About San Miguel (Jubilee Shrine) · Socorro, New Mexico
San Miguel (Old San Miguel Mission), also known as the Jubilee Shrine, is the historic Catholic parish in the heart of Socorro, New Mexico — frequently described as one of the oldest Catholic churches in the United States, with a continuous worship history reaching back to the 1598 arrival of Don Juan de Oñate and his Franciscan chaplains. Administered by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, the parish serves the town of Socorro together with four rural mission churches (San Lorenzo in Polvadera, San Antonio in Luis Lopez, La Sagrada Familia in Lemitar, and San José Mission in Luis Lopez) and the distant mission of St. Mary Magdalene in Magdalena. Its adobe walls, five-foot-thick for defense, hand-carried vigas, and silver Communion rail speak to a parish that is at once a living place of worship, a National Register landmark, and a pilgrimage site.
- Established
- 1598
- Patron
- St. Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Rev. John Anasiudu
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Why belong here
San Miguel is a once-in-a-lifetime parish: you worship in what may be the oldest continuously used Catholic church site in the United States, surrounded by five-foot adobe walls, hand-hewn vigas, and the buried remains of saints, governors, and four of its own priests. As a Jubilee Shrine designated for both the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy and the Holy Year 2025, it welcomes pilgrims year-round, while also being a thriving local parish with daily and Sunday Mass (in English and Spanish), a robust CCD program K–12, Catholic Daughters, Knights of Columbus, Legion of Mary, RCIA, Newman Center ministry at New Mexico Tech, and four rural mission churches in the surrounding villages. Joining San Miguel means becoming part of a community that spans nearly five centuries of New Mexico Catholic life along El Camino Real.
Mass times at San Miguel (Jubilee Shrine)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. (San Miguel, Socorro)
- Sundays before Mass (St. Mary Magdalene, Magdalena)
- By appointment — call the parish office at (575) 835-2891 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon
Adoration times
- Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament — every Friday in the Guadalupe Chapel from 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament — each Friday following the 9:00 AM Mass at the church
About San Miguel Catholic Church
San Miguel — often called 'Old San Miguel Mission' — is the historic Catholic parish of Socorro, New Mexico, in the heart of central New Mexico on the El Camino Real. According to the parish itself, it is one of the oldest Catholic churches in the United States, with roots in the 1598 entrada of Don Juan de Oñate. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and serves the town of Socorro together with four surrounding mission chapels and the mission church of St. Mary Magdalene in Magdalena.
- Motto: 'We Strive to Bring People Closer to God' (adopted August 5, 2008).
- Vision: 'We, the faith filled members of San Miguel Parish and its Missions, a part of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, find strength, unity and grace in the Celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.' (Adopted May 15, 2007).
- Address: 403 El Camino Real, Socorro, NM 87801.
- Phone: (575) 835-2891 — Fax: (575) 835-1620.
- Email: [email protected].
History & Heritage
San Miguel's history stretches back to 1598, when Oñate's two Franciscan chaplains stopped at the Piro pueblo of Teypana. One of them, Fr. Alfonso Benavidez, named the place Nuestra Señora de Perpetuo Socorro ('Our Lady of Perpetual Help') — the origin of today's 'Socorro.' A mission church was built that year and rebuilt between 1615 and 1626. The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 drove the community south to El Paso; the silver Communion rail and other valuables were buried before the flight, and a famous treasure map was drawn. The mission area was largely empty for over a century until Hispanic resettlement in the early 1800s. Around 1800 the church was renamed San Miguel in honor of an apparition of St. Michael that — according to local tradition — drove off an Apache attack. A parish church was built c. 1821 on the old mission foundation, and the church grew through the 19th and 20th centuries with wings, bell towers, and a pitched roof, plus California Mission–style renovations in the 1930s and further restoration in the 1960s and 1973.
- 1598 — Oñate's entrada; mission founded under name Nuestra Señora de Socorro.
- 1615–1626 — Larger mission church built with massive adobe walls and hand-carved vigas.
- 1680 — Pueblo Revolt; community retreats to El Paso; silver Communion rail and valuables buried.
- c. 1800 — Apache raid legend; church renamed San Miguel after St. Michael the Archangel.
- c. 1821 — Parish church built on old mission foundation; first recorded baptisms, burials, and marriages.
- 1853 — Additional wing added to accommodate more worshippers.
- 1930s — California Mission–style renovation.
- 1973 — Interior renovation; new woodwork and vigas; archaeological evidence of original mission walls and graves uncovered; placed on New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties.
- 2010 — Church closed due to structural problems; repairs begin under Fr. Andrew Pavlik.
- 2015 — Church reopens and rededicated for the 400th anniversary of the 1615 congregation.
- 2016 — Added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP #16000162).
Jubilee Shrine
San Miguel has been designated a Jubilee Shrine for both the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2015–2016) and the Holy Year 2025 'Pilgrimage of Hope,' as listed by GCatholic and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. During the 2025 Jubilee, San Miguel hosted a Jubilee Mass on the first Sunday of every month at 10:00 a.m. The parish received special Jubilee resources from the Archdiocese to welcome pilgrims, including 300 stickers to distribute to visiting faithful.
Architecture & the Socorro Land Grant
Originally built in pure Pueblo-influenced style with adobe bricks reinforced by straw, the church's walls are about five feet thick and its windows are set high to defend against attack. The roof is supported by huge hand-carved vigas and corbel arches, the timbers cut and hauled in from mountains many miles away. Subsequent restorations — in the 19th century, the 1930s (California Mission styling), 1973, and the post-2010 work — have altered some of the original Pueblo character. Beneath the floor lie four sub-levels holding prominent burials, including four priests in the sanctuary and General Manuel Armijo in the northeast corner.
- Architectural style: Spanish Colonial / Mission / Spanish Colonial Revival.
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (2016) and the NM State Register of Cultural Properties (1973).
- Capacity: main body seats about 250; 1853 wing adds about 150 more.
- San Miguel is the center of the 17,002-acre Socorro Land Grant, a one-Spanish-league (2.64-mile) square given by the King of Spain, from which all surveys are described as running.
Religious Education (CCD) & Sacraments of Initiation
San Miguel offers religious education (CCD) for children from Kindergarten through 12th grade, including First Holy Communion (1st and 2nd year programs) and Confirmation (2nd-year students must register annually). Parents are encouraged to register throughout their children's school years, and parents who wish to deepen their own faith are welcome to attend adult classes as well. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is coordinated by Deacon Mike Ybarra for adults seeking to enter the Catholic Church.
- Religious Education Coordinator: Christina Romero.
- RCIA: Deacon Mike Ybarra.
- CCD classes: Kindergarten through 12th grade; 2026–2027 registration forms available in the church office.
Parish Ministries, Councils & Organizations
San Miguel is supported by an extensive network of lay ministries, councils, and fraternal organizations. Two deacons serve the parish alongside the pastor, and a Parish Pastoral Council (President Frank Lewark, Secretary Bernadette Zamora), Finance Council, and parish staff lead the community. The parish also reaches out to New Mexico Tech students through a dedicated Newman Center at St. Patrick's, 801 School of Mines Road.
- Pastor: Fr. John Anasiudu.
- Deacons: Mike Ybarra, Nick Keller.
- Religious Education: Christina Romero.
- Administrative Assistant: Annie Anaya.
- Bookkeeper: Belinda Green.
- Newman Center: Deacon Nick Keller.
- RCIA: Deacon Mike Ybarra.
- Gift Shop: Rita Steinnerd (or, more recently, Tina Garcia / Barb Martinez).
- Parish Pastoral Council — President: Frank Lewark; Vice-President: (vacant); Secretary: Bernadette Zamora.
- Catholic Daughters — meets 2nd Monday at 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall; contact Patricia Landavazo at 575-418-7062.
- Knights of Columbus — meets 2nd Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at the K of C Hall, Highway 60 West; Corporate Communion on the 2nd Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Mass.
- Newman Center (NMT students) — Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.; Mass 1st Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
Outreach & Charity
San Miguel has a long tradition of outreach, embodied in its annual Giving Tree program, which gathers Christmas gifts for local agencies serving foster children, the homeless, survivors of domestic violence, newborns and young children, veterans, nursing-home residents, and shelter animals. Parishioners also take part in the Annual Catholic Appeal of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe; San Miguel's 2024 ACA goal was $19,500.
- Giving Tree partners: Children, Youth and Families (Foster Care); Puerto Seguro (Homeless Assistance); El Puente (Domestic Violence Shelter); First Born (Newborns & Young Children); Good Sam Nursing Home; APAS (Shelter Animals); Forget Me Not Veterans.
- 2024 ACA: San Miguel goal $19,500; pledged $23,630; paid $24,170 across 88 of 600 families.
San Miguel Gift Shop & Fiestas
The San Miguel Gift Shop sells devotional items and 2025 Sunday Missals (and Jubilee medals), with periodic 20% sales. The parish's annual Fiestas — held in late September — bring the community together for traditional New Mexican food, music, and a Fiesta Mass.
- Gift Shop hours: Tuesday 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. and Friday 10:00 a.m.–12:00 noon (some bulletins list Monday & Wednesday 11:00–1:00); volunteers welcome.
- 2026 San Miguel Fiestas — Saturday and Sunday, September 26 & 27; volunteers needed for hamburger booth, Mexican kitchen, BBQ, and face painting.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Alfonso Benavidez1598 onward
Franciscan chaplain with Oñate's 1598 entrada; 'The Apostle of Socorro,' who named the settlement Nuestra Señora del Socorro.
- Bishop Alonso de Benavidez1626
Returned to Mexico in 1626 after dedicating the mission.
- Rev. Andrew Pavlikcirca 2010–2015
Directed the five-year restoration that reopened San Miguel in 2015 in time for the 400th anniversary.
- Rev. John Anasiudupresent (as of latest bulletin, 2024–2025)
Current pastor.