About Santa Rosa de Lima · Santa Rosa, New Mexico
Santa Rosa de Lima is a Roman Catholic parish in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The parish traces its roots to the mid-1800s, when the small chapel built by Don Celso Baca in honor of his mother Doña Rosa and Saint Rose of Lima became the spiritual and civic heart of the settlement that grew into the city of Santa Rosa. The current church building was begun in 1907 under Father Alphonse Haelterman and completed by Father Joseph Pugens in 1924. Today the parish serves seven mission churches across Guadalupe County and is staffed by Father Jacob Romero, appointed pastor in November 2024, with offices just south of historic U.S. Route 66.
- Established
- 1907
- Patron
- Saint Rose of Lima (Santa Rosa de Lima)
- Rector
- Rev. Jacob Romero
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Why belong here
Santa Rosa de Lima is the spiritual and historical heart of a small railroad town on Route 66, worshiping in a church begun in 1907 and completed in 1924 in a tradition that goes back to Don Celso Baca's chapel honoring his mother and the first American saint. The parish remains a mission-centered community — it still serves seven mission churches across Guadalupe County (Borica, Colonias, Cuervo, Milagro, Pintada, Puerto de Luna, and San Ignacio), each receiving an annual feast-day Mass. With daily Mass offered in Spanish and English, Saturday Vigil and Sunday Mass, Eucharistic Adoration on First Fridays, and a schedule that explicitly welcomes the sick and the poor — 'When we serve the poor and the sick we serve Jesus' — it is a welcoming, generations-old Catholic community rooted in the Pecos River valley.
Mass times at Santa Rosa de Lima
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM
- Saturday: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday: 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Sunday: 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM
Parish History — From San Miguel del Bado to Santa Rosa de Lima
The parish's history reaches back to the early 1800s through three predecessor parishes on the Santa Fe Trail. San Miguel del Bado (on the Pecos River ford) sent visiting priests to outlying communities; in 1857 Father Joseph Baptiste Fayet established San José in Anton Chico as the next parish; in 1880 construction began on Nuestra Señora de Refugio in Puerto de Luna, which became its own parroquia in 1896 under Father Simon Joseph Bartholome Alvernhe. The parish historian Daniel B. Flores has documented that Father Auguste François Joseph Redon served as Anton Chico pastor from 1866 to 1902, covering the area that included Santa Rosa for most of that time.
- San Miguel del Bado — original parent parish (Santa Fe Trail, Pecos River)
- San José, Anton Chico — founded 1857 by Father Joseph Baptiste Fayet
- Nuestra Señora de Refugio, Puerto de Luna — built from 1880; first recorded Mass there a funeral for Juan Patrón (1884)
- Puerto de Luna becomes its own parroquia in 1896 with Father Alvernhe as first pastor
- Parish history written by Daniel B. Flores
The Founding of Santa Rosa
Don Celso Baca settled in the Agua Negra Chiquita area on the Pecos River in the early 1860s and built a small chapel in honor of his mother Doña Rosa, naming her after Santa Rosa de Lima, the first American saint. The chapel stood across the street from his hacienda at 920 S. 3rd St. and is considered Santa Rosa's first church; Doña Rosa's remains are buried inside it near the former altar. The town took the name 'Santa Rosa' in 1890. After the railroad arrived in 1901 and the county seat moved from Puerto de Luna in 1903, Don Celso's small settlement grew rapidly into a railroad town.
- Don Celso Baca — credited as founder of Santa Rosa
- Original chapel at 920 S. 3rd St. (across from Baca hacienda; now Chavez Funeral Home)
- Burial site of Doña Rosa inside the original chapel
- Town officially renamed Santa Rosa in 1890
- Settlement grew around the El Rito creek and State Highway 91
Building the Present Church (1907–1924)
In 1907 Belgian Father Alphonse Haelterman, then parish priest at Puerto de Luna, led the people of Santa Rosa in building the new church — the present Santa Rosa de Lima. A rectory was built shortly after at the corner of 4th Street and La Pradira Avenue, but it stood unoccupied until 1924 because Father Joseph Pugens, Father Haelterman's successor, preferred life in Puerto de Luna. In 1924 the archbishop persuaded him to move to Santa Rosa, and Father Pugens finally completed the church project that Haelterman had begun before his death at age 44 in 1911.
- 1907 — construction of the present Santa Rosa de Lima Church begun by Father Alphonse Haelterman
- Rectory built at 4th Street & La Pradira Avenue (initially unoccupied)
- Father Haelterman dies 1911 at age 44
- Father Joseph Pugens succeeds and finally completes the church in 1924
The Seven Mission Churches
Santa Rosa de Lima is the mother parish of seven mission churches scattered across Guadalupe County. Only an annual Mass is celebrated at each mission on its feast (fiesta) day, plus funerals as needed. The mission communities and their patron saints are: San Isidro (Borica), San Jose (Colonias), Santo Niño (Cuervo), Our Lady of Sorrows (Milagro), Holy Family (Pintada), Our Lady of Refuge (Puerto de Luna), and San Ignacio (San Ignacio–Puerto de Luna).
- San Isidro — Borica
- San Jose — Colonias
- Santo Niño — Cuervo
- Our Lady of Sorrows — Milagro
- Holy Family — Pintada
- Our Lady of Refuge — Puerto de Luna
- San Ignacio — San Ignacio–Puerto de Luna
- Annual feast-day Mass plus funerals at each mission
Sacraments
Baptisms for children under the age of 7 may take place almost any weekend of the year, with parents and godparents required to attend a baptismal class beforehand. Children age 7 and over receive the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation) together following at least a year of preparation that begins each fall, with classes offered monthly at the parish. First Communion and Confirmation are part of that combined program. Reconciliation is offered at the times listed above and by appointment. Couples meet with the pastor to begin marriage preparation. The parish also responds to the needs of the sick and homebound.
- Infant Baptism (under age 7) — any weekend after baptismal class
- Baptism, First Communion & Confirmation (age 7+) — year-long program beginning each fall
- Reconciliation — Saturday 4:00 PM, Sunday 8:00 AM, or by appointment
- Marriage — preparation with the pastor
- Anointing of the Sick / pastoral care for the sick and homebound
Parish Staff & Office
Father Jacob Romero was appointed pastor of St. Rose of Lima in Santa Rosa (and its missions) and of St. Anthony of Padua in Fort Sumner, effective November 13, 2024, having previously served as parochial vicar of Our Lady of Fatima in Albuquerque. The parish office is staffed Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at 439 South 3rd Street, Santa Rosa. The parish publishes a weekly bulletin and posts announcements on its official Facebook page.
- Rev. Jacob Romero — Pastor (effective November 13, 2024)
- Parish office: 439 S. 3rd St., Santa Rosa, NM 88435
- Office hours: Tuesday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Phone: (575) 472-3724
- Official Facebook: Santa Rosa de Lima Parish, Santa Rosa NM
Visiting Santa Rosa & Mission Sites
Visitors to the parish should plan around the regular Mass and Adoration schedule (see above). The parish is four blocks south of historic U.S. Route 66 on 3rd Street (NM-91) at the corner of Lake Drive. Those interested in the parish's history can also visit the original Baca chapel at 920 S. 3rd St. (across from the Chavez Funeral Home) where Doña Rosa is buried, and explore the wider network of mission churches spread across Guadalupe County. The parish's bulletin is published online and is available in English and Spanish.
- Located 4 blocks south of U.S. Route 66 on 3rd Street (NM-91) at Lake Drive
- Original Baca chapel at 920 S. 3rd St. (Doña Rosa's burial site)
- Seven mission churches across Guadalupe County
- Bulletin published online in English and Spanish
- Office open Tuesday–Friday 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Alphonse Haelterman1904–1911
Belgian; parish priest at Puerto de Luna (1904–1911); led the people of Santa Rosa in building the present Santa Rosa de Lima church in 1907; died at age 44.
- Father Joseph Pugensafter 1911–1924+
Succeeded Haelterman; completed the church project in Santa Rosa; preferred to live in Puerto de Luna until 1924, when the archbishop persuaded him to move to Santa Rosa.
- Father Auguste François Joseph Redon1866–1902
Pastor of San José in Anton Chico; as such the pastor of the area that included Santa Rosa for a large part of that time (until Puerto de Luna became its own parroquia).
- Simon Joseph Bartholome Alvernhefrom 1896
First pastor of Puerto de Luna when it became its own parroquia in 1896; preceded Haelterman.
- Father Joseph Baptiste Fayetfrom 1857
Established the parish of San José in Anton Chico in 1857, with missions in La Cueva, La Montosa, Anton Chico de Arriba, El Tecolotíto, Valles de San Agustín, Valles de San Antonio, and Valles de San Isidro.
- Rev. Jacob Romeroeffective November 13, 2024–present
Current pastor of St. Rose of Lima in Santa Rosa and its missions, also appointed pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in Fort Sumner; previously parochial vicar of Our Lady of Fatima in Albuquerque.