About Our Lady of Light · Cubero, New Mexico
Our Lady of Light is a small Roman Catholic mission parish in the village of Cubero, New Mexico, in the Diocese of Gallup. It is currently classified as a mission of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Seboyeta (Cebolleta) and is one of the oldest Hispanic Catholic communities in Cibola County, tracing its origins to the 1833 Mexican land grant that founded the village of Cubero. The parish is best known to outsiders as the home of the long-running Annual Fiesta of Our Lady of Light, celebrated every January 1, and for an active lay community that has partnered with outside charities to make the historic adobe-walled church fully accessible.
- Established
- 1866
- Patron
- Our Lady of Light (Nuestra Señora de la Luz)
- Rector
- Fr. Augustine Mathew (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup
Why belong here
Our Lady of Light is the spiritual heart of a small, multigenerational Hispanic Catholic village on historic Route 66 in Cibola County. Belonging here means joining a community that has worshiped at this site since 1866 — a community that still gathers every January 1 for the Fiesta of Our Lady of Light with Vespers, an outdoor procession around nine luminaries, and Fiesta Mass, and that continues the Penitente-influenced traditions of the Hermanos de Luz. Parishioners worship in a church renewed in 2011, celebrate Mass on the 2nd and 4th Sundays at 4:00 pm, and actively shape the parish — its youth group has secured multiple grants to make the worship space and parish hall fully accessible to wheelchair users and their families.
Mass times at Our Lady of Light
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity & Location
Our Lady of Light (Nuestra Señora de la Luz) is the Catholic mission parish serving the historic village of Cubero, Cibola County, New Mexico, in the Diocese of Gallup. It is currently administered as a mission of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Seboyeta (Cebolleta), within the diocese's Cibola Vicariate. The parish falls under the care of a Parochial Administrator, Fr. Augustine Mathew, supported by Parochial Vicars Fr. Emmanuel Johnson and Fr. Aaron Alford, and by Sr. Ellen Corcoran, SCSJA, who serves as pastoral administrator for the combined Cubero–Seboyeta cluster.
- Type: Mission (Diocese of Gallup)
- Vicariate: Cibola
- Parent parish: Our Lady of Sorrows, Seboyeta (Cebolleta)
- Mass schedule: 2nd and 4th Sundays, 4:00 pm
- Parish phone: 505-552-6301
History of the Parish
The parish traces its origins to 1866, when a mission was established at Cubero and an adobe church — Our Lady of Light — was constructed to serve a community that had been founded in 1833 as a Mexican land-grant colony. The thick adobe walls of the original church doubled as a refuge during Apache and Navajo raids, and the building was the spiritual focus of a Hispanic Catholic community whose faith was sustained between priestly visits by the local Penitente Brotherhood and its affiliated Hermanos de Luz. After the original adobe was weakened by flash floods, the present church was built 1972–1975 and dedicated by Bishop Jerome Hastrich on May 4, 1975; the sanctuary was later renovated in 2011.
- 1833: Republic of Mexico grants ~16,490 acres to 62 settlers, founding Cubero
- Early years: faithful travel to Seboyeta and Laguna for sacraments
- 1866: Mission established at Cubero; adobe church built
- Adobe walls ~40 inches thick; refuge against Apache and Navajo raids until 1881
- San Fidel becomes a parish in 1921; Our Lady of Light serves as one of its missions
- 1972–1975: New church and hall built under Fr. Adam Whethington, OFM
- May 4, 1975: Church dedicated by Bishop Jerome Hastrich
- 1985: Franciscan friars replaced by diocesan priests
- 1999: Priest shortage leads to pastoral-administrator model
- 2011: Sanctuary renovated, incorporating elements from the original adobe
Patron and Fiesta of Our Lady of Light
The parish takes its name from Our Lady of Light (Nuestra Señora de la Luz), and its annual Fiesta is celebrated on January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. In earlier generations the celebration was very extensive, with Matachine dancing and a dinner at the home of the mayordomos — in later years held in the parish hall — followed by an overnight velorio. Today the Fiesta begins on New Year's Eve with Vespers followed by an outdoor procession around nine luminaries, and culminates in the Fiesta Mass on New Year's Day.
- New Year's Eve: Vespers and outdoor procession around nine luminaries
- New Year's Day: Fiesta Mass (Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God)
- Historical role of mayordomos as stewards of the celebration
- Matachine (Matechines) dancing as a traditional element
The Original Adobe Church
The original Our Lady of Light was a thick-walled adobe structure built for both worship and protection. In the era of Apache and Navajo raids it served as a refuge for local families, and an old cannon remained on the church grounds long after the raids subsided in 1881. In time, the walls were weakened by flash floods, and the building eventually had to be replaced.
- Walls ~40 inches thick
- Used as a refuge from raids until 1881
- Old cannon reportedly kept on the church grounds for many years
- Weakened over time by flash floods
Building the Present Church (1972–1975)
Replacing the flood-damaged adobe was a multi-year project led by Franciscan Father Adam Whethington, OFM. With the help of many benefactors, a new church and parish hall were constructed between 1972 and 1975, and the new church was dedicated to Our Lady of Light by Bishop Jerome Hastrich on May 4, 1975. A later 2011 renovation refreshed the sanctuary and wove in features from the original adobe church.
- Built 1972–1975 under Fr. Adam Whethington, OFM
- Dedicated by Bishop Jerome Hastrich on May 4, 1975
- Sanctuary renovated in 2011 with salvaged elements from the original adobe
Penitente Heritage & the Morada
Long before the parish had regular clergy, Cubero's Catholic life was kept alive by the Penitente Brotherhood (Los Hermanos). Locally, members of two affiliated chapters — the Hermanos de Luz (Brothers of Light) and the Hermanos de Sangre (Brothers of Blood) — maintained a Christian brotherhood through prayer meetings, rosaries, and Holy Week processions. Their meeting house, the Morada, served as the unit that gathered people for services and prayers; some of the religious statues and crucifixes have been preserved, but only the shell of the Morada remains.
- Penitente Brotherhood (Los Hermanos) kept the faith between priestly visits
- Local chapters: Hermanos de Luz, Hermanos de Sangre
- Morada once served as meeting house for prayer and services
- Some original statues and crucifixes preserved
Clergy & Parish Leadership
Day-to-day leadership is provided by the Diocese of Gallup through a Parochial Administrator and Parochial Vicars shared with neighboring parishes in the Cibola Vicariate, with on-the-ground pastoral administration provided by Sr. Ellen Corcoran, SCSJA. Sr. Ellen has served the combined Cubero–Seboyeta cluster as pastoral administrator since around 2005, also taking on the roles of parish secretary, bookkeeper, DRE, catechist, and liturgy/environment coordinator.
- Fr. Augustine Mathew — Parochial Administrator
- Fr. Emmanuel Johnson — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Aaron Alford — Parochial Vicar
- Sr. Ellen Corcoran, SCSJA — Pastoral Administrator (since ~2005); also DRE, catechist, liturgy/environment coordinator
- Diocesan Vicariate: Cibola
Mission Relationship & Pastoral-Administrator Model
Our Lady of Light served for generations as a mission of San Fidel and is now formally a mission of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Seboyeta (Cebolleta). In 1999, because there were not enough priests to cover every mission in the diocese, Cubero and Seboyeta were entrusted to a pastoral administrator — a model that has continued under Sr. Ellen Corcoran, SCSJA.
- Earlier mission of San Fidel (from 1921)
- Now a mission of Our Lady of Sorrows, Seboyeta
- Pastoral-administrator model adopted in 1999
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education and catechesis are part of the parish's pastoral-administration duties. Sr. Ellen Corcoran, SCSJA, serves as the parish's Director of Religious Education (DRE) and catechist alongside her other roles, and the parish has an active youth group that engages directly in parish life — most visibly by applying for grant funding to improve accessibility.
- DRE: Sr. Ellen Corcoran, SCSJA
- Active youth group
- Religious instruction for parish families
Outreach & Accessibility
Our Lady of Light has developed a reputation for grassroots outreach in partnership with the Pathways Foundation's 'Open Hearts Award' / 'Inclusion in Worship' grant program. Coordinated by parish administrator Sr. Ellen Corcoran and submitted by youth members of the parish, these grants have funded a concrete parking lot, sidewalk entrance, improved exterior lighting, pew cutouts to accommodate wheelchairs, and a graded ramp to the parish hall modeled on an earlier ramp built at the church door.
- Partner: Pathways Foundation 'Inclusion in Worship' grants
- Concrete parking lot and sidewalk entrance added
- Improved exterior lighting
- Pew cutouts to accommodate wheelchairs
- Graded cement ramp to the parish hall funded by a $1,000 grant
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Franciscan Friars (OFM)until 1985
Franciscans staffed Our Lady of Light as a mission of San Fidel from the founding era through 1985.
- Diocesan priestsfrom 1985
Diocese of Gallup took over staffing from the Franciscans in 1985.
- Fr. Adam Whethington, OFM1972–1975
Directed construction of the present church and parish hall; dedicated by Bishop Hastrich on May 4, 1975.
- Pastoral-administrator modelfrom 1999
Because of a priest shortage, Our Lady of Light and Seboyeta were entrusted to a pastoral administrator.
- Sr. Ellen Corcoran, SCSJAfrom ~2005
Long-serving pastoral administrator for the Cubero–Seboyeta cluster; also DRE, catechist, and liturgy/environment coordinator.