| Although the town was officially established in
1741, Belén did not have a resident pastor. Prior to this and for
fifty-two years, Belén was spiritually served by the Padres of
Isleta.
This period was called the Vista Period. In 1793, the Parish
received its blessing from Our Lady. Parochial life began for Belén
Catholics with the appointment of Fray Cayetano Jose Ignacio Bernal as
pastor. The Presentation, or official act of creating a parish involved
a ceremony of presenting a book of parish records to the new pastor. The
presentation was administered by Lieutenant Don Jose Francisco Pino and it
marked the beginning of the Spanish-Franciscan Period which lasted until
1826. Records of this period, for the most part, were destroyed or
lost. However, we do know Fray Cayetano's first endeavor was to build a
church. The church was built in mission style with thick adobe walls and
twin towers. It was located at the Plaza Vieja, just East of the
overpass on Reinken Avenue. The church was a joy
to the community and a source of pride to Fray Cayetano. In
1826, the faithful of Belén began a third period of parochial life under the
guidance of the Spanish-American Secular Priests. The Secular Priests were
members of the Santa Fe Diocese and all were native to this area. Fray
Vicente Chavez was first pastor and was succeeded by a series of other priests
which ended with Fray Bruno Gonzales. The priests of this era shared and
cultivated the land while trying to guide and protect Belén citizens.
They also undertook dangerous journeys through surrounding areas for the purpose
of evangelizing the Native Americans. During this period (1826 - 1853), liturgy
services were held in the Plaza Vieja Church. There are no records showing the
exact date the church was built. Records, of course, were scant as people
were too busy cultivating for survival to take pen in hand. Blessings
from Our Lady continued in 1853 when the French Secular Priests with their
French inspirations and influence replaced the Spanish-American Priests.
No reason is given in records for the replacement. None other than that
Archbishop Lamy had been to France and had returned with several French
priests. The people warmly welcomed them and were eager to learn their
culture and expertise. Father Joseph Machebeuf was the first French
Pastor. In his first year as pastor, problems arose with the rising and
flooding Rio Grande River which was damaging the church. Mr. Machebeuf returned
to France within a year, due to poor health, leaving the collapsing church to
Father Paulet. The church finally collapsed on June 27, 1855, when Spring
runoff was too high and flood waters destroyed the church. Father
Paulet immediately decided to build a new church, designing it after a Gothic
structure in his native France. In the midst of his plans, he encountered
a hot disagreement as to the location of the church. Plaza Vieja
residents wanted it
in the original location in spite of the threatening Rio Grande River. New Town
residents wanted it in a location in their location, less likely to be flooded. The
disputes were so heated that someone took the vestments and sacred instruments
from the church. Hearing of this, Archbishop Lamy threatened to
excommunicate the person (s) responsible if the church articles weren't
returned. Through his intervention, the dispute was settled with a decree
from him that the church be built in New Town. This now settled, the
residents of Old and New Town cheerfully engaged in building the new
church. The new church was blessed on November 19, 1860 by Bishop Lamy.
A new bell was donated by Don Antonio Chavez and his spouse, who were
padriños at
the time. The bell was purchased in Cincinnati, Ohio and brought over the Santa Fe
Trail. Other French priests contributed much to the
establishment of a secure parish. Father Francisco Gatignol brought the
Sisters of Mercy to teach the local children. Father Juan Anthony Picard
was a very popular priest who served from 1901 - 1916. He not only was
pastor of the church, but was involved as board member for the Belén Public
Schools and served as Town Marshal. In 1917, Father Picard was
succeeded by Father Antonio Cellier. Father Cellier, realizing the
impending growth of the town due to the coming of the railroad, set about to
enlarge the church. The church's beauty surpassed all churches in New
Mexico. He also started a parochial school in 1927, namely St. Mary's
School, under the guidance of the Ursuline Sisters. Father Cellier was
dearly loved by the parishioners of Belén, although he, too, had to return to France as a result of poor health. The French Period lasted 24 years. A
windfall of blessings again showered the parish when Archbishop A. T. Daeger of Santa Fe asked the Servites of Chicago to take over the care of Our Lady of
Belén. On July 7, 1927, the first Servites under the leadership of Fr.
Boniface Effern, O.S.M., took over the parish. The Servite Order was
dedicated to the Sorrows of Mary. They called themselves Servants of
Mary. Their vows included poverty and humility. The Servites were
truly instrumental in the development and growth of their people. They
made special efforts to instill in the youth the principles of high ideals and
inspired them to higher education and religious vocations. Among the
excellent Servites who served as pastor of the parish were:
| Father Raymond Coughlin,OSM |
Member of the Selective Service Board |
|
Introduced the Novena of Our Lady of
Sorrows |
| Father Aloysius Boland,OSM |
Organized a Boy Scout Troup |
|
Sponsored Knights of Columbus |
| Father Patrick M. Roche, OSM |
Introduced Perpetual Adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament |
| Father Patrick Pharand, OSM |
Organized the Girl Scouts |
| Father Phillip Brennan, OSM |
Made final payment on parish debt; Member of City of Belen Merit System |
|
Began the dream of a new church; Built
Pueblitos Chapel; Built Parish Hall |
| Father Joseph Carbone, OSM |
Established the Parish Council |
| Father John Castillo, OSM |
1st Native Belenite to serve in
Belén. Built the new church |
|
Established St. Vincent De Paul Society |
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Took great interest in the Fiesta |
| Father Martin Jenco, OSM |
Last pastor in first Servite period - 1979 to 1981 Worked
for Catholic Relief Services -Kidnapped in Lebanon and released 19
months later. |
| Fr. Richard Olona & Fr. Fernando Rubio |
1st Diocesan priests - Youth
oriented; Youth groups & children's choir |
|
9 days of Posadas at different
parishioners homes; started parking lot paving |
| Fr. Dan Faris |
Finished paving parking lots |
| Fr. Conran Runnebaum |
Youth oriented |
| Fr. Frank Prieto |
Built up Sunday collections; |
| Father David Gallegos, OSM |
Servites returned. 2nd Native Belenite to serve.
Developed campus master plan. Built Faith Formation Center |
| Father Stephen Schultz |
Return of diocesan priests. Our
new pastor; Fr. Steve evolved the stewardship project into a
rare art -- deleting all extraneous fundraisers for the parish. |
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