As the small village of Milan began to grow west of Grants, priests in Grants began to recognize the need for a church there to serve the Catholic population. In the early 1960’s, land was donated to the Diocese for a church by then Mayor Salvador Milan. However, the small congregation was not able to build a church yet, so the priestsused an Episcopal church until their own could be built.

In 1969, Milan became a Parish under the guidance of Father Joseph Brackett. The first pastor. He began seeking funds for a church which was built and dedicated to St. Vivian on November 11th, 1969. The last church to be by Bishop Espelage. A tower was added to the structure in 1977.

This small parish has managed to thrive in an economically depressed area under the skillful guidance of its pastors. St. Vivian’s has the only late Sunday Mass between Gallup and Albuquerque and is expanding its youth activities, especially in the area of youth choir and Life Teen.