Celebration to Mark Priests’ 1598 Journey

Four hundred years ago, on a mission to evangelize and baptize America’s Indians, eight Franciscan friars trekked through the desert with Spanish explorers.

Although most people think Christianity came to America on the Mayflower, the first permanent Catholic settlers actually arrived earlier, in 1598, in what is now New Mexico, establishing a tiny enclave about 80 miles from Albuquerque.

A 10th-generation New Mexican, Father Jerome Martinez y Alire, puts it in perspective: “It’s nine years older than the establishment in Jamestown and it’s 22 years older than Plymouth Rock.”

This year, the Roman Catholic Church is celebrating the 400th anniversary of the priests’ arrival with explorer Don Juan de Onate. A highlight of this quadricentennial is a reconciliation with Indian leaders, planned for Aug. 8, to heal lingering ill will from historic battles between the Spanish and the Indians.

“There were times when the Spanish settlers were unfair to the native people and even cruel,” said Archbishop Michael Sheehan, “and for these failings we should all seek reconciliation.”

After crossing the Rio Grande on April 30, 1598, the Spanish celebrated Mass and declared New Mexico for the king of Spain and the Lord. They then headed north for the village of Ohkay Owingeh.

In April, hundreds of teenagers carrying crosses will run a relay along the route the priests took to first meet the Indians. The three-day journey along El Camino Real--the old Royal Road--will begin in Las Cruces.

About 200 teenagers from the state’s three dioceses will run each leg of the relay. Bernadette Jaramillo, youth and young adult director for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, sees this as an opportunity for them to better understand being Catholic, being part of a church--and knowing its history.

“It’s really that important and it’s that simple, too,” she said. “It’s a whole sense of identity.”