About Sangre de Cristo Mission · Valencia, New Mexico
Sangre de Cristo Mission is a Roman Catholic mission church in Valencia, New Mexico, part of the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in neighboring Peralta. The historic adobe chapel, listed on the New Mexico Register of Historic Places, serves a largely Spanish-speaking community in the central region of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, offering Sunday Mass, weekday Masses, confession, and the rosary prayed before each liturgy in keeping with the parish's strong Marian devotion. Under the pastoral care of Fr. Emmanuel UC Izuka, the mission shares in the evangelizing mission of its parent parish and continues more than two centuries of Catholic worship on the same site.
- Established
- 1800
- Patron
- Precious Blood of Christ (Sangre de Cristo)
- Rector
- Fr. Emmanuel UC Izuka
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Why belong here
Sangre de Cristo is the spiritual home of an enduring Hispanic Catholic community that has worshipped on the same site for more than 220 years, in a historic adobe chapel on the New Mexico Register of Historic Places. Parishioners gather around daily and Sunday Mass celebrated in a mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, with the rosary prayed before each liturgy in a strong Marian devotional tradition. The community welcomes new members into the ministries, sacraments, and parish life shared between the Valencia and Peralta churches.
Mass times at Sangre de Cristo Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (Peralta) or by appointment
About Sangre de Cristo Mission
Sangre de Cristo is a Catholic mission church in Valencia, New Mexico, part of the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Peralta. It is one of two churches in the parish — the primary church in Peralta and this historic mission chapel in Valencia — both of which are listed on the New Mexico Register of Historic Places. The parish serves the communities of Bosque Farms, Peralta, and Valencia in Valencia County, south of Albuquerque, within the central region of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
- Two-church parish: Our Lady of Guadalupe (Peralta) and Sangre de Cristo (Valencia)
- Located in the central region of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe
- Both parish churches listed on the New Mexico Register of Historic Places
History of Sangre de Cristo
The mission chapel stands on a site first used for public worship around 1800 or 1801. Over more than two centuries it has been rebuilt, expanded, deeded to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, and rededicated. Today it continues as a mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, formally since April 1971.
Spanish Settlement and the First Chapel
The area was settled by Francisco de Valencia, son of one of Oñate's soldiers, between roughly 1630 and 1640. The family was driven out by the Pueblo Revolt in 1680 and never returned after the 1692 Reconquest. The first public chapel on the present site was built in 1800 or 1801 and named Sangre de Cristo in repentance for blood shed between two feuding brothers.
- Settled by Francisco de Valencia c. 1630–1640
- Pueblo Revolt of 1680 forced abandonment
- First chapel built 1800–1801 and named Sangre de Cristo
Mission of Tomé Parish
Valencia is documented as a mission of Immaculate Conception Parish at Tomé as early as 1821, when that parish was officially created by Bishop Zubiria of Durango, Mexico. The early chapel was probably a simple flat-roofed structure on the same footprint as today's main portion of the church.
- Recorded as a mission of Tomé parish in 1821
- Created by Bishop Zubiria of Durango, Mexico
Deed to the Archdiocese and 19th–20th Century Changes
The chapel was formally deeded to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe by the residents of Valencia in 1893. Two towers, designed by a Peralta storekeeper, were added in 1902. A pitched tin roof replaced the original flat roof in 1912, when similar work was done at the parish's main church in Peralta.
- Deeded to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 1893
- Twin towers added in 1902
- Pitched tin roof added in 1912
1941 Collapse and Rebuilding
Despite continual repairs, the northeast wall of the chapel collapsed on a Sunday afternoon in spring 1941, with the rest of the north wall soon falling under suspicious circumstances. The structure was razed and rebuilt on a concrete foundation using many of the original materials; Mass resumed in the partially rebuilt chapel in 1942 and the renovated structure was rededicated by Archbishop Rudolph Gerken in 1946.
- Walls collapsed in spring 1941
- Razed and rebuilt on concrete foundation
- Mass resumed 1942; rededicated by Archbishop Rudolph Gerken in 1946
Assignment to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish
When the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Peralta was formally established in April 1971, Sangre de Cristo was assigned to it as a mission church, where it continues to serve the Valencia community today.
- Formally attached to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in April 1971
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the full range of Catholic sacraments, with baptisms regularly scheduled at the Sunday Mass.
- Baptisms on the 3rd Sunday of each month at the 11:15 AM Mass
- First Holy Communion
- Confirmation
- Matrimony (by appointment)
- Anointing of the Sick
Parish Ministries
Sangre de Cristo Mission shares in the ministries of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, which give parishioners of all ages opportunities to serve in liturgy, charity, formation, and community life.
- Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers
- St. Vincent de Paul Society
- Cemetery Committee
- Altar Society
- Knights of Columbus
- Faith Formation
- Youth Ministry
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
Sangre de Cristo Mission is served through the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Peralta, where the pastor and parish staff minister to both communities.
- Pastor: Fr. Emmanuel UC Izuka
Contact and Location
Sangre de Cristo Mission is located on Main Street in Los Lunas (Valencia area), while the parish office and main church are in nearby Peralta. The parish can be reached by phone or email, and the website serves both churches.
- Sangre de Cristo: 3466 Main St. NE, Los Lunas, NM 87031
- Our Lady of Guadalupe: 3674 Highway 47, Peralta, NM 87042
- Phone: (505) 869-2189
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.ologperalta.org/