Santuario de Chimayo

The first time I visited the Santuario de Chimayo in New Mexico with a group was in September of 1991. Sister Irene Munoz was the tour director and we stopped in San Luis to pray the Stations of the Cross, visited Taos Pueblo, Chimayo and Santa Fe. At that time, little did I know that in about ten years, I would be leading groups to exactly those same places.



Visiting Chimayo




Chimayo is known as the Lourdes of the Americas and people travel from all over the United States to get some of the healing dirt.The small adobe chapel houses many beautiful ratalbos (wooden wall paintings) and bultos (statues of saints carved by santeros).  Canes, crutches, prayer cards and silver icons hang in a special room as proof of the many miracles attributed to Chimayo.
I began working for the Archdiocese of Denver at the Hispanic Office in 1998 and one of my duties was to plan and take pilgrims on a yearly pilgrimage to the Santuario de Chimayo in New Mexico. I did this for ten consecutive years and many of the pilgrims traveled with me every year.  When my position was abolished in 2008 I know that the trips were missed because I continued getting phone calls from my loyal travelers asking me if I would do another pilgrimage. I really thought those days were over for me until about three weeks ago, I received a call from a past pilgrim wanting to know if I would help plan a trip to the Santuaro for their Holy Name Society group. Could God, once again, be nudging me?

I have spoken with the President of the Holy Name Society and he is to let me know whether there will be a pilgrimage to Chimayo. I get excited thinking about taking a group to San Luis, Taos, Chimayo and Santa Fe because I remember those fun and inspirational trips.

I returned to the Santuario de Chimayo in 2009 with a group from Holy Ghost Church and found that there had been some changes.  There was a museum next door to the Santuaro, the small chapel of El Nino de Atocha had been updated and there were marked parking areas for the many visitors.

In one of the booklets I prepared for the pilgrims, I wrote: "Chimayo is a place where one can be spiritually renewed.  A place to be physically and spiritually healed.  Where problems can be lifted.  Where answers can enter your mind. Where you heart is filled with happiness.  Where one is filled with peace. Where miracles happen."


                 

Cristo de Esquipulas in
the chapel.



Side altar at Chimayo

Santo Nino de Atocha Chapel

All of the photos are from 1991.  In later photos

the colors are more vibrant

after a massive cleanup

of the altar screens by local artists.

The Chapel of Santo Nino de Atocha is now different.