About St. Paul · Crownpoint, New Mexico
St. Paul Catholic Church is a predominantly Navajo (Native American) parish located in Crownpoint, New Mexico, on the eastern edge of the Navajo Nation in McKinley County. It is one of the parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup, in the diocese's San Juan Vicariate, and supervises the Risen Savior Mission in Bluewater Lake. Mass is offered in English (with a Navajo-speaking community), with weekly Sunday and weekday services, weekend confessions, and First Friday Eucharistic Adoration. The parish is staffed by diocesan priests and works closely with lay ministers and religious sisters, including the Adorers of the Blood of Christ (ASC).
- Established
- 1961
- Patron
- St. Paul (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Fr. John Paul Madanu
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup
Why belong here
St. Paul is a small, close-knit Navajo Catholic community where the weekly Sunday Mass is a real gathering — a place to pray together, maintain centuries-old Catholic tradition on the reservation, and be welcomed by a pastor who knows every face. The parish also serves the outlying Risen Savior Mission at Bluewater Lake, so belonging to St. Paul means sustaining Catholic life across a wide stretch of McKinley County. With weekday Masses, simple Sunday confessions, First Friday Eucharistic Adoration, and a long tradition of religious sisters (the ASC) and diocesan priests working side-by-side, the parish offers steady sacramental life and a chance to be part of a distinctly Native American Catholic witness on the Navajo Nation.
Mass times at St. Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 9:15 am (and upon request)
Adoration times
- First Fridays: 7:30 am – 6:00 pm (Eucharistic Adoration)
About St. Paul Parish, Crownpoint
St. Paul Catholic Church is a Navajo Catholic parish located in Crownpoint, New Mexico, on the eastern edge of the Navajo Nation in McKinley County. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup and lies within the diocese's San Juan Vicariate. The parish also supervises the Risen Savior Mission in Bluewater Lake, extending Catholic sacramental life to a wide stretch of the surrounding high desert.
History
The Catholic presence in Crownpoint is older than the current parish structure. Combined baptismal registers covering St. Bonaventure/St. Valerian Mission, St. Paul Mission, and San Diego Mission at Jemez Pueblo stretch back to 1897, with confirmations recorded from 1938, marriages from 1939, and burials from 1943. According to the Marquette University Guide to Catholic Records about Native Americans, the Franciscans of St. John the Baptist Province (Cincinnati) established and administered St. Paul Mission from 1961 to 1975; the Western Dominican Province took over for 1976–1977; diocesan priests briefly served 1978–1979; the California Province Jesuits served 1979–1980; and from 1980 onward the parish has been jointly administered by Gallup diocesan priests and the Sisters, Adorers of the Blood of Christ (ASC). Through every change, the parish has remained a predominantly Native American (Navajo) Catholic community.
Administrator Succession
The parish has been served by a remarkable sequence of religious orders and diocesan priests across six decades.
- 1961–1975 — Franciscans, St. John the Baptist Province (Cincinnati)
- 1976–1977 — Dominicans, Most Holy Name of Jesus / Western Dominican Province
- 1978–1979 — Diocesan priests of Gallup
- 1979–1980 — Jesuits, California Province
- 1980–present — Gallup diocesan priests with the Sisters, Adorers of the Blood of Christ (ASC)
- 2024–present — Fr. John Paul Madanu, Sacramental Minister
Risen Savior Mission, Bluewater
St. Paul Parish supervises the Church of the Risen Savior at Bluewater Lake, which has been a mission of the parish since 1999. The priests of St. Paul's attend the mission as part of their regular ministry.
- Continuation of earlier mission work at San Ignacio (Star Lake, 1962–1975) and St. Bonaventure (Thoreau, 1970–1974, which became its own parish).
- Listed by the Diocese of Gallup and GCatholic as a mission of St. Paul Church.
Community & Cultural Life
St. Paul's is a small, predominantly Navajo Catholic community in which the weekly Sunday Mass gathers roughly 25–30 people, many of them elderly. The parish has long been supported by the Sisters, Adorers of the Blood of Christ (ASC), whose members have lived on the reservation, served on the diocesan Native American Deaconate Lay Ministry Board, and partnered with diocesan priests in running the parish.
- Predominantly Navajo Catholic community
- Long partnership with the Sisters, Adorers of the Blood of Christ (ASC)
- Mission outreach to outlying stations on the Navajo Nation
Pastor: Fr. John Paul Madanu
Fr. John Paul Madanu, a priest of the Diocese of Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, India, is the current Sacramental Minister of St. Paul Parish. After eight years in the Diocese of El Paso, including teaching in Catholic schools, he was assigned to the Diocese of Gallup and arrived in Crownpoint on July 2, where he has focused on basic stewardship of the parish campus — consolidating the internet bill, repairing the skirting on the rectory trailer, installing Christmas lights, and planning to repave the parking lot. He is featured in the Diocese of Gallup's 'Voice of the Southwest' priest interview series.
- Native of Andhra Pradesh / Telangana, India; priest of the Diocese of Srikakulam
- Previously eight years in the Diocese of El Paso
- Arrived in Crownpoint on July 2 as Sacramental Minister of St. Paul Parish
Visiting & Contact
Visitors are warmly welcomed at St. Paul Parish. The parish office can be reached by phone and by mail at the Crownpoint Drive address. Mass-goers travelling from elsewhere in McKinley County will find the church about half a mile northwest of town on Road 47 (Church Drive).
- Address: 268 Crownpoint Drive, P.O. Box 268, Crownpoint, NM 87313
- Phone: (505) 786-5376
- Directions: Go NW 1/2 mile out of Crownpoint on Road 47 (Church Drive)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Franciscans, St. John the Baptist Province (Cincinnati)1961–1975
Established and administered St. Paul Mission; archives at Cincinnati, with bulk records at St. Michaels, Arizona, and Tucson, Arizona.
- Dominicans, Most Holy Name of Jesus / Western Dominican Province1976–1977
Administered the parish; archives in Oakland, California.
- Diocesan priests of Gallup1978–1979
Brief period of diocesan administration.
- Jesuits, California Province1979–1980
Administered the parish; archives at St. Louis, Missouri.
- Gallup diocesan priests, with Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ (ASC)1980–present
Shared administration; ASC sisters (e.g., Sr. Smith) served as co-administrator and lived on the reservation for nearly 25 years.
- Fr. John Paul Madanu2024–present
Priest of the Diocese of Srikakulam, India; previously eight years in the Diocese of El Paso; arrived at St. Paul on July 2.