About San Antonio Mission · Los Lunas, New Mexico
San Antonio Mission (La Capilla de San Antonio de Los Lentes) is a historic Roman Catholic mission church in the Los Lentes neighborhood of Los Lunas, New Mexico, and operates as a mission of San Clemente Parish within the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The adobe chapel, consecrated in 1789, is one of the earliest Spanish Colonial chapels still in continuous use in New Mexico and rests upon the remains of a 14th-century Tiwa pueblo. San Antonio Mission serves the surrounding community with daily Mass, three Sunday Masses, Saturday Vigil, and regular confession times, while preserving the devotional traditions — including the venerated mid-19th-century bulto of San Antonio — that have defined the village for over two centuries.
- Established
- 1789
- Patron
- San Antonio de Padua (Saint Anthony of Padua)
- Rector
- Rev. James Marshall
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe (Metropolitan)
Why belong here
San Antonio Mission offers the rhythms of a deeply rooted Spanish Colonial parish: weekday morning and evening Masses, three Sunday Masses, Saturday Vigil, and generous confession times throughout the week — all in the setting of one of New Mexico's oldest continuously used chapels. As a mission of San Clemente Parish, it gives parishioners access to a full program of faith formation — K–9th-grade religious education, Confirmation preparation, OCIA/RCIA, and Life Teen — under a stable pastorate led by Fr. James Marshall. The community continues to gather each June for the San Antonio Fiestas, keeping a living tradition of devotion that stretches back more than 230 years.
Mass times at San Antonio Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
- Wednesday 6:30 AM
- Thursday 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
- Friday 6:30 AM
- Saturday 3:30 PM (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration — in the Adoration Chapel at San Clemente Parish (contact the office for access)
San Antonio Mission (La Capilla de San Antonio de Los Lentes)
San Antonio Mission is the historic mission chapel in the Los Lentes neighborhood of Los Lunas, New Mexico. Built in 1789 by the native people of Isleta and the Hispanic families of Los Lentes, it is one of the earliest Spanish Colonial chapels still in continuous use in the state. The mission serves daily and Sunday Mass, regular confession, and hosts the annual San Antonio Fiestas each June. It is administered as a mission of San Clemente Parish in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
- Founded 1789
- Patron: San Antonio de Padua
- Feast: June 13
- Located in the Los Lentes neighborhood of Los Lunas
- Mission of San Clemente Parish
History
The chapel rests upon the remains of Los Lentes Pueblo (LA 951), a Tiwa apartment complex of up to 100 rooms that stood here from the 1300s and was abandoned in the early 1600s. After the 1680 Pueblo Revolt and Don Diego de Vargas's 1692 re-entry, residents of Isleta Pueblo — including a genízaro named Matias el Ente — acquired the land between 1744 and 1760 from heirs of the San Clemente land grant (established 1718). In 1789 the community built La Capilla de San Antonio to honor San Antonio, the original patron of the Isleta mission before its advocacy was changed to San Agustín. The 1790 Spanish census named the settlement La Plaza de San Antonio, and by 1802 the family surname had evolved from 'el Ente' to 'Lente' — giving the village its modern name.
- Site of a Tiwa pueblo (1300s–early 1600s)
- Land acquired 1744–1760 by Matias el Ente and other Isleta residents
- Chapel consecrated 1789
- First documented as La Plaza de San Antonio in the 1790 Spanish census
- Renamed La Plaza de Los Lentes by 1802
Architecture & Devotional Heritage
La Capilla de San Antonio was originally a flat-roofed cruciform building with a transverse clerestory — the defining structural feature of New Mexico's Spanish Colonial and Mexican-era religious architecture. After the opening of the Santa Fe Trail and the arrival of French Catholic hierarchy under Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy in the mid-19th century, the structure was reconfigured with a steeply pitched gable roof. Inside, the chapel houses a mid-19th-century bulto of San Antonio de Padua that remains a focus of devotion shared with the mother mission of San Agustín de Isleta. A WWII memorial plaque inside the chapel commemorates local men of families — Apodaca, Baca, Chávez, Lente, Montoya, Padilla, Perea, Trujillo and others — many of whose surnames were first recorded in 1790.
- Spanish Colonial cruciform plan
- Originally flat-roofed with transverse clerestory
- Mid-19th-century steeply pitched gable roof addition
- Mid-19th-century bulto of San Antonio housed inside
- WWII memorial plaque honoring local servicemen
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Through San Clemente Parish, the mission community offers a full religious-education program serving children and youth from Kindergarten through 9th grade. Pre-Confirmation begins in 7th grade, with Confirmation I and II in 8th and 9th grade. Adult faith formation includes Adult Confirmation and the OCIA (formerly RCIA) process for those inquiring about becoming Catholic. Youth ministry is offered through Life Teen.
- K–9th-grade Religious Education
- Confirmation preparation (7th–9th grade)
- Adult Confirmation
- OCIA / RCIA — Becoming Catholic
- Life Teen youth ministry
Clergy & Staff (San Clemente Parish, which serves San Antonio Mission)
San Antonio Mission is served by the clergy and staff of San Clemente Parish. Fr. James Marshall has been pastor since January 2012; he was ordained for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe on May 22, 2004, after training at Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut. He is currently dean of the Southwest deanery and serves on the priest retirement board and the presbyterial council. Three deacons assist the parish: Deacon Paul Baca (ordained July 11, 2009), Deacon Bob Burkhard, and Deacon Jim Snell.
- Rev. James Marshall — Pastor (assigned January 2012)
- Deacon Paul Baca
- Deacon Bob Burkhard
- Deacon Jim Snell
- Amanda Noriega — Director of Religious Education (505-865-9370)
- Rachel Marie Sisneros — Pastoral Assistant / Bulletin Editor
- Olivia Lopez — Religious Education Office Assistant
- Ann Krom — Office Staff
San Antonio Fiestas & Community Life
Each June the mission hosts the annual San Antonio Fiestas, drawing hundreds of community members and returning families to the chapel plaza. The celebration includes veneration of the bulto of San Antonio, special prayers and processions, the telling of the chapel's history, and community meals served from the single-story frame building on the west side of the plaza. A children's playground and basketball court in the southwest corner of the plaza reflect the ongoing life of the parish.
- Held annually in June
- Veneration of the mid-19th-century bulto of San Antonio
- Special prayers and processions
- Community meals and gathering at the plaza
- Children's playground and basketball court
Sacraments
All sacraments for the mission community are coordinated through San Clemente Parish. Information and registration for Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, and Anointing of the Sick is available by calling the parish office. Anointing of the Sick is offered on an as-needed basis — parishioners are encouraged to call the office when the sacrament is required.
- Baptism
- First Reconciliation & First Eucharist
- Confirmation (youth and adult tracks)
- Matrimony
- Anointing of the Sick — call the parish office
- Reconciliation (Confession) — scheduled times or by appointment
Contact & Visit
San Antonio Mission is located at 1531 Los Lentes Rd. NE in the Los Lentes neighborhood of Los Lunas, New Mexico. Mail and inquiries for both San Antonio Mission and its parent parish, San Clemente, can be directed to P.O. Box 147, Los Lunas, NM 87031, or to the parish office at 435 Coronado. The parish office phone is (505) 865-7385; the Religious Education office is (505) 865-9370.
- Address: 1531 Los Lentes Rd. NE, Los Lunas, NM 87031
- Parish Office: (505) 865-7385
- Religious Education: (505) 865-9370
- Office Hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–5 PM; Fri 9 AM–3 PM (closed 12–1 PM)
- Website: https://www.sanclementeparish.org