Photos and article by Mary Alice Murphy (and a Courtesy Photo)
[Author's Note: This article sets out the history of the church.]
Events from Sept. 27-Sept. 29, 2024, surrounding the 150th anniversary of the founding of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Silver City featured music of a Christian singer on Friday evening, lectures on the history of the church on Saturday morning, a banquet with the Las Cruces Diocese Bishop Peter Baldacchino serving as keynote speaker Saturday evening, a Sunday morning mass held at the Western New Mexico University Fine Arts Center Theatre to hold the crowds expected, and a gathering at Gough Park following mass.
Saturday morning, Dr. Don Montoya, retired physician and church historian, gave a presentation on the research he had uncovered about the church since its beginning.
At the beginning of the event, event organizer Leroy Leyva announced that as a start to the three-day event, volunteers from the parish had fed 50-60 recipients at the Silver City Gospel Mission the day before. Also on Friday evening, a Christian concert featured the Josh Blakesley Band at the Western New Mexico University Fine Arts Theater and had drawn a large crowd to be a successful part of the celebration.
Later that Saturday, a banquet would take place at the WNMU Graham Gym, where Baldacchino would be keynote speaker.
On Sunday, a Mass was held at the WNMU Fine Arts Center Theatre led by Bishop Baldacchino and St. Vincent Parish Pastor Oliver Obele, with other area priests and deacons assisting.
Following the Mass, the event culminated with a picnic at Gough Park, with entertainment and games for the youth.
The Saturday morning event opened with a blessing by the bishop: "Peace with you and bless you for the altar you grace at St. Vincent de Paul church. ...Help us to be zealous in continuing your work."
He said he had been reflecting on what a lot of zeal, energy and vision it took to start a church, a place where people could gather to bring the divine life of God.
"We are celebrating the youth who are the future of the church of St. Vincent," Baldacchino continued. "We are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of St. Vincent de Paul Parish."
He said the concert the previous evening was beautiful. He said he hoped youth from the parish would find their vocation within the church. "I just came back from Rome and learned that six new priests will serve the Las Cruces Diocese. God Bless you all."
Leyva introduced Father Oliver.
"Sometimes, I feel like I'm 150, so it's appropriate that my birthday is today," Father Oliver said. "It is a great privilege and honor to have the bishop with us for the three days to celebrate this momental anniversary. It is also an honor and privilege to have Dr. Don Montoya give us a summary of his research over the last year or so on the history of this church."
Montoya thanked Father Oliver and Bishop Baldacchino.
"St Vincent was founded nine years after the Civil War, when Silver City was only four years old, in 1874" Montoya said.
He said he reviewed the baptismal and marriage records of the church, as well as land deeds, and had talked to many long-time residents and parishioners, such as Tommy Ryan, Luisa Carbajal, Sally Sanchez and Isabel Martinez. "Many parishioners provided photos as well as histories in writing."
Montoya noted that St. Vincent has had 12 permanent priests. Four priests had served the parish for more than 20 years each, with interim priests in between. He didn't know the names of some of the interim priests. Since 1981, four deacons have also served in the church. They started with Deacon Jonnie Perez, Johnny Benavidez and the current deacon Bill Holguin. "This year, we also have a seminarian, William Contreras, serving us."
He said what he would present that morning was an extract covering the most significant information from a book coming out in October.
The area now known as New Mexico was a possession of Spain prior to their giving it to Mexico in 1820. The first and only settlement during the Mexican possession was Santa Rita del Cobre copper mine founded sometime between 1800 and 1803. After the conclusion of the Mexican American war in 1848, New Mexico became a United States territory.
Prior to the development of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, the most westerly Catholic church was in St. Louis. Under the Diocese of Durango, a request was made to the Holy See, where St. Pius IX was Pope, to create a parish in the New Mexico Territory. French Bishop Reverend Jean-Baptiste Lamy became the first archbishop of the newly consecrated Diocese of Santa Fe, in 1851.
Later, Joseph Machebeuf served as bishop under Lamy, and later became vicar in the Denver area.
In 1861, Tucson in the Arizona Territory, with a then-population of about 6,000 people was annexed to the Diocese of Santa Fe.
"In Grant County, gold was discovered in Pinos Altos in 1860," Montoya reported. "In 1861, the Civil War began and people left the area to fight."
President Abraham Lincoln later divided the Arizona and New Mexico territories. By 1865, an influx of people were going to Pinos Altos to mine and farm.
Bishop Lamy was sent to Tucson to create churches in Arizona.
Bishop Jean-Baptiste Salpointe served as the first bishop of Arizona.
In 1870, silver was discovered not only in PInos Altos, but also in Silver City, which became a boom town.
Montoya noted there was no record of why Bishop Salpointe sent Priest Oliver Ruellan to Silver City to create a church for about 1,500 people, one-third of whom were from Mexico. In March of 1874, Ruellan started the parish of St. Vincent de Paul.
Ruellan had been born in France, and had served in New York City before coming to Silver City, where he found a town with seven saloons, but no church or school.
Montoya said again he could find no records of Ruellan, however, Father Henry Andrew Heitz in 1924 had written the first book on the history of St. Vincent de Paul parish, which became Montoya's only source of information on the beginning of the parish.
"Imagine arriving at La Cienega of San Vicente and seeing the brick buildings of Silver City, compared to the jacales of Chihuahua Hill, where the poor lived," Montoya said, as he showed a photo. "St Vincent was a French saint who cared for the poor. Father Ruellan said masses first at E. Cosgrove's warehouse and later at Pedro Pacheco's house."
Montoya said he could not find a deed to the church and figured the land had been donated. It took two years to build the church, originally of adobe brick. The church was consecrated in 1876,
The first marriage recorded in Silver City by Father Ruellan was between Jose Anselmo Rojas and Encarnacion Gomez on April 2, 1974, before the completion of the church.
Montoya noted that the history became a bit confusing at this point, with dates not matching up.
The book written by Father Heitz indicated that Father Ruellan was traveling from Santa Rita to Silver City. However, he missed the road and traveled to Pinos Altos. He ended up sleeping on the cold ground. When he put his boots on he felt pain, but kept going. When he removed his boot, he found a centipede, became ill so badly that he was taken to Fort Bayard, where he was operated on by Drs. Smith, Keenan and de la Roderie. While he was hospitalized, Father Joseph Marie Leclerc arriver from Tucson. Father Ruellan later died in May of 1876.
Montoya, a retired physician, found discrepancies in the record and also questioned why if it was cold, the priest had removed his boots and slept under a tree. "A centipede was not likely to have caused his death. Maybe while it was swollen it became necrotic. Also in those days, when a foot was injured, the usual antidote was to amputate it, which might have caused sepsis."
Another early marriage at the church was between Francisco Duarte and Antonia Rodriguez, and it was recorded as being performed by Father Ruellan on Nov. 9, 1876, five months after the centipede bite. It was concluded that he died in the last month of 1876 or early 1877, with Father Leclerc officiating at the funeral mass. Ruellan was buried at a new cemetery between 10th and 12th streets and West and Santa Rita streets. The cemetery was in 1882 moved to Memory Lane, so, many bodies were exhumed and moved. The only two in records as having been moved were John Bullard and Katherine Antrim. "We don't know the exact dates of Ruellan's death or the location of his burial." He noted there is a monument dedicated to Father Ruellan, with the wrong date at the St. Vincent's Cemetery.
Father John Landberg was an interim priest and because the church tower had no bell, he had one cast locally. But when it was taken out of the cast, it cracked. The cracked bell sits in the corner of the church courtyard. Father Landberg obtained permission to purchase a bell from Menleely and Kimberly of Troy, NY, which remained in the steeple from 1979 until Father Milano removed it in the 1960s.
Father Jean Baptiste Stagnon served the area when the St. Vincent parish boundaries extended to Clifton, AZ. He traveled long distances to serve the Catholics. He died July 17, 1881 and was the first priest to be buried at St. Vincent de Paul in front of St. Joseph's altar.
Father Peter Bourgarde, after serving in Texas, around 1881, served at St. Vincent's. He established the first parochial school, with the Sisters of Mercy. He became vicar of the Diocese of Tucson in 1885 and then the fourth archbishop of Santa Fe in 1908 and is buried at St. Francis Cathedral along with Archbishop Lamy..
Father Edward Gerard came in May 1885 was recognized as the "church builder." He built churches in Pinos Altos, Central, San Lorenzo and Georgetown.
Father Ausgustin Morin arrive in Silver City September 1889, and served St.Vincent's for 26 years until his death on Dec. 13, 1913. He taught parishioners and youth the truths of the Catholic faith. He was strict, but soft-hearted and known for his punctuality.
Four Sisters of Mercy from Ireland served at the church during the years of Father Morin.
A new church was built in San Jose in 1902, but with the encroaching copper mine, it was replaced by a new church on the hill in Santa Rita in 1911. The Church of the Holy Family was established in Deming in 1905.
In 1907, Father Morin oversaw the addition of two brick steeples to St. Vincent's. It was said that he ran the church like a well-oiled machine. Then he became sick and paralyzed.
In the March of 1914, it was declared that churches in southern New Mexico would be separated from the Diocese of Tucson and would become part of the new Diocese of El Paso under the first Bishop Reverend Anthony J. Schuler..
Father Morin died Jan. 6, 1916 and the funeral was held during a great snowstorm. He is buried in front of the altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary at St. Vincent's.
Father Heitz served from 1916-1939.
He wrote historical notes of the church in English and Spanish. Heitz was born in France and became a naturalized citizen on Oct. 25, 1909
In 1919, he applied for a passport to accompany Bishop Schuler to visit Pope Benedict XV.
In 1911, he wrote about his interest in history. Once he arrived at St. Vincent's, he realized that the area was too large to cover all the parishes, including Hillsboro and Lake Valley. Schuler separated Deming , and later the missions of San Juan San Jose and San Lorenzo and even later Santa Rita and Hurley became their own parishes..
He restructure the parish to include outer towns of Leopold, Tyrone, Pinos Altos, Central, Fort Bayard, Fierro and Hanover. In 1916, he built a modest rectory with sleeping quarters and an office, while a new floor was laid in the church. He later added steam heating to the church and bought a new altar, as well as adding the St. Teresa chapel on the east side of the church. The new altar was dedicated to the four boys from the parish who died in World War I. The only picture of these men is that of Evangelisto Gonzales.
The Sisters of Mercy who had been in Silver City since 1881 left to join the Diocese of Tuscon. They were replaced by the Sisters of St. Joseph from Tipton, IN. In 1917, this small community of the Sisters of St. Joseph joined the Sisters of St. Joseph in Concordia KS. Hundreds of students in Silver City were educated by them. over the 41 years of the St. Vincent's school
In 1923, they began the construction of a multi-story building, convent and classrooms.
On Oct. 7, 1939, Father Heitz died and is buried in the Chapel of St. Theresa, which is now the church cry room.
Father John Patrick Linnnane served from 1941-1955. He arrived on Feb. 6, 1941, and 1o months later WW II broke out and rationing of good was initiated. Even with limited fund, he undertook church renovations with the help of parishioners. He also requested a teaching staff from the mother house in Concordia. During his residence, he served as chaplain Conservation Corps camps. A number of parishioners died during the war and a few are buried at St. Vincent's, with others buried in military cemeteries in North Africa, Europe, England and the South Pacific.
In 1949, the old rectory was razed and replaced with a two-story parochial house, Father Lindane also purchased a bus from Parish Stage Lines and use it toe transport high school boys basketball and baseball teams who were members of the Catholic Youth Organization to out-of-town competitions. The teams coached by him won the Metzger sportsmanship trophy at a CYO invitational tournament in El Paso.
In 1945, the church purchased the Elks Opera House , which had been built in 1905, and renovated in 1967 in hornor of Bishop Metzger. The building served as a gym and meeting place for the newly introduced Knights of Columbus chapter 3388. It had a restart and still serves today for numerous church activities.
In 1951, the church celebrated its diamond jubilee, but no records of the celebration were found.
During the Korean conflict, a 19-year-old parishioner Manuel Trujillo Mendoza was killed in battle on Nov. 18, 1952 and is buried at St. Vincent cemetery.
It is stated the Father Linnane labored not only spiritually, but also with his hand and Irish brawn to build, improve and advance the church.
Father Linnane resigned his position in 1955, moved to El Paso and died in 1977, at Stamford CT and is buried in his family plot in Ireland. .
In late 1955, Father Roland Alphonse Vonder Harr arrived at St. Vincent. He is know for converting the chapel of St. Theresa into a cry room.
Father Vonder Harr recognized Connie Ryan for playing piano and organ at the church for 45 years at the 10 a.m. Mass. She was also capable of playing Beethoven sonatas.
In 1984, in spite of a diagnosis of brain cancer, she played at Deacon Holguin's ordination. She died in 2003.
Montoya told of another distinguished musician, Jesus Cardona, who provided the music for 20 years at the Infant Jesus Church in Hurley.e also provided music at St. Vincent's and is know for preparing the choir to sing manzanitas in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
James Apollinaris Milano came to St. Vincent on Sept. 20, 1971. He was ordained in 1940. He served in Umbarger, Texas. He enlisted in the army and served in Fiji in 1943 and was discharged in 1947. and served in Pecos, TX, before he came to St. Vincent's in 1961. He, too, did renovations and repairs. He bought the wood crucifix that still hangs above the altar from Germany. He was known for hiking up Cross Mountain in Pinos Altos, while praying the rosary. It remains a tradition today. He was scolded for his long sermons. He purchased the hand-carved crucifix from Oberammergau, Germany, from an establishment with a carving heritage sine the 12th century. He gave credit to the many parishioners who decided themselves to the parish centennial celebration in 1974, a seven-day event from Aug. 18-Aug. 24. On Aug. 22, Bishop Metzger vested Father Milano to Monsignor.
"It was also reported that for a picnic at the Gila River for 10 altar boys, he bought six buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken and 12 watermelons."
In 1987, he retired, was named Citizen of the Year by the Silver City Chamber of Commerce. After his retirement, he resided as Chaplain of the Sisters of Adoration in El Paso, where he celebrated his 50th years of ordination on Dec.29, 1990. He died on May 24, 2001.
From 1988-1990, Father Lynch served and during his tenure he had bathrooms installed in the church.
Father Rodney Pickney Nichols served for 26 years as the next permanent priest and pastor, In 1989, Bishop Ricardo Ramirez, the first bishop of the Las Cruces Diocese, which was separated from the Diocese of El Paso, appointed Father Rod to St. Vincent's until his retirement in 2015. For 10 years, he held bilingual masses. He also established the Theotokos retreat center and move the church fiesta from the parking lot to Gough Park He started a major renovation. It began with removing the carpet, at which point it was discovered that the floor joists had been destroyed by termites. The renovation was completed in late 2006. The core parishioners who worked on the renovation were Jimmy Salazar, Jesus Arellano, Ralph Radka, Jonny Cordova and Sixto Duran.
"Our 12th and continuing permanent priest, Father Oliver Obele was born in Lagos and became a U.S. citizen in 2006," Montoya said. He was ordained in 1995 and became a U.S. citizen in 2006. He arrived St. Vincent in 2015, and he faced the pandemic in 2020, which challenged all churches.
Father Oliver with the help ofEfren Canos and Virginia Holguin filed the Mass through Facebook, so parishioners could attend mass virtually. It was also heard on the radio. Father Oliver and Deacon Holguin also gave communion to parishioners who arrived and sat in their cars in the parking lot. In addition he published the first parish directory with photographs
Montoya said mysteries remain, such as when and where the statuary, the stations of the cross and the stained glass windows were obtained. A stained glass window is dedicated to John Black by his wife, "but I could find no reference to the name in the church records."
Montoya requested that all young parishioners remember this celebration and prepare to participate in the 200th anniversary in 2074. "I thank all the parishioners who have contributed in many ways to update our church's history."
The chair of the anniversary celebration committee Leyva announced that a birthday party would take place in the courtyard, and he invited everyone to join in. He also noted that a book would be developed including the full history of the church, as well as the 150th anniversary celebrations. It should come out in October or November. "We will only print a certain number of copies and once they're gone, we will not republish it."
Fred Baca, the communications chair of the committee, noted again that that evening at the banquet, Bishop Baldacchino would serve as keynote speaker.
Father Oliver thanked the heroes and heroines who had gotten the church "this far."
In the courtyard, hot dogs and birthday cake and ice cream were available for participants.
To pause the slide show, mouse over the image.
