sts. Peter and Paul Room
Sacraments
The parish prepares members for the full sacramental life of the Church. Children prepare for First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation through the parish Faith Formation program (a two-year preparation for each). Adults prepare for Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion through the OCIA process, with the Sacraments of Initiation celebrated at the Easter Vigil. The Bereavement Ministry assists families and the pastor with funeral planning, and the parish welcomes inquiries about Baptism, Marriage, and other sacraments through the parish office at (505) 345-4596.
- Baptism (infant and adult via OCIA)
- First Reconciliation
- First Holy Communion (two-year preparation)
- Confirmation (two-year preparation, including High School)
- Marriage / Matrimony
- Anointing of the Sick and Funeral Ministry