Our Lady of the Annunciation

Our Story: From Mission to Parish (1955–1959)

Our Lady of the Annunciation began as a mission chapel of Queen of Heaven parish. Between 1955 and 1959, the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament from Queen of Heaven, led by Father Edward O'Byrne, traveled in to celebrate Sundays and holy days for the small Catholic community in northeast Albuquerque. On July 8, 1959, with about 600 families, the mission was formally elevated to a parish with Monsignor Coggiola-Mower as its first pastor.

Building the Parish Campus (1961–1989)

The parish grew quickly on its Vermont Street and Utah Street campus. In 1961 the school and convent were built and four Canossian Sisters arrived from Italy to administer the school, which had 560 K-8 students by August that year. Construction of the Parish Hall began in 1965, used as gymnasium, cafeteria, and overflow Mass space. In 1966 the first school board was organized by the pastor. The Community Center was built in 1978 for meetings, adult religious education, youth activities, Marriage Enrichment weekends, and Sunday coffee and doughnuts. The office complex at Phoenix and Vermont was purchased in 1983 to house parish registration and the priests' offices.

• 1961 – School and convent built
• 1965 – Parish Hall construction begins
• 1969 – First Annunciation Parish Council organized by Monsignor George Reiffer
• 1975 – Father James Kemper becomes pastor
• 1978 – Community Center built
• 1983 – Office complex at Phoenix and Vermont purchased
• 1984 – 25th anniversary of the parish
• 1987 – Father Ronald L. Bruckner appointed pastor in June

The New Church (1984–1989)

By 1984 the original church was too small, and a committee asked Archbishop Robert F. Sanchez for permission to begin a building fund. The Church Building Fund Drive launched in July 1985. A New Church Committee and a Planning and Development Committee studied the properties and surrounding neighborhood and selected the north end of the parish property (between Utah and Vermont) as the site. Designed by the Boehing partnership and built by Gerald A. Martin Ltd., the new 12,000-square-foot brick-and-stucco church was dedicated on December 17, 1989. With the wall between the main sanctuary and the daily Mass chapel open, it seats 780, and includes a vestibule, ushers' room, sound/projection booth, men's and women's restrooms, cry room/bride's room, sacristy, adornment-preparation rooms, and two reconciliation rooms.

Parish Ministries & Organizations

A Parish Pastoral Council formed on a ministries model began in November 1989, and the parish has continued to nurture an array of devotional, service, and fellowship organizations.

• Holy Name Society
• CYO Catholic Youth Organization
• Knights of the Altar
• Parish choirs
• St. Vincent de Paul Society
• Ushers
• Marriage Enrichment weekends
• Hospitality and Outreach Ministries
• Newcomers Ministry
• Doves III (outreach to the separated and divorced)
• Rainbow (children of the divorced)

Worship & Sacraments

The parish celebrates Sunday Masses four times (including a livestreamed 7:00 AM Mass), a Saturday vigil, and weekday Masses twice daily. Confessions are heard Saturday afternoons, and the parish maintains a Perpetual Adoration Chapel in Magdalene Hall as well as special First Friday Adoration.

Faith Formation & Religious Education

Directed by Leslie Monette, the Religious Education program maintains a Christ-centered formation process for parents and children from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5, engaging parents as primary educators, fostering prayer, and integrating the basic elements of Catholic faith. Middle School Religious Education continues formation for older youth. A separate 6-session class is offered for adults seeking Confirmation who have already been baptized and received First Communion.

• Pre-K through Grade 5 faith formation
• Middle School Religious Education
• First Eucharist Retreat for children, parents, and godparents
• Adult Confirmation 6-session class
• Registration fee: $40 first child + $20 each additional child (financial-hardship accommodations available)
• Contact: Leslie Monette, [email protected], 505-296-0411

Annunciation Catholic School

Annunciation Catholic School (ACS), founded alongside the parish in 1961, continues its mission to provide a Christ-centered education that prepares students for a fruitful spiritual life and a successful secular life. Classes initially met at St. Pius X High School while the first school building was under construction; the school was dedicated on March 26, 1961, and the Canossian Sisters administered the school until 1968. Today the school sits on the same Vermont NE/Utah NE campus as the church and former convent.

• Address: 2610 Utah NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110
• Phone: (505) 299-6783 / Fax: (505) 299-2182
• Website: www.acsabq.org
• Principal: Cindy Shields
• Pastoral link: Sr. Lupita Chaparro, FdCC

Parish Staff

The parish is served by a pastor, parochial vicar, priest in residence, three permanent deacons, and a wide team of lay and religious staff running offices, formation, music, outreach, and the school.

• Msgr. Bennett J. Voorhies — Pastor
• Rev. Antaiah Yaganti — Parochial Vicar
• Fr. Thomas Kayammakal — Priest in Residence
• Deacon Victor Bachechi
• Deacon Steven Fraker
• Deacon Patrick Sena — OCIA & Marriage Coordinator
• Leslie Monette — Director of Religious Education
• Steven Villavicencio — Parish Life and Pastoral Outreach
• Melany Sandoval — Director of Music and Liturgy / Administrative Assistant
• Rose Marie Vigil — Office Manager
• Holly Willets — Bookkeeper / Business Manager
• Sr. Emma Ruth Ancheta, FdCC — Youth and Young Adult Ministry
• Jim Magovern — (staff)
• Cindy Shields — ACS Principal
• Sr. Lupita Chaparro, FdCC — school pastoral link

From the Pastor

Msgr. Voorhies provides a weekly homily that is recorded and archived on the parish's YouTube channel, and the 7:00 AM Sunday Mass is livestreamed there as well.