About Sacred Heart (Quasi-Parish) · Cloudcroft, New Mexico
Sacred Heart (Quasi-Parish) is a small Roman Catholic mission church in the mountain village of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, serving the Sacramento Mountains and surrounding Otero County. Classified by GCatholic as a 'Mission' of Iglesia Nuestra Señora de La Luz in La Luz under the Diocese of Las Cruces, it sits at 205 James Canyon Highway and is identified locally as the historic 'Sacred Heart Stone Mission Church' — a stone-built house of worship that has remained in operation and serves as a tangible link to the town's railroad-era past. The mission is staffed and administered out of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (ICC) in Alamogordo, with weekly Sunday Mass, monthly weekday Mass, adoration, and confession celebrated in the cool mountain air of the Sacramento range.
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Very Rev. Father Martin Cornejo (Parish Administrator)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is a small mountain parish where the whole community shows up — for the Sunday liturgy, for Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesday mornings, and for the annual 'Fiesta in the Clouds,' which has drawn hundreds of visitors up the mountain each summer since 2013. It's administered in close partnership with Immaculate Conception in Alamogordo and the La Luz/Tularosa missions, so visiting Catholics arriving from anywhere in the region are welcomed into a tight-knit cluster of parishes serving the Sacramento Mountains. If you're looking for an intimate, historic stone church with steady weekly worship and active fellowship, Sacred Heart Cloudcroft is a fitting spiritual home.
Mass times at Sacred Heart (Quasi-Parish)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday at 9:00 AM (before Mass)
- Wednesday at 9:00 AM (before Mass)
Adoration times
- Wednesday at 9:00 AM
Identity & Diocese
Sacred Heart (Quasi-Parish) is a Roman Catholic mission church in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, belonging to the Diocese of Las Cruces. GCatholic lists it as 'Mission of the Sacred Heart,' canonically a mission of Iglesia Nuestra Señora de La Luz in La Luz, and the parish family is administered together with Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (ICC) in Alamogordo. The mission's official website is www.sacredheartcatholiccloudcroft.org, and the diocese maintains a directory entry for the mission at oldrcdlc.org.
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces
- Canonical status: Mission of Nuestra Señora de La Luz, La Luz
- Cluster partner parishes: Immaculate Conception (Alamogordo), Our Lady of the Light (La Luz), St. Francis de Paula (Tularosa)
- Diocese directory: oldrcdlc.org/sacred-heart-mission-cloudcroft
History & Heritage
Cloudcroft's Sacred Heart is one of the oldest religious sites in the Sacramento Mountains, its stone walls tied to the founding generation of the mountain railroad town. Today the building is known as the 'Sacred Heart Stone Mission Church' and is counted among the heritage landmarks visitors are pointed to in town. In modern times the parish's identity has been shaped less by new construction than by an exuberant community festival — Fiesta in the Clouds — founded in 2013 to celebrate the parish's patron feast.
- Locally known as the Sacred Heart Stone Mission Church
- Recognized as a tangible link to Cloudcroft's railroad-era history
- Fiesta in the Clouds founded 2013 by Rev. Christopher Williams
- By 2017 the fiesta was in its fifth year and drew an estimated 400 visitors
Staff & Clergy
Sacred Heart is staffed in conjunction with the larger Alamogordo cluster. The Parish Administrator is Very Rev. Father Martin Cornejo, assisted by Parochial Vicar Father Emmanuel Stephen, with Deacon Gary Perkins serving the mission. Office staff supporting the cluster parishes includes David Gallegos, Isabel Sarinana, and Lilly Smith.
- Parish Administrator — Very Rev. Father Martin Cornejo
- Parochial Vicar — Father Emmanuel Stephen
- Deacon — Gary Perkins
- Office Staff — David Gallegos, Isabel Sarinana, Lilly Smith
Sacraments
Sacramental ministry at Sacred Heart is coordinated with the cluster office at Immaculate Conception in Alamogordo. Anointing of the Sick is offered on the first Wednesday of each month at the mission, and confession is heard before each Sunday and Wednesday Mass.
- Anointing of the Sick — First Wednesday of the Month
- Confession — Sunday and Wednesday at 9:00 AM
- Baptism, Marriage, Quinceañera — contact the parish office at ICC Alamogordo
Fiesta in the Clouds
The parish's signature community celebration is 'Fiesta in the Clouds,' an annual festival founded in 2013 by Rev. Christopher Williams to honor the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (June 23). The event combines a Sunday Mass with food, live music, a rummage sale, children's games, cake walks, and a giant star-shaped piñata — and draws volunteers from across the cluster parishes of Our Lady of the Light (La Luz) and St. Francis de Paula (Tularosa).
- Founded 2013 by Rev. Christopher Williams
- Honors the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart (June 23)
- 16-foot star-shaped piñata representing the seven deadly sins and virtues
- Volunteers join from Our Lady of the Light (La Luz) and St. Francis de Paula (Tularosa)
- Five-year milestone celebrated in 2017 with an estimated 400 visitors
Contact & Visiting
Although Sacred Heart sits up in the Sacramento Mountains, its mail, phone lines, and office hours are handled out of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Alamogordo. The mailing address is 705 Delaware Ave., Alamogordo, NM 88310; the physical mountain church address is 205 James Canyon Hwy., Cloudcroft, NM 88317.
- Physical address: 205 James Canyon Hwy, Cloudcroft, NM 88317
- Mailing address: 705 Delaware Ave, Alamogordo, NM 88310
- Office phone: 575-437-3291 (ICC Alamogordo)
- Emergency phone: 575-640-3190
- Office hours: Mon–Wed 9 AM–4 PM (closed 12–1 PM); Thu–Fri 9 AM–12 PM
- Website: www.sacredheartcatholiccloudcroft.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Christopher Williams2013 (founder of Fiesta in the Clouds)
Started the parish's annual 'Fiesta in the Clouds' celebration in 2013 to honor the Sacred Heart feast day.
- Rev. Alex Ureña
Pastor/administrator as of 2017; led the fifth annual Fiesta in the Clouds and preached alongside Father Theo Okafor.
- Father Theo Okafor
Assistant priest in 2017; gave the homily at the Fiesta Mass on 'being always close to the heart of God.'