Bishop James S. Wall was born in Ganado, Arizona in 1964 to parents James A. Wall and Joan Wall. Along with his parents and five siblings, he continued to live in Arizona for his young adult life, attending public school in Chandler, AZ, and continuing to college at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, where he studied history. Throughout college, he felt the call from God to become a priest, and after college entered St. John Seminary in Camarillo, California, and was ordained a priest on June 6, 1998 for service in the Diocese of Phoenix. He served as Parochial…
Author: cibolacatholiccommunity
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 guildance of Father Joseph Brackett. The first pastor. He began seeking funds for a church which was built and dedicated to…
In 1862, the original Fort Wingate was built near the location of the present day village of San Rafael, New Mexico. Personnel and support staff arriving for the facility presented a need for religious services. Early services were supplied sporadically from Seboyeta (Cebolleta) and held in a small private chapel. The original parish of San Rafael was established in 1879. A parish census at the time counted a total of 300 Catholics. When use of the private chapel was no longer possible, the need for a church became apparent. Land was donated for the church, and Father Juan B. Brun,…
Soon after the end of the Civil War, settlers began moving into the area which was to become San Mateo. Large ranches were established and Catholic landowners felt the need for a chapel in the area in which the visiting priests from Cebolleta (Seboyeta) could say Mass. The first was built by the Chavez family. This small building of adobe with a dirt floor was used until a larger chapel was built by the Baca family in the late 1800’s. Throughout the years the small population was served by the Franciscan Priests from many areas. After Cebolleta, priests came to…
Grants was originally known as Los Alamitos and was settled in 1864 by Don Jesus Maria Blea followed by Don Diego Antonio Chavez in 1882. The Atlantic and Pacific Railroads contracted with three brothers named Grant to build the railroad through this area going west. They established a base camp which became known as Grant’s Camp and in time shortened to Grants. In 1911 the first Mass was celebrated in Grants by the remarkable Father Robert Kalt, known by everyone as “El Padre Roberto” at the home of don Jesus Maria Blea. There was no church in Grants and the…
While the Diocesan Guidelines “highly recommend’ but do not mandate masks when attending Mass, the State of New Mexico does. Masks MUST be worn by anyone who enters the church or any other buildings associated with the church in the New Mexico portion of the Diocese of Gallup.