Our Lady Of Sorrows 

     The first and only church in Las Vegas, New Mexico for a long time was Nuestra Senora de los Dolores Catholic Church 

   

     The Present structure is the second Nuestra Senora de los Dolores. Early documents reveal the original edifice as situated on the presently known Tru-Parts property. It is said that it had a very humble beginning, and it is described as “an adobe structure with a false wooden front and cupola which was white-washed to maintain its prominence at least visually."

​

     There is no recorded history of the establishing and founding of the church, however, the structure does appear in an engraving made in 1851, and the founding of the community of Las Vegas coincides with the establishing of this church according to surveyor's plots and maps. 

​

     On March 20, 1835, Juan de Dios Mes, Miguel Antonio Casaus, and in the name of twenty-five other families from San Miguel del Vado, petitioned the corporation of El Vado for a tract of vacant and uncultivated land known as Las Vegas on the Gallinas River and five leagues distant from San Miguel del Vado. Three days later Francisco Sarracino, the acting governor of New Mexico, directed the constitutional justice of el Vado to place the above parties in possession of the new settlement which was given the name of Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de Las Vegas. This tract of land was later confirmed by an act of congress of the United States of America.

​

     Research, done by Dr. Perrigo on the Old Town Plaza, reveals this original Our Lady of Sorrows Church was built in 1836. Early settlers, we must consider, were very poor and lacked all the conveniences known to our present day generation, but still they erected a building to worship God, among the first few homesteads of this infant outpost of the Santa Fe Trail.

     

     The church was administered from the main church as San Miguel del Vado.   It is said that some years prior to 1852, a polish priest, the Reverent Alexander Grselachowsky, was assigned to Las Vegas, and the people referred to him as “El Padre Polaco”. This priest was a habitual pipe smoker. He kept a lighted candle to light his pipe. An accident happened when the candle fell and ignited some flammable materials, and the original Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores Church was destroyed by fire. Thus, the old church site was abandoned, and the new one was selected with on the west where the church stands west of the Plaza.

     

     The present Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores was started in 1851, and it was completed in 1870 with Parish registers beginning in 1852. Stone was brought from Romeroville and from Anton Chico and the lumber and vigas from Rociada. Two of the most active promoters were Don Miguel Romero y Baca and Don Santiago Montoya, along with the Reverend J.T. Pinard and the Reverend J.H. Coudert.

     

     Nuestra Señora de los Dolores was at the time called a cathedral due to its impressive appearance, and probably, it was the largest stone building in New Mexico when it was completed. It has been described as a folk expression of Gothic revival architectures (influenced, no doubt, by Archbishop Lamy). It is made or randomly fir blocks of sandstones. Inside, an impressive century old pipe organ dominated the sanctuary from the choir at the rear.

     

     The acquisition of this large organ was one of the first and greatest steps toward musical progress in Las Vegas, if not in New Mexico. For it was the largest instrument west of St. Louis. It was brought by train from Kansas City in February of 1885. In November of the same year, “One of the finest and grandest concerts was performed in our church”. Then, in 1985 a Centennial Concert with this grand pipe organ was again performed at Our Lady of Sorrows.

Our church serves as a natural Holy Mausoleum for its faithful priests and some lay people who participated, both physically and spiritually, in the Church…There a number of bodies buried inside the church and around the church grounds.

 

     In December of 1959, our priests were provided with a beautiful new rectory built east of the church through the efforts of Msgr. H. C. Lomme and people of the parish.

​

     Nuestra Senora de los Dolores now serves as the Mother Church to a number of Mission Churches nearby. The spirit of the church spreads from Rociada to San Augustine and from Sapello to Variadero.

​

Although, more than a century has passed since Nuestra Senora de Los Dolores Catholic Church had its humble beginning, yet now in the middle of the year 2016, we contemplate and admire the magnificent place of worship that we utilize. We cannot help but appreciate and revere the labor, efforts, and foresights of our worthiest pastors who have served and those who continue to serve the people of this community, for because of their labors, we have this beautiful and true place of worship.

We must not lose sight of the greatest contribution that the Christian Brothers, the Sisters of Loreto, the Missionary Catechists Sisters, and the Victory Knoll Sisters gave to our community.

Our Lady of Sorrows Parish was added to National Historic Register on 8 September 1976.

 

 

Sources

Archdiocese of Santa Fe, Solemn Blessing, by Rt. Rev. Msgr. H. C. Lomme (Santa Fe, Chancery                          Office, 1959.

                Committee for Historic Preservation, Las Vegas, NM, September 1987

                Grand Pipe Organ Concert 1885 by Julian Josus Vigil, Ph.D

                Las Vegas Daily Optic, (Special Centennial Edition), July 27, 1979