Wommack says Our Lady of Guadalupe
This is Part I of a series of two that will be published in the Colorado Gambler. Linda Wommack and Linda Jones duke it out on their opinion of the oldest church in Colorado. Linda Wommack shares her side this week.
Historical facts point to the obvious conclusion: Our Lady of Guadalupe Roman Catholic Church, located in the tiny southern agricultural hamlet of Conejos, just a couple of miles north of the New Mexico line, is the oldest church in Colorado. New Mexico authorities issued the Conejos Land Grant to U.S. Territory in 1833. The area covered some 1,600 square miles from the Rio Grande river on the east, to the San Juan mountains on the west, and stretched north from today’s Colorado/New Mexico state line to the La Garita mountains. This was the San Luis Valley, which became the first permanent settlement in what would become the state of Colorado.
The early adobe studded village was visited by fur trappers and soon, trade became a common practice in the small community. By 1821, a flood of American frontiersmen, including Kit Carson, passed through the community. The inner connection of cultures – Spanish, Anglo and Native American – led to a diverse community dominated by Hispanic customs. It is within this community that a deep heritage emerged and brought about the founding of Colorado’s oldest church.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Conejos, Colo. Photo by Linda Wommack
According to ancient folklore, a group of Mexican settlers, led by the sacred Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, left the Rio Grande River and headed west toward the Conejos River. This group of settlers apparently was guided northwest to the Conejos River by the angel of Guadalupe in 1854. Reaching the banks of the river, their livestock refused to move farther. After hours of pushing and pulling, cursing and other various negotiations with the animals, it was discovered among the cargo the oxen (some accounts say a mule) were carrying, was the treasured statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which had fallen to the ground. Taken as a sign from God, the colonists decried their good fortune and started their heaven sent settlement there on that very spot. Where upon they immediately built a small church for their beloved Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Following a severe flood in the spring of 1855, it was decided the sacred house of worship, the center of this community, would be built on higher ground. And so it was.
A square stockade adobe structure took shape on the western edge of town, typical of early southwestern architecture, such as Bent’s Fort. The original structure of the church was stabilized with wooden posts, and dried red clay bricks supported the foundation. The first established Roman Catholic Church received its first parishioners in late 1856. Under the direction of Father V.S. Montaño, the congregation quickly grew in numbers, not surprising for the community.
It should be noted that in 1856, Conejos was considered part of New Mexico territory, and fell under the jurisdiction of Bishop Lamy of Santa Fe. However, within a few short years, the area would become part of the territory, and eventually Colorado. Originally, the adobe church at Conejos was a mission church for priests from the three New Mexican parishes. When the parish fell into the new Colorado Territory, Our Lady of Guadalupe became the first foundation for Catholicism in Colorado, serving some 25 missions in the San Luis Valley, from the border town of Antonito north to the small encampments along the Animas River.
Hispanic Catholic priests were spreading their word in the wild prairie grasses of southern Colorado Territory, long before the great gold rush of 1859. Our Lady of Guadalupe Roman Catholic Church was the dream of Colorado pioneer, Father Joseph Projectus Machebeuf, a frail missionary from Santa Fe.
Father Machebeuf was so dedicated that he never doubted his faith or his belief in Catholicism or Colorado. Under the direction and financial help of Territorial Gov. William Gilpin, Machebeuf was able to offer land in what would become Conejos County, for permanent Catholic settlers.
“Down among the Spanish, who owned nothing but a mud house and a burro, he could always raise money. If they had anything at all, they gave,” said Willa Cather, author of Death Comes for the Archbishop
To this day, Machebeuf’s groundwork in building the Catholic diocese is evident across the state, yet never more evident as in Conejos. In 1857, it was Machebeuf who acquired the land, and church, dedicated it to and by rite of holy consecration, gave the land over for the first Roman Catholic Church in Colorado Territory, Our Lady of Guadalupe. In 1858, Father Machebeuf gave his very first mass in a Colorado church, at the little adobe church of Our Lady of Guadalupe
As time went on, the small adobe Catholic Church took on several renovations, altercations and enlargements. Following the traditional New Mexican building technique, an enlarged church was built around the old one, eliminating the need for a completely new structure, saving costs, and eliminating the disruption of religious services.
In 1871, the church fell under the jurisdiction of the priests of the Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits. Under their leadership of Father Salvatore Persone, they administered the founding of a covenant school that became the Sisters of Loretto, as well as a public Catholic school. So strong was this leadership that it spread to Denver and became a part of Machebeuf’s cornerstone in his Catholic ministry. In 1920, the Theatine Fathers took over administration of the parishes of Conejos, as well as those of San Luis and Capulin.
Our Lady of Guadalupe experienced a great tragedy on Ash Wednesday in 1926. The historic church caught fire, caused by electrical deficiencies, and received heavy damage. The repairs were made, despite some opposition. The winning factor was to restore and preserve the oldest parish in Colorado, on the original site.
Since the inception of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1856, Roman Catholicism became a part of Colorado, and was spread throughout by the missionaries. With this grand “old world” tradition, pioneers of the new frontier felt secure and more complete in their purpose. The Spanish American population of Conejos embraced their church with love, devotion and respect. Here was the true dwelling to house their treasures; the statures, the paintings and to celebrate with music, praise and ceremony.
For over one hundred fifty years, Colorado’s oldest church, Our Lady of Guadalupe has been a corner stone in a town rich with history and culture.
