About San Jose Mission · Algodones, New Mexico
San Jose Mission is a small Catholic mission church in the village of Algodones, New Mexico, located along historic NM-313 (El Camino Real / Pan America Central Highway). It is one of three mission churches served by the Parish of Our Lady of Sorrows in nearby Bernalillo, the others being San Antonio Mission in Placitas and Saint Anthony Mission in the Sandia Pueblo. San Jose Mission holds Sunday Mass at 8:30 AM and is pastorally cared for from the OLOS parish office (505-867-5252). The mission sits in the heart of a centuries-old Spanish-colonial settlement near the Narrows of the Rio Grande, and remains a quiet Sunday gathering place for the Catholic families of Algodones.
- Patron
- St. Joseph (San Jose)
- Rector
- Reverend Clement Niggel (Pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows, Bernalillo, under which San Jose Mission is served)
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Why belong here
San Jose Mission offers the Algodones community a weekly Sunday Mass close to home in a village steeped in Spanish-colonial and Camino Real history. As part of the Our Lady of Sorrows Parish family, the mission connects parishioners to a full sacramental life, faith formation, ministries, and a parish school of clergy led by Fr. Clement Niggel with Fr. Moses Nwankwo and four permanent deacons. It is a deeply traditional, bilingual parish family — Sunday Mass at 8:30 AM in Algodones, plus a 12 PM Spanish Mass in Bernalillo — making it an easy entry point for Spanish-speaking and English-speaking families along the Rio Grande corridor.
Mass times at San Jose Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Confessions are heard at the parish church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Bernalillo: Mon–Thu 7:40 AM, Sat 3:30 PM, and any time by appointment.
San Jose Mission in Algodones
San Jose Mission is a small Sunday Mass church in the village of Algodones, NM, on NM-313 (the old Camino Real). It is served by the clergy of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, 301 S. Camino Del Pueblo, Bernalillo, NM 87004 (Parish Office: 505-867-5252, Fax: 505-867-0267). The mission shares in the ministry of the pastor, parochial vicar and four permanent deacons of OLOS, and provides the village with its regular weekly Sunday Eucharist.
Clergy Serving the Mission
San Jose Mission is pastored by the priests of Our Lady of Sorrows and assisted by a team of four permanent deacons. Together they care for the main parish church, the Santuario de San Lorenzo, and the three mission churches of Algodones, Placitas, and Sandia.
- Pastor — Rev. Clement Niggel
- Parochial Vicar — Rev. Moses Nwankwo
- Deacon Jose De Jesus Cervantes
- Deacon Gonzalo Calderon
- Deacon Eric Buenaventa
- Deacon Dan Kennedy
Mission Family of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish
San Jose Mission is one of three mission churches of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, alongside a main church and a historic adobe shrine in Bernalillo. Together they form a single Catholic community serving the villages and pueblos along the Rio Grande between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
- Our Lady of Sorrows Church (main parish) — 301 S. Camino del Pueblo, Bernalillo
- Santuario de San Lorenzo — historic shrine, Bernalillo (circa 1857)
- San Jose Mission — Algodones (Sun 8:30 AM)
- San Antonio Mission — Placitas (Sun 9:30 AM)
- Saint Anthony Mission — Sandia Pueblo (Sat 6:30 PM; tribal members only)
History and Setting
Algodones sits on the south bank of the Rio Grande at La Angostura (the Narrows), a strategic crossing on the Camino Real between Santa Fe and Mexico. Spanish settlement at this ford dates to the 1700s, after the resettlement of New Mexico following the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The church of San Jose has stood in the village for well over a century, and 1920s photographs show an earlier steeple design than today's, indicating an extended history of parish life at this site.
- Algodones developed in the 1700s as a Spanish settlement next to the Rio Grande narrows.
- The village sits along the old Camino Real (today NM-313, the Pan America Central Highway).
- The mission was founded on the north side of the village, between San Jose Rd. and Camino Real.
- The mother parish in Bernalillo is the historic site of the Santuario de San Lorenzo, circa 1857.
Visiting San Jose Mission
The mission is located at 1415 NM-313, Algodones, NM 87001, at the corner of Calle San Jose. From I-25 northbound, take Exit 248 onto NM-315 west, continue northwest to NM-313 (Camino Real), turn left, and continue for half a mile; the church will be on the right. For sacramental needs, faith formation, or appointments, contact the Our Lady of Sorrows parish office.
- Address: 1415 NM-313, Algodones, NM 87001
- Parish Office Phone: (505) 867-5252
- Parish Office Fax: (505) 867-0267
- Parish Office: 301 S. Camino Del Pueblo, Bernalillo, NM 87004
- Website: https://www.olosbernalillo.org