About San Miguel · San Miguel, New Mexico
San Miguel Catholic Church (San Miguel Arcángel) is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the historic Hispanic farming village of San Miguel in Doña Ana County, southern New Mexico. Part of the Diocese of Las Cruces and seated in the Mesilla Valley Vicariate, the parish is paired with Our Lady of Perpetual Help Mission in nearby Mesquite and serves a predominantly Spanish-speaking community along the Rio Grande. The parish gathers families, retirees and farmworkers of the Mesilla Valley into a tight-knit bilingual Catholic community, gathering weekly for Mass and the sacraments in a setting that traces back to the 1870s.
- Established
- 1879
- Patron
- San Miguel Arcángel (St. Michael the Archangel)
- Rector
- Rev. Carlos A. Espinoza
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces (Mesilla Valley Vicariate)
Why belong here
San Miguel Catholic Church is a small, mission-minded Hispanic Catholic community serving San Miguel village and the surrounding Mesilla Valley farmland. Weekend Mass is offered in English and Spanish, the parish partners closely with its mission church in Mesquite for bilingual sacramental life, and families are welcomed into the celebration of the Eucharist, faith formation, marriage, baptisms, quinceañeras and funeral rites in a setting generations old. For Catholics moving into or visiting the area between Las Cruces and the Mexican border, San Miguel offers an intimate, welcoming parish with a clear mission to 'believe, belong and become' together.
Mass times at San Miguel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available by appointment through the parish office in La Mesa
About San Miguel Catholic Church
San Miguel Catholic Church (San Miguel Arcángel) is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Las Cruces serving the small Hispanic village of San Miguel in the southern Mesilla Valley of Doña Ana County, New Mexico. The parish gathers predominantly Spanish-speaking families and neighbors of the village to celebrate the Eucharist, the sacraments, and the feasts of the Catholic year in a setting that has served the community since the late 19th century.
Mission Statement
Our mission at San Miguel and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Mission is to form a diverse community with Hispanic majority as part of the Las Cruces Diocese. We exist to witness Christ to each other and to our community. We will achieve this mission through the celebration of the Eucharist and other sacraments, through the empowerment of one another for leadership, through faith, hope and charity. We challenge ourselves to reach out to each other in faith to establish the Kingdom of God amongst us and in our community of San Miguel and OLPH Mission.
History of the Parish
San Miguel began as a small chapel built in 1879, followed by a second chapel in 1898. In 1927 the parish dedicated a new, much larger church built of volcanic stone from Mesa Prieta. On the night of the 1983 interior fire the thick stone walls and the tall belfry survived, and the church was rebuilt around them. The bells in the belfry continue to ring today, traditionally crying out '¡Viva San Miguel!' at key moments of parish life.
- 1879: First chapel built
- 1898: Second chapel built
- 1927: Current volcanic-stone church dedicated
- 1983: Fire destroys interior; stone walls and belfry survive
- Rebuilt in the years following 1983, retaining original masonry and bells
Architecture and Bells
The church is built in an early-20th-century rural mission style using locally-quarried volcanic stone walls roughly two feet thick, pierced by high windows and crowned by a tall stone bell tower. The thick masonry, characteristic of Mesilla Valley adobe and stone churches, was built to guard against floods along the Rio Grande and the wear of desert weather. The bronze bells in the tower predate the 1983 fire and are rung in the Hispanic campanada tradition.
- Volcanic-stone walls from Mesa Prieta
- Tall stone belfry with surviving bronze bells
- Interior rebuilt after 1983 fire
Clergy and Staff
San Miguel Catholic Church is pastored by Rev. Carlos A. Espinoza, with Rev. Ringo Perea assisting. The Rev. George Szal, a priest of the Diocese of Las Cruces, has celebrated funeral Masses at the parish for area families. Day-to-day parish business is handled from the parish office at 353 E. Josephine Street in La Mesa, NM.
- Rev. Carlos A. Espinoza – Pastor
- Rev. Ringo Perea – Associate
- Parish office: 353 E. Josephine Street, La Mesa, NM 88044
Sacraments and Devotions
In keeping with its Hispanic Catholic character, San Miguel prepares its members for and celebrates all the major sacraments: the Eucharist at Mass, baptism (often of infants and young children), marriage, quinceañera blessings, anointing of the sick, and Christian burial with the traditional Prayer Vigil and funeral Mass. The parish also rings its historic bells at funerals and on important feast days.
- Baptism
- First Communion and Confirmation (cluster preparation)
- Marriage
- Quinceañera blessings
- Anointing of the Sick
- Christian burial (Prayer Vigil + funeral Mass)
Cluster Parishes and Mission Outreach
San Miguel is administered as part of the Mesilla Valley Vicariate cluster with San José parish in La Mesa, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Mission in Mesquite, San Luis Rey parish in Chamberino, and San Pedro Mission in Vado. This means Holy Day Masses, Ash Wednesday services, Christmas schedules and certain sacramental events are coordinated across the cluster to reach the rural farming villages along the Rio Grande.
- San José, La Mesa (cluster lead parish)
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help Mission, Mesquite
- San Luis Rey, Chamberino
- San Pedro Mission, Vado
Visit, Directions and Contact
The parish can be reached at its office in La Mesa, NM, or on Facebook. Visitors travelling along NM-28 will find the church on the west side of the road just south of La Mesa, with parking available across the street.
- Parish office: 353 E. Josephine St., La Mesa, NM 88044
- Phone: (575) 233-3191
- Church address: 19217 S. Highway 28, San Miguel, NM 88058
- Facebook: facebook.com/SanMiguelCatholicChurch