Las Trampas

On our recent pilgrimage to New Mexico, the Holy Trinity group, along with two priests, arrived at Las Trampas for mass. This was a special mass because one of the priests was celebrating fourteen years of being ordained and it is also near his home where he was born. In English, Las Trampas means The Traps and it is a small village in the northern hills of New Mexico.

The first thing I noticed as I walked into the church was the floor made with wide, wooden and faded

planks. Time has caused the floor to become uneven and we had problems walking on the warped floor.  Two metal heaters were about mid-point in the church and for our arrival, the wood burning, free standing heaters with black stove pipes, were burning and heating up the small church.   One wall had a lightning shaped crack from ceiling to floor. There were

many pictures and Santos (carved statues) throughout the church. Some that I saw were of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph with Baby Jesus, St. Anthony of Padua and a bloody crucified Jesus. The wooden altar screen behind the altar had many saints painted on it.  Lighting is provided by simple chandeliers with candles and it is the only source of light other than a few small windows.

The walls are six feet thick to keep cold out and they also keep the cool inside when it gets hot. My guess is that it was also for protection from Indian raids.

Before mass, many of the pilgrims walked to the side of the church to see the cemetery. Father had mentioned that some of his relatives were buried at Las Trampas.

The excitement began when Father's parents arrived. There were introductions, greetings, hugs, kisses and photos being taken as they arrived for mass.

Taking pictures was prohibited and even my asking a caretaker if I could just take one picture of Father celebrating mass she said, "No pictures!" I do know that Father looked beautiful in his red vestment and that mass was simple and fast. One of the travelers is a cantor and he led the singing of Holy God We Praise Your Name and Were You There. Sitting in an ancient church gave me a feeling that I had returned to the past! We were very fortunate to be able to celebrate mass with Father and to meet his parents. We boarded the bus and headed over the beautiful high road to our next stop of Chimayo!