St. Francis Women’s Club

The San Francisco de Assisi Church at Nambe Pueblo has been rebuilt several times since the Spanish brought Catholicism to the area in the 1600s. The current structure was built largely through the efforts of the St. Francis Women’s Club, which organized annual fundraising “ceremonials” starting in 1961. By 1974, when the ceremonials had finally raised enough money for reconstruction of the church, the annual fundraiser had become a popular community event that continued on and has provided funding for maintenance of the church and protection and renewal of Nambe cultural traditions.

Nambe is a Tewa-speaking Pueblo 20 miles north of Santa Fe. The Pueblo has been occupied since 1300, but was first described by Gaspar Castaño de Sosa in 1591. The San Francisco de Assisi Church has been rebuilt a number of times since the Spanish established the first Catholic mission there. A church dedicated in 1725 replaced an earlier one that may have undergone damage during the 1696 revolt, which Nambe residents participated in. By 1908, the 1725 structure had collapsed. A new church was built in 1910, but was condemned and eventually demolished in 1960, leaving the community without a church for several years.

Community members at Nambe proposed hosting an annual “ceremonial” to raise money for rebuilding the church. In response, the St. Francis Women’s Club formed a committee to organize an annual event as a fundraiser. The inaugural ceremonial was held on July 4, 1961, at the village of Nambe. The following year, it was relocated a few miles away, to Nambe Falls, a place Nambe people revere as sacred. The ceremonial featured traditional dancers from Nambe and nearby pueblos.

For the ceremonials, the St. Francis Women’s Club prepared a menu of traditional Pueblo foods, including posole and chile stews and bread. By 1965, according to an article in the Santa Fe New Mexican, the annual ceremonial had become a community spectacle. As in other Pueblo celebrations, community members worked together to welcome attendees with traditional food and dances. The women made more than 250 pounds of bread and were expected to feed more than one thousand visitors that year. Proceeds from food sales and admissions went to fund the church’s reconstruction; by 1974, the group had raised enough money to rebuild the church.

The new church, designed by architect Allen L. McKnown, was built within 100 feet of the previous one. The bell from the 1725 mission; several beams, including one inscribed with “The Lord Governor Don Juan Domingo Bustamante built this church at his own expense in 1725”; and an altar screen panel painted by eighteenth century santero Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco were incorporated into the Gerald Cassidy and Ina Sizer Cassidy house in Santa Fe.

Once church reconstruction was completed, ongoing revenue from the annual celebration was divided between maintenance and funding other community projects. Organizational responsibility was transferred from the church committee to tribal officials. In addition to funding the reconstruction of the church, the ceremony has helped refuel cultural traditions at Nambe, which had suffered due to the loss of elder spiritual leaders in the mid-twentieth century, intermarriage, and decreased population.

Although the St. Francis Women’s Club began the annual ceremonials as a church fundraiser, the tradition continued after sufficient funds had been raised to rebuild the church and the ceremonials remain popular today. Nambe continues to celebrate the patron saint of the mission, Saint Francis of Assisi, with traditional dances on October fourth each year.

Sources:

Bryan, Howard. “Nambe Pueblo Needs a Church; Dances to Help Raise Money.” Albuquerque Tribune, July 2, 1971. “Nambe Pueblo, N.M.” Vertical File, Special Collections Library, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System, Albuquerque.

Bryan, Howard. “Nambe Pueblo Plans Ceremonial July 4.” Albuquerque Journal, July 3, 1975. “Nambe Pueblo, N.M.” Vertical File, Special Collections Library, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System, Albuquerque.[1]

Bryan, Howard. “See Indian Dances, Eat Chili and Help Build Nambe Church.” Albuquerque Tribune, January 29, 1968. “Nambe Pueblo, N.M.” Vertical File, Special Collections Library, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System, Albuquerque.

Eutsler, Beth. “Nambe Plans Annual 4th of July Fete.” Albuquerque Journal, July 28, 1969. “Nambe Pueblo, N.M.” Vertical File, Special Collections Library, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System, Albuquerque.

Kessell, John L. The Missions of New Mexico Since 1776. Albuquerque:University of New Mexico Press, 1980.

Noble, David Grant. Pueblos, Villages, Forts and Trails: A Guide to New Mexico’s Past. Albuquerque:University of New Mexico Press, 1994.

Sweet, Jill D. Dances of the Tewa Pueblo Indians: Expressions of New Life. 2d. Ed. Santa Fe: School of American Research Press, 2004.

“Ceremonial at Nambe Falls to Help Build New Pueblo Church.” Santa Fe New Mexican, June 25, 1967. “Nambe Pueblo, N.M.” Vertical File, Special Collections Library, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System, Albuquerque.

“Dances Set at Nambe for Fourth.” Santa Fe New Mexican, June 30, 1966. “Nambe Pueblo, N.M.” Vertical File, Special Collections Library, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System, Albuquerque.

“Nambe Ceremonial Set Monday.” Santa Fe New Mexican, July 3, 1966. “Nambe Pueblo, N.M.” Vertical File, Special Collections Library, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System, Albuquerque.

“Nambe Falls Ceremonial Set July 4th.” Santa Fe New Mexican, June 24,1965. “Nambe Pueblo, N.M.” Vertical File, Special Collections Library, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System, Albuquerque.

“Nambe Pueblo Sets Celebration.” Santa Fe New Mexican, June 27, 1965. “Nambe Pueblo, N.M.” Vertical File, Special Collections Library, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System, Albuquerque.

“Nambe Women Bake Indian Bread for 4th.” Santa Fe New Mexican, June 30, 1966. “Nambe Pueblo, N.M.” Vertical File, Special Collections Library, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System, Albuquerque.