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The summit of La
Veta Pass is the gateway to the beautiful San Luis Valley and the entrance to
Costilla County. Sangre de Cristo Parish nestles on the foothills of the
majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east, the beautiful Mount Blanca to
the north, and to the west stand the San Juan Mountains. The Rio Grande River
borders part of the western part of the county.
The parish
serves Costilla County in its entirety. The communities served, and their
distance from San Luis are: San Francisco, 10 miles; San Isidro, 8 miles; San
Pedro, 5 miles; Chama, 5 miles; Blanca, 20 miles; Fort Garland, 16 miles; San
Acacio, 6 miles and Garcia, 16 miles.
Along with
its churches, the San Luis Parish has four groups of Penitentes. The Brotherhood
of Penitentes continues to this day, not as relics reenacting traditional
dramas, but as a group of men of active faith. They historically provided
leadership in the communities and continue to pray and worship the Lord as their
ancestors taught them.
When the
Hispanic settlers first came to the San Luis Valley, they brought with them
their faith. There was no doubt in their minds, as they established their
permanent settlements in the 1840s in this new and uncertain land, that they
relied upon the grace, help and presence of the Almighty. After constructing
their homes, the next structure built was a church. Often they resembled
fortresses, places of refuge in an environment that could be hostile.
The area
was permanently settled in 1851; the first attempt was in 1848, but because of
the continued assault on the settlers by Indians, the settlers left. From
1851–1854 visiting priests came whenever time permitted to celebrate the
Eucharist, and administer the Sacraments. Then in 1854, a small building was
built to serve as a church.
From
1872-1889, French priests served the area. It was during this time that the
present Sangre de Cristo Church was built, although not to its present form.
Following the French were the Jesuit priests who remained until 1894. It was at
that time that Fr. Joseph Garcia became pastor of the parish.
Fr. Garcia
spent most of his priestly life serving San Luis. He oversaw the building of a
school and convent, and was instrumental in having the Sisters of Mercy open a
school for children, as well as a night school for adult education. He remained
until 1921.
Since then
there has been a succession of priests and Orders, each with unique qualities
which they passed on to the people they served.
Missions of Sangre de Cristo
Often, whenever
you find a community of Hispanic Catholics, large or small, you are bound to
find a church. For that reason, even though these parishes are only a few miles
apart, each will have its own church. They were built with sacrifice, pride and
love. These temples are expressions of the deep faith present in their
communities.
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