A few days after Phoenix, but for more days than I anticipated, I wound up in Gallup, N.M.
I came to Gallup to worship at Sacred Heart Cathedral, though that wasn’t the story I am writing for the book. My Gallup subject is Villa Guadalupe, the elder care facility run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.
I feel strongly that serving the needs of the elderly poor is one of the highest callings any individual can heed, so my respect for the Little Sisters is immeasurable and my desire to write the story profound. Alas, COVID prevented me from worshiping with them, for obvious reasons, so I was left attending the Feast of the Presentation at the impressive cathedral a half-mile away.
An unexpected (by me, at least) snowstorm kept me in the Western New Mexico town an extra day, and the interstate heading east was still impassable on Thursday, so I adjusted my plans and drove south. By sheer coincidence, I happened to stop to eat my lunch just outside a much smaller Sacred Heart, located in the small town of Quemado. To me, it perfectly fit the New Mexican Catholic Church archetype.
52 Masses 