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Abe Peña's  "From the Past" newspaper column

All material used with the kind permission of the author, given to me personally.

"Monday, September 15, 2008 4:36 PM MDT

Franciscan Fathers left Grants after 91 years

Father Robert Kalt, a Franciscan priest, gave the first mass in Grants in 1911.

Father Emeric Nordmeyer, a Franciscan priest, gave the last mass in Grants in 2002.

The Franciscan Order was started in the 13th century by followers of Saint Francis in the village of Assisi in Italy where he was born. Their mission is to live the gospel and assist the poor.

They chose, with the Pope's concurrence, to serve in the Southwestern United States. This area held several Indian Tribes and many Hispanic villages that asked for spiritual assistance.

The Padres came as missionaries to be shepherds of the flock. In our immediate area, the Province is headed by a Provincial priest who manages with a great deal of autonomy.

The Provincial priest makes assignments to the various parishes as well as takes care of all the administrative duties of the Province.

Given that their mission is one of “missionaries,” it is generally understood that when the mission is complete the missionaries leave and go where there's a greater need.

When I asked Father Emeric why the Franciscans were leaving Grants, he said, “We have successfully completed our mission and I guess it's time to leave. Also, we have very few priests anymore.”

Then he added, “Many of our priests, when they went home to visit back east, wanted to return to Grants and the Province kept extending our stay.”

Through the years, 41 Franciscans gave 91 years of exemplary spiritual guidance to parishioners in the Land of Cíbola. Muchas Gracias, Padres!

Quickly I must add, diocesan priests succeeded the Franciscans with no interruption of services, only different faces at Saint Theresa of Avila Catholic Church, after Aug. 1, 2002.

But let us go back to the early days and continue our story. Father Robert, El Padre Roberto as he was affectionately called by Hispanic people, came by train from Gallup and gave the first mass in 1911 at the home of Leonardo Blea, a descendent of Jesus Blea, one of the founders of Los Alamitos, now Grants.

After mass, the good father would ride a horse to the outlying villages of San Rafael and San Mateo and celebrate mass, baptize the children, marry couples, and attend to other church business. In 1942, he was assigned to be the first pastor of the newly completed St. Teresa church, and by 1946 when he was replaced as pastor of the parish he had become a legend in the Land of Cibola. There are still some who fondly remember El Padre Roberto, including me.

Vivian Trujillo, Adan Barela, Andres Salas, Albert and Junior Michael, Sifredo Sandoval, Reyes Romero, my brother Bennie, and I and others served as altar boys. Father Roberto and the Catechist sisters taught us the mass responses in Latin . . . Adeum quilitificat juventutum meum. At that time, girls did not serve as altar girls. Today they do, and they do a fine job.

Father Robert was a good teacher and did not tolerate nonsense. He was most severe with men who came to mass drunk, especially if they were noisy or disrespectful. He quietly walked down from the altar and led them to the door by the arm. In those days, priests, like bankers and teachers, were authority figures. Sometimes they were rather severe in their discipline.

Recently, some of us former altar boys were recalling those days and we could not remember an incident when a priest behaved improperly. We are all saddened by reports of improper behavior by priests across the country. We believe that the Church will take the necessary steps to correct the problem.

The Catholic Church has thrived for 2008 years and we expect it will continue to thrive into the next millenium in spite of occasional bumps on the road.

El Padre Roberto was succeeded by another dynamic Franciscan, Father Gerard. He spearheaded the building of the St. Teresa Community Center on land donated by the Gunderson family. The Center has served community and church activities for several decades and serves as classrooms, cafeteria, and gymnasium for Saint Teresa parochial school.

From the long list of 41 priests over a period of 91 years, there are many memorable ones. Among them is Father Austin, who served 12 years as pastor and built the existing church. Grants was growing fast in the 1950s and 60s, and the number of parishioners more than doubled during his days in Grants.

The kind Father Godfrey served the longest period, 11 years as assistant pastor in the late 40s, three years as pastor in the 60's, and four years as assistant in the 90s, for a total of 17 years. He was very well liked and the one that will long be remembered by most of us.

When he was asked to give the eulogy for Mrs. Moleres, a tireless volunteer worker, he said, “Mrs. Marianne Moleres became the mother of priests. We think of her as our surrogate mother.”

Her daughter Marie Moleres Peña continued the role after her mother passed away. She coordinated the “Farewell Mass and Dinner to the Franciscans” that saw several dozen priests return to Grants to receive the parish's thanks for their years of service.

When I asked my wife Viola, a former soloist at St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe, how she would describe a Franciscan, she said, “Busy men in brown habits going about their appointed rounds and best described by the Prayer of St. Francis:

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love, where there is injury pardon, where there is doubt faith, where there is despair, hope, where there is darkness, light, and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved, as to love, for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

Abe Peña is a local author and historian whose award-winning books Memories of Cibola and Villages & Villagers are available at bookstores throughout New Mexico."