Dioceses of Las Cruces and El Paso

[Saint_Macarius]

Howdy!
My family (wife + son) and I are thinking of moving for a position in southern New Mexico, specifically Carlsbad. We currently live in the NYC metro, but we both group up in small towns in Missouri. We’re not so much worried about the small town aspect. However, I wanted to know from the people who live there what life is like in the diocese of Las Cruces and/or the diocese of El Paso?
When we lived in Missouri, we both grew up in strong catholic communities. I grew up in what I like to call “little house on the prairie” in the diocese of KC-St. Joe, and my wife grew up in an outer suburb of (archdiocese of) St. Louis. When we moved to the NYC area, specifically to the Archdiocese of Newark, we found the young adult scene to be much less active than in Missouri, and parish life and mass attendance much lower.
Does anyone have thoughts on life as a 30-something Catholic in the area? How active are the parishes?
Any advice is welcomed.
In addition, I would like to ask for your prayers for my family and I, that I may receive an offer for the position, and that we may have the right-centered discernment as to accept the offer or not.
Thanks and God bless.

 

[Blessedwithfive]

We lived in El Paso for seven years after we were first married. My husband worked for a US company but in Mexico (Juarez) We moved from Ohio. Our faith was strong but I didn’t speak Spanish and I found it difficult to “fit in”. I did teach in a Catholic School and enjoyed the kids and parents. I found it odd that they had this ceremony when girls turned 15 called a Quincidra (I have no idea how to spell it) that was celebrated in the church but it was like a big coming out party. Two of our five kids were born there but we took them back to Ohio for Baptism as we just didn’t fit into the church. (We have tons of family in Ohio). There was no “young adult” life in any of the parishes around.

We live in Connecticut now and belong to a vibrant parish but even this parish has no “young adult” life. No preschool groups either as most families have both parents working and just don’t have time.

All that being said, Catholic Mass is Catholic Mass and I was able to follow along even in Spanish. (Most Masses were Spanish but they usually had at least one in English).

The people in the south are much more friendly than in New England. That you will love. And everyday is sunny! I loved that!

Best of luck

 

[bluerose]

Well, prepare for culture shock! Many of the parishes you will encounter have a large Hispanic population (yes, even in eastern New Mexico) and there will be a great many influences, such as devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Christmas traditions such as posadas (a reenactment of Joseph and Mary’s search for lodging, it is done over a period of nine night, like a novena) as well as quinceaneras (15th birthday). You may wish to look at the diocesan monthly paper/newsletter “Agua Viva” (Living Water) for a feel of what you will be encountering.https://www.rcdlc.org/agua-viva-newspaper

I hope you will have the opportunity to visit various churches around the state, especially in Santa Fe, where the church’s seeds were first planted in New Mexico. Lots of history and beauty up north! Especially visit the Carmelite monastery in Santa Fe (I have a niece and a sister-in-law there!) and I hope you will enjoy the Land of Enchantment!

 

[radiaz]

El Paso native here. Carlsbad is a few hours from El Paso so it may be a little different. Carlsbad is definitely a small town, while El Paso is fairly large, and the international/bi-state metropolitan area (El Paso + Juarez + Las Cruces) is one of the largest in the US. I believe you should expect the same benefits and drawbacks of a big city, especially with faith. You will encounter plenty of apostasy and cafeteria Catholics, which is a modern day problem everywhere.

I say the parishes are fairly active, but true that be prepared for a culture shock. You won’t necessarily need to speak Spanish…you are still in the U.S., but you’ll get a distinctive accent. I never knew I had it until I moved to west Texas. That being said, there will be plenty of Spanish masses if you are interested in learning!

Advice is if you decide to relocate, get yourself to an older parish and participate in events. Hispanics are very social and extroverted, so don’t be afraid to get out there! El Paso, is in the middle of the desert, so it will be hot and you won’t have any nice, lush green scenery. Positive is that you can probably get a good standard of living around the southwest, especially real estate and rental pricings…ESPECIALLY compared to NYC! Good luck and God bless!!!

 

[bstorm]

El Paso is kind of far from Carlsbad, so you will not be able to get there on a weekly basis unless you like to spend hours in your car each way. Santa Fe and Albuquerque are even further, it is a rather isolated area. Every larger city (El Paso, Midland/Odessa, Lubbock) is at least 2.5 hour drive from there. Be aware that distances in that part of the US are very large (on the plus side, no traffic!). There are two catholic parishes in the city and some additional ones in the small cities nearby. You can check out the diocese of Las Cruces website to see what is nearby: http://www.dioceseoflascruces.org/parishfinder I do not believe that not speaking Spanish is a problem - most masses are celebrated in English, although there is a strong Hispanic community and liturgy in Spanish is available as well. There is a lot natural beauty nearby (Guadalupe mountains, Carlsbad caverns), hope you will enjoy it there!