Diocese of Las Cruces

Territory

The Diocese of Las Cruces comprises the following counties:

• Hidalgo
• Grant
• Luna
• Sierra
• Doña Ana
• Otero
• Lincoln
• Chaves
• Eddy
• Lea

As of 2023, the diocese had a Catholic population exceeding 234,000, served in 46 parishes and 40 missions.

History

1800 to 1982

The first Catholic presence in present-day New Mexico, then part of the Spanish Empire, was in 1581 by Franciscan missionaries traveling north. Over the next 150 years, Spanish missionaries would periodically visit the region. After the Mexican War of Independence in 1821, when Mexico took control of the region, the Spanish priests were gradually replace by Mexican ones under the jurisdiction of Mexican dioceses. Visiting priests from Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Church in El Paso, Texas, performed marriages, baptisms and other sacraments for the settlers. Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria Mission in Doña Ana was built in 1844.

In 1848, the area passed to the United States after the end of the Mexican-American War. The Catholic jurisdiction over the area switch to several apostolic vicariates, archdioceses and dioceses. The San Albino Basilica in Mesilla was established in 1851, with the first resident priest in the region.Santa Genoveva Parish was erected in La Cruces in 1859.

The first Catholic church in Tularosa, St. Francis de Paula, was established in 1869 to give thanks for the community surviving an attack by Apache raiders.St. Vincent de Paul Church was consecrated in Silver City in 1874.

1982 to present

The Diocese of Las Cruces was erected by Pope John Paul II on August 17, 1982. Its territory was taken from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and the Diocese of El Paso. The pope named Auxiliary Bishop Ricardo Ramírez from the Archdiocese of San Antonio as the first bishop of Las Cruces.

Ramírez had to build the new diocese, creating a small diocesan office with one manual typewriter. Ramírez retired in 2013.

The second bishop of Las Cruces was Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú of San Antonio, named by Pope Benedict XVI in July 2013. The diocese in September 2018 received reports of a bronze statue of the Blessed Mother that was allegedly "weeping" at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Hobbs. Cantú stated that the diocese had started investigation the phenomenon.Cantú became bishop of San Jose in 2018. The next year, to replace Cantú in Las Cruces, Pope Francis named Auxiliary Bishop Peter Baldacchino of the Archdiocese of Miami.

New Mexico state Senator Joe Cervantes stated in July 2021 that he was denied communion at his church in Las Cruces "...by the Catholic bishop here in Las Cruces and based on my political office." In response, the diocese said that Cervantes had been warned in advance that he would not receive communion due to his support of an abortions rights bill in the New Mexico Senate.

As of 2026, Baldacchino is the bishop of Las Cruces.

Scandals

In November 2018, the Diocese of Las Cruces released the names of 28 clergy who were credibly accused of committing acts of sex abuse while serving in the diocese. In February 2019, the diocese released the personnel files of all of the credibly accused clergy. The diocese added 13 more clergy and a volunteer teacher to the credibly accused list as well.

In May 2020, the diocese was named in a sexual abuse lawsuit. The plaintiff accused the defendants of protecting Reverend David Holley after he sexually abused the plaintiff in the 1970s. Holley was a priest from the Diocese of Worcester living at the Servants of the Paraclete facility in Alamogordo at the time of the alleged crimes. He was being treated for sexually abusing minors in Massachusetts. The plaintiff also accused Holley of assault and battery and possession of child pornography. Holley was convicted in New Mexico in 1993 of sexually abusing and raping eight boys. He was sentenced to 55 to 275 years in prison.

In November 2020, the Congregation for Bishops in the Vatican announced an investigation of Bishop Cantú for his handling of sexual abuse cases while he was bishop of Las Cruces. The investigation was headed by Bishop Thomas Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix. As of 2025, the Vatican had not released an outcome of the investigation.

Bishops

1. Ricardo Ramirez (1982–2013)
2. Oscar Cantú (2013–2018), appointed Bishop of San Jose
3. Peter Baldacchino (2019–present)

Education

Elementary schools

As of 2025, the Diocese of Las Cruces operates the following elementary schools:

• All Saints Catholic School – Roswell
• Las Cruces Catholic School – Las Cruces
• St. Frances Cabrini Catholic School – Alamogordo
• St. Helena Catholic School – Hobbs

Closed schools

• St. Mary's High School - Las Cruces (closed in 2020)
• Madonna High School - Las Cruces (closed in early 1960s)

References

References

1. "Feast of St. Francis of Assisi a Patron of Our Diocese of las Cruces".
2. "Diocese of Las Cruces".
3. "History: 1982-2019, Diocese of Las Cruces Beginnings and Timeline".
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6. "history of holy cross church".
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8. "150th anniversary of the founding of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and its history".
9. "Diocese of Las Cruces". Catholic-Hierarchy.
10. "Bishop Ricardo Ramirez [Catholic-Hierarchy]".
11. López, Carlos Andres. "2017 Distinguished Resident: Bishop Emeritus Ricardo Ramírez".
12. (July 11, 2018). "Vatican appoints Oscar Cantú as bishop in San Jose". Las Cruces Sun News.
13. "Bishop has not found 'natural causes' for weeping Mary statue".
14. "Bishop Peter Baldacchino [Catholic-Hierarchy]".
15. Scanlon, Kate. (July 19, 2021). "Catholic Diocese responds after state senator says he was denied communion".
16. Onsurez, Jessica. "Catholic Diocese names 2 Carlsbad priests involved in sex abuse scandal".
17. Oxford, Andrew. (November 8, 2018). "Diocese of Las Cruces names 28 accused of abuse".
18. MONTOYA BRYAN, SUSAN. (February 12, 2019). "Las Cruces Diocese releases accused priests' personnel files".
19. (February 11, 2019). "Las Cruces Diocese releases files, identifies 13 more accused priests".
20. Maxwell, Nicole. "St. Jude's, Immaculate Conception named in lawsuit for 1970s child sexual abuse".
21. (May 8, 2020). "2 Alamogordo parishes named in child sex abuse suit - Albuquerque Journal".
22. (May 10, 2020). "Worcester Diocese named in New Mexico child sex abuse suit".
23. Condon, Ed. (November 17, 2020). "California Bishop Cantu under Vatican 'Vos estis' investigation".
24. "Diocese of Las Cruces - Schools".