• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Keepers of the Light: Lamy Group Struggles for Money, Manpower to Restore Our Lady of Light Mission Church for Community Use

Posted on: Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 12:00 CST

By Erica Cordova, The Santa Fe New Mexican, The Santa Fe New Mexican

Dec. 28--Geneva Anaya remembers going to church at the Our Lady of Light Mission in Lamy as a child.

"Nuns used to teach catechism. Somebody used to play the organ up on the balcony," she said. "After church, we'd come home and my grandmother would have dinner every Sunday. It was really nice."

Anaya, 55, said she passes by the now-closed church often. Whenever she gets a chance, she tells her grandchildren about her connections to the church.

Her great-grandmother got married there. Her sister got married there. And Anaya and her husband, Ray, married at the church when she had just turned 21.

"She got married in February and I got married in May," Anaya said. "I remember it as if it was today."

The church was built in the 1920s. But Mass hasn't been held consistently at Our Lady of Light Mission church for more than 25 years. It was deconsecrated by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 1994 because of low attendance. Shortly afterward, Lamy residents formed Our Lady of Light Historic Foundation and agreed to make $75,000 in repairs to the church to gain title to the property. The foundation plans to make it available for public events.

Connie Doughman, president of the foundation, said members have been working hard to restore the building, but it hasn't been easy.

Within the last 10 years, the roof has been replaced, drains have been installed and glass has been replaced in six of the church's 12 stained-glass windows. The exterior walls are ready for refurbishing.

This month the foundation hired an architect to redesign the entrance, which was in danger of falling because of the deterioration of its adobe foundation.

Doughman said that even though the community has made several efforts to renovate the building, a lot more work needs to be done before it can be used for community gatherings.

The interior white walls are stained, the exterior needs to be stuccoed and the windows and doors need to be replaced, among other things.

Doughman said it's not an easy task to get all of the work done alone.

"It's a stretch for us, because it's a huge building," Doughman said, explaining there are only seven members on the board of the foundation. "We have so few human resources here that can get up there and do the work. The work for us is physically challenging."

The foundation is also short of money. While it now owns the building, Doughman said it will cost between $265,000 and $325,000 to restore the church for frequent use.

"Everybody is pretty attached to this building," Doughman said. "It's a beautiful structure. We need a community building where we can have workshops and social events."

Foundation board members have applied to the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the office of the Cultural Affairs. Members on the foundation's board have also volunteered to write grant proposals to nonprofit organizations and state officials.

Dominique Revelle, 33, moved to Lamy a few years ago and is among those who volunteered to help save the building.

"Everyone that we've talked to appreciates the building and thinks it's worth saving," said Revelle, who has taken the initiative to apply for grants. "Our community is just way too small to fund it. There is not enough of us to physically be able to do all the labor. We need professionals to do it."

Through the state's historic preservation division, the foundation is hoping to get $6,000 in grants to create a fundraiser.

Foundation members would raise money by selling engraved bricks. The bricks, embossed with the donors' names, would be part of a church walkway. Revelle said the foundation is hoping to raise $40,000 for the effort.

"People have donated in the past," Revelle said. "It's a beautiful building and it would be a shame to watch it crumble into dust."

Contact Erica Cordova

at 490-2507 or

eordova@sfnewmexican.com

-----

Copyright (c) 2005, The Santa Fe New Mexican

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Santa Fe New Mexican

More News in this Category