About Santa Cruz Mission · Chamisal, New Mexico
Santa Cruz Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church in the village of Chamisal, New Mexico, in the southern part of Taos County. It is one of ten mission chapels served jointly by the parishes of San Antonio de Padua in Peñasco and St. Anthony in Dixon, which share clergy and an office. The mission falls within the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Fe and is named for the Holy Cross. Mass is celebrated at the Chamisal chapel roughly once a month on Sunday afternoons, as part of a rotating circuit that visits four of the seven mission chapels of the Peñasco valley.
- Patron
- Holy Cross (Santa Cruz — La Santa Cruz)
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Why belong here
Santa Cruz Mission serves the small Catholic community of Chamisal and surrounding ranchos in the Peñasco valley, keeping the rhythm of weekly Sunday Mass alive in a rural village that would otherwise be too small to support a full parish on its own. Joining or visiting the mission means participating in one of northern New Mexico's oldest Hispanic Catholic communities, sharing in a monthly Sunday Mass celebrated by the same clergy who serve San Antonio de Padua in Peñasco and St. Anthony in Dixon. The mission is also a gateway to the wider cluster's sacramental life: First Communion and Youth Confirmation are prepared at the parish level, and confessions are heard at the Peñasco, Velarde, and Dixon churches.
Mass times at Santa Cruz Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Confessions are not scheduled at the Chamisal mission itself; they are heard at the cluster parishes — Peñasco: Fridays 4:30–5:30 PM or by appointment; Velarde: Saturdays 2:30–3:30 PM or by appointment; Dixon: Sundays after the 10:30 AM Mass or by appointment.
Adoration times
- No adoration is scheduled at the Chamisal mission; adoration is held at the parent parish of San Antonio de Padua in Peñasco on Fridays from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM.
About Santa Cruz Mission
Santa Cruz Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission chapel in the village of Chamisal, in the Peñasco valley of northern New Mexico's Taos County. The mission is dedicated to the Holy Cross and belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Because Chamisal is too small to host a full-time parish, the chapel is one of ten mission churches served jointly by the cluster parishes of San Antonio de Padua in Peñasco and St. Anthony in Dixon, which share clergy, a single website, and a common sacramental preparation program.
Cluster Parishes: San Antonio de Padua & St. Anthony
The cluster that serves Santa Cruz Mission is built on the two main parish churches of the valley: San Antonio de Padua Catholic Church in Peñasco (14079 North NM-75) and St. Anthony Catholic Church in Dixon. The two parishes share pastoral staff and a common website (dixonpenascocc.org), but each maintains its own parish office. Together they care for ten mission chapels scattered across the surrounding villages and ranchos, of which Santa Cruz Mission in Chamisal is one. The cluster is a clear example of the small, multi-chapel Catholic life that has defined rural northern New Mexico since Spanish colonial times.
- San Antonio de Padua Catholic Church — Peñasco (parent parish)
- St. Anthony Catholic Church — Dixon (sister parish)
- Ten mission chapels in total across the Peñasco valley
- Cluster website: dixonpenascocc.org
Sacraments & Faith Formation
The cluster coordinates sacramental preparation centrally, with Santa Cruz Mission families welcomed into the wider Peñasco/Dixon programs. First Holy Communion and Youth Confirmation both have a registration window that usually opens in August; the parish website marks the current year's dates as TBD and directs families to contact the parish office. Marriage preparation, baptisms, and the Anointing of the Sick are arranged by appointment with the pastor through the parish office.
- First Holy Communion — registration typically in August; details TBD
- Youth Confirmation — registration typically in August; details TBD
- Baptism — contact the parish office
- Marriage / Matrimony — contact the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — available on request
- Parish office phone: (575) 587-0399
The Other Mission Chapels of the Cluster
Ten mission chapels make up the wider pastoral reach of the San Antonio de Padua / St. Anthony cluster. Four of them — Rodarte, Chamisal, Picuris, and Vadito — host the circulating Sunday 1:00 PM Mass on a different Sunday each month, and the remaining three — Llano Largo, Vadito (second chapel), and Rio Lucio — are served with Mass only on their patronal feast day. This rotating structure keeps regular Sunday worship present across the small villages of the valley while honoring the historic role of the chapel as the spiritual heart of each community.
- Chapels with monthly Sunday Mass: Rodarte, Chamisal, Picuris, Vadito
- Chapels served only on feast day: Llano Largo, Vadito, Rio Lucio
- Model of small-chapel Catholic life typical of northern New Mexico's Hispanic villages
Practical Notes for Visitors
Visitors are warmly welcomed at Santa Cruz Mission. The chapel sits on the village plaza of Chamisal, so arriving a few minutes before Mass makes it easy to find the church and greet parishioners outside. Because Mass at Chamisal is only monthly, visitors planning to attend should check the current month's circulation schedule on the cluster website (dixonpenascocc.org) or call the parish office to confirm which Sunday the mission will host Mass. The cluster website notes that masks are optional at Mass.
- Confirm the month's circulation Sunday on dixonpenascocc.org or by phone
- Parish office: (575) 587-0399 (also listed as (575) 587-2111)
- Masks optional during Mass per current parish guidance
- Surrounding village plazas of the Peñasco valley offer a glimpse of the historic Hispanic Catholic culture of northern New Mexico