About San Pedro Mission · Youngsville, New Mexico
San Pedro Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church in the village of Youngsville, New Mexico, in Rio Arriba County. It is one of six mission churches served by the Parish of St. Thomas the Apostle (Santo Tomás el Apóstol) in Abiquiú, within the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The mission's name honors Saint Peter (San Pedro), the patron of Youngsville, and is celebrated liturgically on his feast day, June 29. The village of Youngsville is a tight-knit community of long-time ranching families in the Cañón de los Pedernales area, and San Pedro Mission remains a spiritual touchstone for them, sharing Sunday Mass with San Juan Bautista Mission in nearby Coyote on a rotating, every-other-month basis.
- Patron
- Saint Peter (San Pedro)
- Rector
- Rev. Valentine Phu Au
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Why belong here
San Pedro Mission offers the historic and devotional life of the Abiquiú region to a small, multigenerational ranching community. As part of a parish that has been worshipping in the Río Chama valley since 1773 — and that today spiritually unites six mission churches across northern New Mexico — San Pedro welcomes families who want to be part of a living Catholic tradition rooted in the landscape, the seasons, and the people of the Pedernal foothills. Mass is celebrated in alternation with San Juan Bautista Mission in Coyote, and the parish office in Abiquiú coordinates all sacramental needs for the missions.
Mass times at San Pedro Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment (contact parish office in Abiquiú)
San Pedro Mission — Youngsville
San Pedro Mission (Youngsville, NM 87064) is one of six mission churches that make up the Parish of St. Thomas the Apostle in Abiquiú. The little mission serves a small, multi-generational ranching community in the Cañón de los Pedernales, and its name honors Saint Peter, the patron of Youngsville, whose chief feast day is June 29. While Saint Peter's principal feast is June 29, the parish notes that he is also honored on the Chair of Saint Peter (February 22) and the Confession of Saint Peter (January 18). In the iconography of the mission, Peter is often depicted as an elderly man holding keys — his traditional symbol — or with a boat, recalling his call to be a fisher of men.
- Patron: Saint Peter (San Pedro)
- Feast Day: June 29 (also Chair of Saint Peter, Feb 22; Confession of Saint Peter, Jan 18)
- Address: Youngsville, NM 87064
- Parent parish: St. Thomas the Apostle, Abiquiú
Parish of St. Thomas the Apostle — One Parish, Seven Historic Churches
San Pedro Mission is served by the Parish of St. Thomas the Apostle (Santo Tomás el Apóstol) in Abiquiú, one of the oldest continuously active Catholic parishes in the American Southwest. The first church at Abiquiú was erected in 1773 in the Río Chama valley northwest of Santa Fe, and today the parish — still within the Archdiocese of Santa Fe — is the spiritual anchor for six outlying mission churches across the surrounding communities. The parish describes its mission as a faith community centered on the Eucharist and spiritually united, celebrating religious and cultural traditions that advocate charity and respect, and striving prayerfully to deepen them through example and instruction.
- Parish motto: 'One Parish — Seven Historic Churches in Northern New Mexico'
- Parish mission: a Roman Catholic faith community centered on the Eucharist and spiritually united, celebrating religious and cultural traditions that advocate charity and respect.
- All sacramental needs for San Pedro Mission are coordinated through the Abiquiú parish office.
The Six Mission Churches
Around the Abiquiú parish, six small mission churches serve outlying villages. San Pedro in Youngsville shares the Sunday 10:00 AM slot with San Juan Bautista in Coyote, the two communities alternating month by month. Other missions include San Miguel Archangel in Cañones (Saturday Vigil at 6:00 PM), Our Lady of Guadalupe in Gallina (Sunday 11:30 AM), St. Anthony of Padua in Medanales (Saturday Vigil at 4:00 PM and Wednesday 7:30 AM), and St. Teresa del Avila in Mesa, which celebrates Mass only on its feast day. The parish notes that mission Mass schedules should always be confirmed through the parish office.
- San Miguel Archangel — Cañones (Sat 6:00 PM)
- San Juan Bautista — Coyote (alternates with Youngsville on Sun 10:00 AM)
- San Pedro — Youngsville (alternates with Coyote on Sun 10:00 AM)
- Our Lady of Guadalupe — Gallina (Sun 11:30 AM)
- St. Anthony of Padua — Medanales (Sat 4:00 PM; Wed 7:30 AM)
- St. Teresa del Avila — Mesa (Mass on Feast Day only)
Mass & Service Schedule
The full Mass schedule for the Abiquiú parish cluster is published on the parish website. For San Pedro Mission specifically, the regular weekly offering is Sunday Mass at 10:00 AM, alternating every other month with San Juan Bautista Mission in Coyote. Weekday Masses across the parish are held Tuesday at noon in Abiquiú, Wednesday at 7:30 AM in Medanales, Thursday at noon in Coyote, and Friday at 9:00 AM in Abiquiú. There is no Mass on Monday.
- Saturday Vigil: 4:00 PM Medanales; 6:00 PM Cañones
- Sunday: 8:00 AM Abiquiú; 10:00 AM Coyote/Youngsville (alternating); 11:30 AM Gallina
- Monday: No Mass
- Tuesday: 12:00 noon — Abiquiú
- Wednesday: 7:30 AM — Medanales
- Thursday: 12:00 noon — Coyote
- Friday: 9:00 AM — Abiquiú
Clergy & Parish Staff
San Pedro Mission, like the other missions, is served by the pastor of the Abiquiú parish. The current Pastor/Administrator of the Parish of St. Thomas the Apostle is Rev. Valentine Phu Au. The parish office is staffed by an Office Manager, and meetings with Father Valentine are by appointment only.
- Pastor/Administrator: Rev. Valentine Phu Au
- Parish Office: located to the right of the Santo Tomás el Apóstol church building in Abiquiú
- Office Hours: Tuesday–Thursday, 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM (closed on holidays)
History of the Abiquiú Parish (parent of San Pedro Mission)
The Catholic presence at Abiquiú dates to 1754, when Governor Tomás Vélez Cachupín decreed the establishment of the new pueblo and mission of Santo Tomás de Abiquiú to settle refugee Hopis and genízaros. The first resident Franciscan, Fray Juan José Toledo, served from 1755 to 1770, and the church of Santo Tomás was completed in 1773 under Fray Sebastián Ángel Fernández. The patron saint, St. Thomas the Apostle, was chosen by Governor Vélez Cachupín himself; the settlers long favored Santa Rosa de Lima instead, and today both are honored. The 1773 church burned in October 1867, and the rebuilt structure stood until the 1930s, when — under the German-born priest Fr. William Bickhaus, who had driven an ambulance in the Kaiser's army — the present monumental Abiquiú church was designed with the advice of architect John Gaw Meem and begun after Holy Week 1937. San Pedro Mission, as a dependent mission in this historic parish, carries forward the same line of ministry into the small ranching village of Youngsville.
- 1754 — Governor Vélez Cachupín decrees founding of the pueblo and mission of Santo Tomás de Abiquiú.
- 1755–1770 — Fray Juan José Toledo serves as first resident minister.
- 1773 — Original church completed by Fray Sebastián Ángel Fernández.
- October 1867 — Church of Santo Tomás destroyed by fire (started by a candle at the altar).
- 1930s–1937 — Fr. William Bickhaus commissions John Gaw Meem and builds the present-day Santo Tomás church.
Contact & Practical Information
All inquiries about San Pedro Mission should be directed to the parish office of the Parish of St. Thomas the Apostle in Abiquiú. The mailing address is P.O. Box 117, Abiquiu, NM 87510-0117, and the phone number is 505-685-1153. Email contact is [email protected], and the parish website is https://www.stthomasabiquiu.com/. Office hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, closed on holidays. The parish recommends that mission Mass schedules always be confirmed by calling the office.
- Mailing Address: P.O. Box 117, Abiquiu, NM 87510-0117
- Phone: 505-685-1153
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.stthomasabiquiu.com/
- Office Hours: Tuesday–Thursday, 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM (closed holidays)