About San Jose · Anton Chico, New Mexico
San Jose Parish is a Roman Catholic parish serving the small, historically Hispanic village of Anton Chico in the Pecos River valley of north-central New Mexico. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest parishes in the region and is part of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The parish is the spiritual home of a rural, deeply rooted Catholic community, and it oversees four historic mission churches in surrounding villages (Dilia, Tecolotito, Dahlia, and Plaza de Arriba). With Sunday Mass in both English and Spanish, plus weekday morning Masses, San Jose remains an active center of worship, family life, and tradition for the Anton Chico Land Grant communities.
- Established
- 1857
- Patron
- San José (Saint Joseph)
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Why belong here
San Jose is the parish church at the center of the Anton Chico Land Grant — a living, multi-generational Catholic community in the Pecos River valley. It offers two Sunday Masses (10:00 AM and 12:00 PM) and weekday morning Masses on Monday and Tuesday at 8:00 AM, gathering families that have worshipped here since 1857. The parish also stewards four historic mission chapels — Sacred Heart in Dilia, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Tecolotito, Santo Niño de Atocha in Dahlia, and Sangre de Cristo in Plaza de Arriba — preserving the broader Catholic heritage of the Mora and upper Pecos valleys.
Mass times at San Jose
Weekly Mass schedule
About San Jose Parish
San Jose Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Anton Chico, New Mexico, part of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Fe. It serves a small, historically Hispanic community in the upper Pecos River valley, in what is also called the Mora Valley region of north-central New Mexico. The parish offers two Sunday Masses and two weekday morning Masses, and it oversees four mission chapels in surrounding villages.
- Established 1857
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe
- Two Sunday Masses; Monday and Tuesday 8:00 AM
- Stewards four mission churches
History of San Jose
The parish was established in 1857 by Father Joseph Baptiste Fayet, with missions across the Anton Chico Land Grant in La Cueva, La Montosa, Anton Chico de Arriba, El Tecolotíto, Valles de San Agustín, Valles de San Antonio, and Valles de San Isidro. Before then, the area was served from San Miguel del Bado (modern Ribera) and its visitas (visited communities). Father Auguste François Joseph Redon then served as pastor from 1866 to 1902, more than three decades of continuous leadership through the late territorial and early statehood period.
- Founded 1857 by Father Joseph Baptiste Fayet
- Father Auguste François Joseph Redon: pastor 1866–1902
- Puerto de Luna became its own parroquia in 1896, carved from San Jose
- Parish registers run continuously 1857–1956
The Anton Chico Land Grant
The parish is the religious heart of the Anton Chico Land Grant, originally settled in 1822, briefly abandoned in the late 1820s, and resettled in the early 1830s. The 778,587-acre grant was issued during the Mexican period to encourage settlement along the Pecos frontier. The three villages of the grant — Anton Chico Abajo, Colonias de San Jose, and La Placita de Abajo — were jointly listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, with San Jose as a contributing historic religious resource.
- Land grant originally settled 1822
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1986)
Mission Churches
The Parish of San Jose oversees four mission chapels in surrounding villages on and around the Anton Chico Land Grant. As of March 2024, Mass had not been celebrated at any of them for some time, but the parish expressed plans to reinstate Mass at Sacred Heart (Dilia) and Our Lady of Guadalupe (Tecolotito). The other two — Santo Niño de Atocha (Dahlia) and Sangre de Cristo (Plaza de Arriba) — remain inactive.
- Sacred Heart–San Isidro, Dilia (plans to reinstate)
- Our Lady of Guadalupe, Tecolotito (plans to reinstate)
- Santo Niño de Atocha, Dahlia (inactive)
- Sangre de Cristo, Plaza de Arriba (inactive)
Clergy & Pastoral Staff
San Jose has been served over its long history by a succession of priests of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The most recent named sacramental pastor, Father Antonio Mondragon, passed away on February 1, 2026, at age 87 in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The parish continues its ministry under the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
- Father Joseph Baptiste Fayet (founder, 1857)
- Father Auguste François Joseph Redon (1866–1902)
- Father Antonio Mondragon (Sacramental Pastor; d. Feb 1, 2026)
Parish Records & Genealogy
San Jose holds one of the most important sacramental archives in northern New Mexico. Its baptismal register begins in 1857, and parish sacramental records (baptisms, marriages, burials) run continuously from 1857 to 1956. These records — preserved at the parish and through the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and FamilySearch — are a primary resource for researchers tracing families of the upper Pecos and Mora valleys.
- Baptismal register 'La Yglesia de San Jose' from 1857
- Parish sacramental records 1857–1956 (Archdiocese of Santa Fe)
- Marriages record April 1857 – December 1940
Visit, Location & Contact
San Jose Catholic Church is located at 1081 Iglesia Road in Anton Chico, New Mexico (ZIP 87711), Guadalupe County. Visitors traveling from Las Vegas, NM follow US-25 south, then US-84 E, then NM-119/NM-386 into the village. The parish can be reached by phone at (575) 427-1164, and updates and announcements are shared on its Facebook page.
- Address: 1081 Iglesia Road, Anton Chico, NM 87711
- Phone: (575) 427-1164
- Diocesan listing: archdiosf.org/parishfinder
- Facebook: facebook.com/sanjose.acnm
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Joseph Baptiste Fayet1857
Established San Jose as a parish in 1857, with missions across the Anton Chico Land Grant.
- Father Auguste François Joseph Redon1866–1902
Long-serving pastor; oversaw the era when Puerto de Luna became a separate parroquia in 1896.
- Father Antonio Mondragon
Listed as Sacramental Pastor of San Jose Catholic Church; died February 1, 2026, age 87, in Las Vegas, New Mexico.