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OUR
HISTORY
SPANISH
CONQUEST ADORES SEARCH FOR THE CITIES OF GOLD Nearly 100 years before
the Pilgrims landed on the eastern coast of the continent to establish
the colonies which were to become the United States, the Spanish explorer
and Franciscan friar, Marcos de Niza, arrived in the area of Zuni to
look for the fabled cities of gold said to exist there. After a journey
of more than two months from Mexico, this adventuresome padre reached
a point about forty miles south of present-day Gallup, where, on May
23, 1539, he built a large mound of stone with a cross on top, and dedicated
the region to Saint Francis. Fray de Niza was overly exuberant in his
description of the area he had found and soon sent word back to Mexico
that great riches were to be found. In response to this very glowing
report, many Spaniards wanted to lead expeditions to explore the northern
country to find the Seven Cities of Gold. The first group was led by
Francisco Vasquez Coronado who traveled with 300 Spaniards and 800 Indian
allies. They arrived at Cibola in July 1540, after traveling for four
months from Mexico City. Coronado's group included Franciscan friars
who were instrumental in convincing the native population that the Spaniards
were there to bring peace and friendship. Later in the century, the
friars accompanied the colonization groups arriving in the territory
to begin their evangelization work. Fray Augustin Rodriquez, then at
San Bartolome in Mexico, had heard of people living in the north and
set about making arrangements to travel to the area. His small group,
with two other friars, started off from Mexico in June 1581, visiting
all of the pueblos in the Rio Grande Valley as well as Zuni and Acoma.
They systematically examined each pueblo giving an excellent and accurate
description of each one. Instead of returning to Mexico, the two friars
remained at Puaray Pueblo where they were later martyred.
THE
ESPEJO EXPEDITION The Franciscans back in Mexico were concerned about
the safety of the friars who were left alone in New Mexico and quickly
organized an expedition led by Antonio de Espejo. This group, accompanied
by Fray Bernardino Beltran, left Mexico on Nov. 19, 1582, and followed
the same route of the previous expedition. After reaching Acoma, they
traveled to Cibola, where they found three Christian Indians who had
gone there with Coronado. This expedition was well described by the
chronicler of the party, Diego Perez de Luxan. Espejo learned about
the Hopi country from the natives of Zuni. With a large number of Zuni
Indians and three Mexican Indians, he went there and found five pueblos.
The Hopis greeted the Spaniards in a friendly and hospitable manner.
At Awatobi pueblo, they were given food for their return trip to Zuni.
Espejo had gained the good will of the Hopi people. Espejo then visited
the village of Acoma and was received kindly there as well.
A
COLONY IS ESTABLISHED In 1598, the first colonization expedition was
organized under the leadership of Juan de Onate, who was named governor
of the new territory. As he traveled through New Mexico, he received
the allegiance of the Pueblo Indians. Franciscan friars were assigned
to the pueblos along the route, in order to convert the natives to Christianity.
Although he had verbal assurance of obedience to the crown, the chief
at Acoma planned to trap and kill Onate, but was unsuccessful. The chief
was later successful in attacking the nephew of Onate and his company
of soldiers, killing all but four. This occurred in 1599. In retaliation,
bloody assaults were made by the Spaniards in which hundreds of men
were killed. Others were sentenced to having the right foot cut off,
followed by twenty years of forced labor. The women and children were
also sentenced to
a similar period of hard labor. Onate's expedition then traveled to
the first Zuni pueblo, arriving on All Saints Day, 1598. There the natives
gave them food. In all the Zuni villages he found crosses being venerated
by the Zunis. He then traveled to the Hopi villages, again receiving
formal submission and being entertained well by the Hopi. The administration
of the Zuni and other pueblos was assigned to Fray Andres Corchado,
but no missions were established there at this time. While the colonies
were being established, the Franciscan friars organized the Custodia
de la Conversion de San Pablo del Nuevo Mexico. The exact date of this
is not known, but is thought to be about 1616-1617. It was part of the
Provincia de Santo Evangelio de Mexico, with its headquarters at the
El Gran Convento in Mexico City. There is no evidence that the Custodia
was ever raised to a provincial status. Fray Estevan de Perea was elected
the first custodian and served until 1621. He was elected to another
term of office at a later time. He and the subsequent ecclesiastical
leaders had their headquarters at Santa Fe and were given the rank of
Titular Prelate. Following Fray Estevan's first term, Fray Alonzo de
Benavides was appointed custodian. He visited all the pueblos and found
that the natives were responding to the evangelization efforts of the
friars. He asked for more missionaries to carry on this work. In response
to his report of 1626, the King of Spain ordered that 30 more friars
be sent to accomplish the work. For many years, all of the Franciscan
mission activities in the area had the material support of the King
of Spain. It seems he and his advisors regarded this new land valuable
only because of the mission work to be done. One visitor to Hopi, Fray
Estevan de Perea, wrote of the similarity of the land to Spain. He wrote
a glowing report of their well-built homes, their industriousness, and
their values.
EARLY
MISSIONARIES RECEIVE COOL WELCOME In 1629, priest arrived at Acoma and
Hopi with greatly different welcomes. Based on a report of previous
visitors, Fathers Francisco Porras and Andres Gutierrez, along with
Brother Cristobal de la Concepcion, expected a warm welcome. They did
not know that someone from another pueblo had arrived before them, spreading
tales about the friars. The people were told that the friars were arriving
to do them harm by burning their homes, stealing their property and
killing their children. They were warned not to allow the padres to
"sprinkle water" on their heads because it would mean death.
Thus, the group found a very cold welcome. They posted guards about
their camp, and on the second night after their arrival, they were alerted
in time to defend themselves against an armed attack. The Hopis attacked
again the next night. The Spaniards ended the attacks by threatening
to call an entire army to their defense. The people remained very wary
as the friars tried to preach the new faith throughout the village.
The people of Awatobi and some of the other villages came to listen.
Even though the friars gave them gifts of rattles, beads, hatchets,
knives and other objects, their attitude was not softened. They continued
to recall the warning they had received from another village. Finally,
an incident occurred that changed their attitude. Father Alonzo de Benavides
wrote a lengthy report of the incident in 1636, but the incident has
never been authenticated by the Church. According to Benavides, Father
Francisco had brought with them a cross that had belonged to a Spanish
nun of the time, Madre Luisa de Carrion. This cross had a history of
apparitions and miraculous conversions. He displayed the cross to the
people of Awatobi and told them the story of the Passion and death of
our Lord. He failed to gain a favorable response. Meanwhile, the leaders
continued encouraging the people to put the priests to death. The presence
of the military that accompanied the priests probably prevented the
people from carrying out their execution.
BLIND
BOY CURED One day, a group of Hopi people came to Father Francisco,
caring with them a young boy who had been born blind. They offered the
priest a choice, either cure the boy's blindness or be slain. If he
could carry out their request, they would consent to conversion. Fray
Francisco quickly dropped to his knees and began to pray earnestly
while lifting the cross toward heaven. It is reported that he arose,
continued praying and placed the cross over the boy's eyes. Benavides
reported that the boy cried out aloud, exclaiming that he could see.
The people carried the boy through the streets, telling what had occurred
and urging conversion. Following this event, many people were impressed
by the power of the priest and his religion and asked for conversion.
They regarded the priest and brothers with love and respect. Within
four years, missions and visitas were established. The village leaders
did not share this respect and enthusiasm for the friars and the new
faith they wanted to bring to the village. Their hatred and resentment
only deepened. They were angry at losing their position of power and
respect from the people and were waiting for an opportunity to gain
revenge. They made careful plans and on June 28, 1633, an opportunity
presented itself.
FRAY
FRANCISCO PORRAS IS KILLED Father Francisco was at Walpi for the day,
and poison was put into his food. He quickly realized that he had eaten
poisoned food and hurried to the mission at Shungopavi where he received
last rites from his colleague. He died after reciting the psalm, "Into
they hands, Oh Lord, I commend by spirit."
ACOMA MISSION ESTABLISHED At Acoma, things proceeded quite differently.
What started as hostility changed into love and respect. Although Fray
Juan Ramirez was not the first priest assigned to Acoma, he was the
first to finally go there. The deep hostility of the people because
of the reprisals on them following the attack on Onate's nephew, Juan
Zaldiver, had prevented the previously assigned priests from carrying
out their assignments from the Church. Father Juan had just arrived
from old Mexico to serve in the new Custodia. He set out alone and on
foot for Acoma,
carrying only food, a breviary and a cross. In the face of the hostility,
he began his journey up the only trail that led to the top of the 357-foot
cliff. The people watched his ascent, throwing rocks at him and a few
men shot arrows at him, but he continued unharmed. At this point, a
little girl plunged over the edge of the cliff, falling 60 feet and
landing on a pointed rock. It is not certain what caused the fall, but
the people were stunned. He rushed over to where the little girl had
fallen and knelt in prayer. Then he picked her up and carried her to
the top of the rock. He gave the child to her parents who discovered
that she had not even been bruised. None of this occurrence has been
proven. The Acoma people allowed him to enter the village, but still
retained their hostility. Soon after, they submitted to him as if he
was one with supernatural powers. With this change in attitude, he sent
about swiftly to carry out the work of V conversion and began plans
for a Church to be constructed in the village. The hard work of construction
was carried out by the people who seemed to have developed great love
and reverence for this gentle friar. The Church was dedicated to San
Estevan Rey, whose feast is September 2nd, the day Father Juan was thought
to have arrived at the pueblo. It is not known for certain that the
present Church at Acoma is the one built by Father Juan and his flock.
At the time of the Reconquest, Diego de Vargas visited the pueblo and
noted at the time that the only evidence of damage to the structure
was broken windows. Other records describe some construction after the
Reconquest, but could have been nothing more than ordinary repairs.
ZUNI
MISSIONARIES ARE MARTYRED In the same year, 1629, Fray Rogue de Figueredo
was assigned to the Zuni area where he immediately founded a mission
at Hawikuh and called it La Purisima Concepcion. He also founded a mission
at Halona and dedicated it to Nuestra Senora de la V Candelaria. Fray
Rogue continued his work among the Zuni for three years, converting
many natives. His successful work came to an abrupt end when two of
his fellow priests were attacked and killed by the natives who had become
resentful because of cultural repression and harsh treatment by the
conquerors. Fray Francisco Letrado became the first missionary to die
for the faith in what is now the Diocese of Gallup. Newly assigned at
Zuni, .he went out on Quinquagesima Sunday, February 22, 1632, to urge
the people to attend Mass. The first group he met was angered by his
reprimand and he quickly became aware that they intended to kill him.
He immediately dropped to his knees, a small cross in his hands, and
pleaded with them to go to Church. They responded by shooting arrows
at him. Shortly before the death of Fray Francisco, Fray Martin de Arvide
had stopped by to visit him at Hawikuh, where he prophesied the martyrdom
of Fray Francisco, as well as his own. Shortly after, on a visit with
Fray Rogue at another Zuni village, he again prophetically stated, "that
in a few days he would win the palm of martyrdom." After he left
Zuni to continue his journey to his new assignment, he and his small
group stopped to camp for the night. There they were attacked and killed.
So, only five days after the death of Fray Francisco, Fray Martin met
his fate on V February 27, 1632. Missionary work continued in Zuni for
many years and during these years the Zuni villages were under periodic
attack from Apache bands in search of food. In 1671, Fray Pedro de Avila
y Ayala was assigned to Hawikuh, then considered a dangerous mission
because of its vulnerability to Apache attacks. On October 7, 1672,
a group of Apaches attacked Hawikuh where Fray Pedro was alone without
the protection of his soldiers. He rushed to the Church where he embraced
the cross and a statue of the Blessed Mother . The natives responded
by dragging him out of the Church. They put him at the foot of the cross
in the churchyard and crushed his head with a bell. Following this,
they bummed the Church, destroying the sacred ornaments and statues.
The next day a fellow priest went to Hawikuh in search of his body.
He found it where it had been left, surrounded by more than 200 arrows
and stones. He brought the body to Halona and buried it in the Church.
The mission at Hawikuh was then abandoned.
NATIVES
ARE SUBJECTED TO HARSH TREATMENT In the years leading up to the
revolt, the natives were subjected to harsher and harsher treatment
at the hands of the Spanish colonists, who continued to put heavy demands
on them and tried to suppress all native practices of religion. Frequently,
the missionaries were on the side of the Indians, trying to get better
treatment for them. Laws affecting the proper treatment of the natives
were difficult to enforce because of the great distance from central
Mexico. The use of Indian slave labor was common because the Spaniards
rationalized that they could Christianize the people more quickly and
easily that way. While enforcing the conversion of the people, the Spanish
colonists set very poor behavioral examples and the word "Christian"
became synonymous with someone who came to kill and plunder them, seize
the women and sell them into slavery.
THE
PUEBLO REVOLT The resentment of the people continued to build up and
by 1680, the tolerance of the Indians had ended. A revolt was scheduled
for August 13, but because the plot was revealed to two friars, the
Indians attacked immediately on August l0th. It was their plan to kill
all the Spaniards and completely erase Christianity from their world.
The pueblos in the area of the Diocese of Gallup actively participated,
carrying out the assignment. Some of the missionaries were killed in
the uprising, including four at Hopi. One of them, Fray Jose Trujillo,
had previously been assigned in the Philippines. There he had been told
that he would realize his desire for martyrdom in the mission field
of New Mexico. He arrived at Hopi in 1674. Following his arrival, at
some time, he wrote to a friar in Mexico that he had been told that
a revolt would occur soon in the area. A young girl there, who supposedly
had been cured by the Blessed Virgin, reported that the Lady had told
her to warn everyone of the impending attack. Fray Jose was killed during
the attack by the local natives at the Church of San Bartolome de Shungopavi.
The other three friars who became victims of the Hopi part in the Pueblo
Rebellion were Fray Jose de Espeleta, who had been a former custodian
and a missionary to the pueblo for more than 30 years, and Fray Augustin
de Santa Maria. They were both killed at the mission of San Francisco
de Oraibi. Fray Jose de Figueroa, was killed at the mission of San Bemardo
de Awatobi. t the same time, Fray Juan de Val was killed in Zuni while
he was standing before the altar at the mission of La Purisima Concepcion
at Hawikuh. At Acoma, according to their legend, they seized the only
friar there at the time, Fray Lucas Maldonado, and threw him off the
rock.
THE
RECONQUEST After 12 years, Don Diego de Vargas was appointed to regain
New Mexico. On his journey north from El Paso, he carried with him the
statue of our Lady of the Conquest. In 1625, when Fray Benavides went
to New Mexico to visit the priests in his custodia, he brought with
him a carved wooden statue of the Virgin Mary in the form of Our Lady
of the Assumption. Upon the arrival in Santa Fe he ordered that a chapel
be built to house the statue. It remained in Santa Fe under the titles
of Our Lady of the Conception and Our Lady of the Rosary until the Pueblo
Revolt. During its stay in Santa Fe, the people remembered that the
Statue had been brought at the time of the conquest and she became known
as La Conquistadora. When the Spaniards fled at the time of the revolt,
the statue was taken to El Paso where it remained in a small Church
unti11692, when Don Diego de Vargas carried the statue back to Santa
Fe with him at the time of the Reconquest. It is still there, housed
in a side chapel of adobe in the large stone Cathedral of Saint Francis.
MOST
PUEBLOS AGREE TO SUBMIT TO SPANISH AUTHORITY After re-entering Santa
Fe, De Vargas began visiting all the pueblos to regain their allegiance
to the Spanish crown. He obtained the submission of Acoma on November
3rd and that of the Zuni on November 11th. At Zuni, he was astonished
to find that many of the sacred vessels and much of the property of
the missionaries had not been destroyed. Zuni was the only pueblo to
preserve any remnants of Christianity. The submission of the Hopi, except
for Oraibi, was likewise obtained, all without bloodshed, and the Christianizing
of the natives began anew. During the subsequent years of Spanish rule,
less time and attention were paid to the outlying pueblos toward the
west -Acoma, Zuni and Hopi, and in time efforts to Christianize the
Hopi were almost completely abandoned. Following the reconquest, a number
of refugees from various villages began migrating to a point on the
Rio San Jose where some people, probably from Acoma, were already living.
All were of the same linguistic stock. The local residents gave land
to the newcomers and a new pueblo was formed. In 1699, the Governor
of New Mexico, Don Pedro Rodriguez de Cubero, successor to de Vargas,
stopped by Laguna and received from the new group an oath of allegiance
to the Spanish crown. He then formally established the pueblo under
the title, San Jose de la Laguna, for the large lake, which was there
at the time.
LAGUNA
MISSION ESTABLISHED Shortly after, the leaders requested that they be
provided with a priest and Fray Antonio de Miranda was assigned to the
new village. He immediately encouraged the people to begin work on a
Church. This was not completed until 1705. Unlike the adobe churches
built in the other pueblos, this church was built of stone and mortar.
The church and the adjacent convent were placed in a prominent place
in the village at the top of a small hill. Fray Antonio remained there
until 1728, continuing his work of bringing the faith to the people.
During the next century of the wok of the Franciscan friars, the population
grew with much blending of the races and cultures. Colonists and Pueblo
Indians alike were subject to frequent raids from Apache and Navajo
groups. Slavery was common among all groups. The Navajo raids were usually
to supplement meager food supplies while the Apache raided first and
then looked for food supplies by hunting and farming. Despite the reputation
of the two groups, Church records for the 18th and 19th centuries show
that the priests were able to convert small numbers of Apaches and Navajos.
A greater threat to the nearly 300 years of work of the dedicated friars
occurred when Mexico was able to win its independence from Spain in
1821 and form their own government. Anti-clericalism was one of the
direct results of their revolution and the missions were secularized
and the Franciscans were expelled. During the years of Mexican rule,
many of the mission churches fell into disrepair and ruin. Many of the
sacred vessels, statues and vestments were taken by loyal families and
hidden for protection. In May 1848, the Mexican era ended, and New Mexico
became part of the United States. During the Mexican era, Santa Fe and
the surrounding area were part of the Diocese of Durango, Mexico and
the Bishop had visited only three times during this period. There were
only nine active priests, most of the Churches were in ruins, there
: were no schools, and the parishioners were scattered in small villages.
The Bishops of the United States sent a message to the Pope requesting
that the Territory of New Mexico have a Vicar Apostolic and a See established
in the city of Santa Fe.
THE
DIOCESE OF SANTA FE With the concurrence of the Pope, the Bishops set
about deciding who should be named to the newly designed bishopric.
Father John Baptist Lamy of Covington, Kentucky was overwhelmingly recommended
and duly named the new bishop by Pope Pius IX. He was consecrated at
Saint Peter Cathedral in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 24, 1850, and
immediately set out for the long journey to his new diocese. He arrived
in Santa Fe on August 9, 1851, to be greeted by a crowd of many thousands,
the territorial governor, James Calhoun, and ranks of Indian dancers
in native costume who performed in groups along the way. They all accompanied
him to the Church of St. Francis, which was to be his cathedral, where
he immediately prepared for, and said Mass. He soon traveled to Durango,
Mexico, to present his documents of appointment to the bishop there and
upon his return set about to become acquainted with his diocese of about
236 thousand square miles -larger than his native France -and to make
plans for building schools, convents and to recruit priests in order
to eliminate the native ignorance as he found it and to improve the
moral character of the people. From the time of his arrival, he deplored
the adobe Church with a dirt floor that was his cathedral and planned
for a new one of proper construction to take its place. After about
18 years of trials and problems in the new land, he was finally able
to lay a cornerstone in 1869 to build a stone Church completely surrounding
the adobe Church. Construction proceeded slowly due to the lack of money
and the pressing priority of a school, convents, hospital and orphanage
that were also being built at the time. The building was not completed
before his death. In 1875, the Diocese of Santa Fe became an Archdiocese
and Bishop Lamy was named Archbishop. He continued in this role until
he resigned in 1885. He retired to his private retreat nearby where
he lived until his death in 1888.
RAILROADS
AND MINES BRING CHANGE With the completion of the railroad line in the
early 1880's, towns were springing up along its route far from the urban
areas of Albuquerque and Santa Fe. One of these was Gallup whose rich
coal fields directly adjacent to the line provided fuel for the trains.
A large number of persons from the Catholic Mediterranean countries
had arrived to work in the mines. The only religious resource available
to them was the priest at Seboyeta, (then Cebolleta). Father Juan B.
Brun, who served the entire area from the Rio Puerco of the East to
the Grand Canyon. He arrived in New Mexico in 1875 to begin his work
and in 1879, changed his residence to San Rafael. His first visit to
Gallup was in 1884 when Gallup had only about 12 families. In 1893,
Father George Julliard arrived to serve as pastor and remained unti11910.
Father Julliard built the first Catholic Church in Gallup in 1899. This
building collapsed in 1916 and the following year a combination school
and church was constructed. This church became Sacred Heart Cathedral
when the new diocese was created 22 years later.
MOTHER
KATHARINE DREXEL ARRIVES In the late 1890's Mother Katharine Drexel,
now Blessed, founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, became
interested in building a school on the Navajo Reservation to provide
a Catholic education for the children. She purchased land on the edge
of the Reservation and began plans for a school. She was able to persuade
the Franciscan Fathers at Cincinnati to send down missionaries and Saint
Michael Mission was begun.
FRANCISCANS
RETURN TO THE SOUTHWEST In 1909, the Franciscan Province of Saint John
the Baptist took charge of the Gallup parish. With the two moves, the
re-entry of the Franciscans into the diocese was accomplished. From
Saint Michaels and Gallup, the Franciscans spread out to other locations,
including some of the same missions that their Order had founded and
maintained for more than two centuries. As work began with the Navajos,
it was apparent that something needed to be done about the language
barrier. The friars set about learning the Navajo language and shortly
after a small dictionary of Navajo words had been compiled. This was
the work of Father Juvenal Schnorbus, O.F .M., and Father Anselm , Weber,
O.F.M. A little later, Father Berard Haile, O.F.M., and Father Leopold
"-" Ostennann, O.F .M., were assigned to the new mission.
They too, took a great interest in learning and recording the language
and Father Berard recorded Navajo ceremonies as well. The early work
of the Franciscans with the Navajos centered on teaching both at Saint
Michaels and the government school at Fort Defiance. Missionary work
was slow because of so few friars and the great distances that had to
be traveled. Slowly they did spread out, and by 1921, had established
four missions -at Fort Defiance, Chinle, Lukachukai and Tohatchi. The
priests at Gallup took over the area previously served by San Rafael
and gradually churches were constructed and parishes fonned. This then,
was the widespread area viewed by the man who was to become Pope Pius
XII, and which was destined to become a Diocese in 1939.
A
DIOCESE IS FORMED In 1936, Pope Pius XII, then Cardinal Pacelli, visited
the Southwest portion of the United States by air. He saw the vast expanse
to be served from Santa Fe, and wondered how the scattered Indians in
the area would be adequately served. Soon after, when he was named Pope,
this matter was pursued and the Archbishop of Santa Fe, Rudolph A. Gerken,
was advised to give thought to the division of the area. Night after
night when the chancery staff had left, and behind locked doors, Archbishop Gerken would get out a map and try to figure out how a Diocese could
be formed that would carry out the Holy See's wishes that the Indians
receive better spiritual care. A similar process was going on in the
Diocese of Tucson.
The
thought was that the northern part of Arizona and the Northwestern part
of New Mexico, which contained more Indians than any other similar area
in the United States, needed a Bishop who could coordinate the missions
and give an episcopal presence to the Indians. At least, they would
then have their own advocate whose attention would not be centered in
one of the large cities. The newly formed diocese contained 90,000 square
miles and held a population of 50,000 Indians. There were 30,000 Catholics
in the total area, including 23,000 " Spanish-Americans, 6,000
Anglos and 1,000 Indians. There were 32 priests, 16 of , them Franciscan,
serving 17 parishes and 56 mission churches. There were three parochial
schools, two high schools, an academy and two hospitals. The territory
covered all of San Juan, McKinley and Catron counties and the parts
of Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Bernalillo and Valencia counties in New Mexico
west of the sixth meridian, and all of Mohave, Coconino, Yavapai, Navajo
and Apache counties in Arizona. These areas were previously in the Archdiocese
of Santa Fe and the Diocese of Tucson.
The
details of the formal erection of the diocese are contained in a Papal
Decree issued by Pope Pius XII on December 16, 1939. It named Gallup
as the See City and the Church of the Sacred Heart as the Cathedral.
It ordered that the Cathedral Church be under the Archdiocese of Santa
Fe, and the Bishop of Gallup subject to the Metropolitan rights of the
Archbishop of Santa Fe. The Archbishop of Santa Fe and the Bishop of
Tucson continued to govern their respective areas which were given up
to the new diocese until a bishop could be named and installed. At this
time, they then turned over all documents pertinent to the new Diocese.
On
July 20, 1940, the Papal Delegate issued the decree naming Father Bernard
T . Espelage, O.F.M., as Bishop of Gallup and setting forth the rules
for his ordination. On October 30, of the same year he presented his
documents of appointment to the administrators of the Diocese of Gallup,
the Archbishop of Santa Fe and the Bishop of Tucson, thereby formally
taking possession of the Diocese. In February 1967, while attending
a meeting of area bishops in Santa Fe, Bishop Espelage learned that
the separation or possible dissolution of the Diocese of Gallup was
to occur. It was agreed that the non-Indian population of Arizona should
be returned to Arizona by creating a Diocese of Phoenix. It was known
at the time of this meeting that Bishop Espelage would be resigning
soon because of his age. After giving the matter much thought, Bishop
Espelage wrote to the Apostolic Delegate expressing the opinion that
the Diocese of Gallup should continue to exist in order not to cancel
out the work done since 1939, and that the new boundaries include present
areas in New Mexico as well as the Navajo and Hopi reservations. He
wrote that the Diocese was solvent, and gave statistics of its spiritual
growth. At this time, the diocese now had 79,260 Catholics, 53 parishes,
and 108 priests, including 71 religious. Throughout the two-year period
of planning, he was frequently upset by persistent rumors occurring
in the area newspapers. Priests in the diocese were also confused by
the various rumors. He again wrote to the Apostolic Delegate asking
for a speedy resolution of the matter and submitted his own description
of how the diocese should be partitioned. This was the plan that was
finally accepted and implemented in 1969. The current Diocese of Gallup
covers an area of 55,468 square miles.
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