Hundreds of parishioners and Ohkay Owingeh members celebrated the 100th anniversary of the San Juan Bautista Church Sunday in a festive ceremony overseen by Santa Fe Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan.
Parishioners and guests applauded the church’s new doors and bronze relief sculpture designed by parish pastor Rev. Larry Brito. The church’s 100-year-old bell was rung, echoing across the pueblo on the sunny, breezy afternoon.
The parish was established on Ohkay Owingeh by Spanish Franciscan Friars in 1598, making it the first and oldest parish in the United States and the oldest center of Christianity in the Southwest region of the United States.
The Rev. Camille Seux, who served as the parish’s pastor from 1868 to 1922, built the present church in 1913, paying for it himself because he wanted to build a church similar to those in his native France. The building replaced an 18th century adobe church.
The current church is the fourth for the parish in its 415-year history and remains an active, integral part of the pueblo. Brito and Parochial Vicar Rev. Denis Kaggwa administer Sunday mass to an average of 1,159 parishioners, said the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
Pueblo Gov. Marcelino Aguino said the new doors were beautiful and the 100th anniversary of the church was a proud day for the pueblo.
Sheehan noted Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Oñate renamed the pueblo San Juan de los Caballeros after his patron saint, John the Baptist. The archbishop noted the Spanish word “caballeros” is “gentlemen” in English, which the archbishop said was appropriate considering the hospitality of the pueblo.
Ohkay Owingeh is also the site of New Mexico’s first capitol, established by De Oñate in 1598.
Sheehan blessed the new doors and sculpture and thanked Ohkay Owingeh leaders for their support. The sculpture depicts Jesus being baptized by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan River. The archbishop said the depiction is fitting considering the parish’s proximity to the Rio Grande.
Sheehan said the church and the pueblo are both works in progress. Indeed, the core of the pueblo is experiencing a housing renaissance as dozens of historic homes are being rehabilitated as part of the Owe’neh Bupingeh Preservation Plan, which is intended to help preserve the pueblo’s culture and entice tribal members to return to live on the pueblo.
At the anniversary celebration, state Rep. Nick Salazar, D-Ohkay Owingeh, read framed proclamations from Gov. Susana Martinez and the New Mexico House of Representatives recognizing the parish’s history, and pueblo 1st Lt. Gov. Larry Phillips Sr. said a traditional prayer in Tewa.
The pueblo celebrated its annual St. John the Baptist Feast Day on Monday.