Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church stands in Northeast Albuquerque at 811 Guaymas Place NE, beside its Catholic school at 815 Guaymas Place NE. It is known for a church-and-school community shaped by worship, education and service: the 1965 church was conceived as “a simple prayer,” while the adjoining K-8 school carries the parish mission into classrooms and family life. Saturday and Sunday Mass, a Wednesday school Mass, online Mass options and direct-service ministries connect the parish with people in Albuquerque.
A Parish That Began as a “Simple Prayer”
OLA’s story begins with the Assumption Mission Chapel, also known as the Quonset Hut, at 201 Dallas NE. It served the parish from 1951 to 1960. Archbishop Edwin V. Byrne formally established the parish in February 1954 and appointed Rev. Francis O’Byrne as its first pastor and administrator. A new convent and school were dedicated in August 1954, with facilities for six nuns and a six-room modern school. The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from Monroe, Michigan served both the parish and school for 28 years.
That early partnership remains central to OLA. The architect, John W. McHugh of Santa Fe, described the church as “a simple prayer,” a phrase that captures both its spare design and the planning, hard work and prayers behind it. As attendance grew, the Quonset Hut became too small and too far from the rest of the parish buildings. Parishioners worshiped in the new parish hall from September 1960 while a permanent church was prepared.
A Sanctuary Built Around the Eucharist
After Fr. Carl Hammer and the parish finance committee launched a successful tithing program, general contractor Blue and Associates completed the church in 1965. Archbishop James P. Davis dedicated and blessed it that year. Its purpose was to provide a large worship space while bringing the altar and the people closer together.
A brightly colored textile reredos fills the background to the altar. Its fabric panels were made in the 18th-century Vicarage of Hythe in Kent, England, by David Holt in Gerald Holtom’s workshop. Five themes structure the design: creation and fall, sacrifice, grace, virtue and the sacraments, all related to the Eucharist. The reredos, marble altar and sanctuary, and Eucharistic chapel were innovative for their time, making OLA the first church building in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe to reflect the liturgical changes of the Second Vatican Council.
Professor John Tatschi of the University of New Mexico designed and executed the stained-glass windows, including 172 small windows. The large chapel window portrays Christ in the winepress, symbolizing his passion and death on the cross. It also depicts the Last Supper, a priest in Mass vestments holding a chalice, and wine barrels representing the Church as the mystical wine cellar from which redemptive Eucharistic graces are distributed to the faithful.
From the Quonset Hut to a Growing Parish
Fr. Philip Blackburn became pastor in 1955. The parish hall was dedicated on December 27, 1957, and immediately served as a meeting place and school cafeteria. Msgr. J. A. Maguire was appointed in 1958, followed by a temporary assignment for Fr. Benedict Cuesta of Madrid, Spain, in early 1960. Fr. Carl Hammer took charge in June that year. During his 15-year leadership, the second phase of the elementary school was completed in 1962 and the parish rectory was established in 1963.
Fr. John Rebold led the parish from 1975 to 1980. Under his leadership, the first Vietnamese Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe was founded. Fr. Ronald Bruckner moved the parish offices from the rectory to the convent and oversaw the addition of the Merrifield Meeting Room, completed in 1985. Fr. Luis Jaramillo served from 1987 until 2002, strengthening the Hispanic ministry and Spanish Mass. The cry room was reconstructed in 1993, and Fr. Jaramillo retired in June 2002.
Father Edward C. Domme was assigned as pastor in July 2002. A graduate of OLA School and a member of one of the parish founding families, he has continued the work begun with the Quonset Hut and the first small school. Fr. Mike Cimino, assigned as parochial vicar soon afterward, celebrates Mass, hears confessions, visits shut-ins and participates in school activities. For the church’s 50th anniversary, the cry-room roof was reconstructed, a bronze sculpture of Our Lady of the Assumption was installed above its entrance, and Knights of Columbus support helped build a grotto on the north side of the church.
Weekend Mass and a Wednesday School Mass
The Saturday Anticipatory Mass is celebrated at 5:00 p.m. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. A Wednesday school Mass is also part of OLA’s weekly school and family rhythm.
Online Mass options are available through Catholic TV and Spanish Catholic TV. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Finding OLA at Tennessee and Lomas
OLA Church stands at the corner of Tennessee and Lomas. From Wyoming, motorists head west on Lomas; from Louisiana, they head east on Lomas. Turning south at Tennessee leads immediately to the church parking lot. The Parish Office at 811 Guaymas Place NE is reached by turning south on Tennessee, right on Fruit Street and west to the parking lot at the end of the street. The office stands on the south side of that lot.
Parish registration forms are available in English and Spanish. The adjoining school occupies 815 Guaymas Place NE, making OLA’s church, school and ministries part of the same Guaymas Place community.
Mission: Worship, Prayer, Education and Service
The parish is a community of people created in God’s image, living in communion with the Roman Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Its mission is to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the patronage of Our Lady of the Assumption. The sacraments nourish that life, while the community uses its varied gifts and heritage to build the Body of Christ through worship, prayer, education and service to all.
This four-part mission is visible throughout OLA. Mass and the church’s Eucharistic design nourish worship; the school provides education; the knitting, cooking and Vincentian ministries put service into practice.
Pastoral Leadership at OLA
Fr. Edward C. Domme’s pastoral leadership continues the work of the priests who served before him. Fr. Mike Cimino serves as parochial vicar. The parish’s deacons are Deacon Jim Delgado and Deacon John “Jack” Granato. Mr. Frank Martinez leads religious education, and Marie Baca serves as president of the local Society of St. Vincent de Paul. OLA also has a Parish Pastoral Council with representatives serving in evangelization, stewardship, development, building and grounds, and other areas of parish life.
Hot Meals Through the Good Shepherd Center
OLA’s Casserole Cooking Ministry began in 2009 with a practical purpose: providing hot, nourishing meals to people experiencing homelessness and hunger in the community. The parish works with the Good Shepherd Center, which supplies tried-and-true recipes and the containers used for the ministry.
The process turns the parish’s resources into regular meals. Ingredients are combined according to the recipes, and the casseroles are frozen before being returned to the parish for delivery to the Good Shepherd Center. Each one becomes a meal for a hungry person and a tangible expression of the parish’s commitment to care for people experiencing homelessness.
Blankets and Booties
On the second and fourth Fridays of each month, from 9:30 to 11:45 a.m., the Knitting and Crocheting Ministry gathers in the Merrifield Room at the Parish Office. The Blankets and Booties ministry welcomes experienced makers as well as beginners. Their handmade blankets and other items provide warmth and comfort for vulnerable children and newborns, turning time spent knitting and crocheting into a concrete act of care.
Vincentian Friendship in Action
The local Society of St. Vincent de Paul is part of a worldwide network of lay Catholics inspired by Gospel values to grow in holiness and build a more just world. Its approach joins practical assistance with personal relationships, friendship and service. Local members visit people requesting assistance, consider each situation according to available funds and resources, and assist where they are able. OLA’s financial contributions support this ministry.
The Vincentian ideal is broad rather than limited to one kind of need. The Society seeks to help people regardless of religion, age or background, with faith expressed through direct contact, the sharing of time and talent, and a communal spirit of service.
A Catholic School from Junior Kindergarten to Eighth Grade
OLA School grew directly from the six-room school dedicated in 1954. Today it serves students from Junior Kindergarten through eighth grade and is fully accredited by the Western Catholic Education Association and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Guided by the Catholic faith, the school seeks to help students embrace their unique gifts, develop a love of lifelong learning and become compassionate leaders committed to making a positive difference in the world.
Its values are:
- Living Faith
- Accelerate Learning
- Integrity
- Partnership
- Achieving Excellence
- Service
- Responsibility
- Respect
The school emphasizes smaller class sizes, differentiated instruction, weekly Mass, moral formation, service and a family-centered atmosphere. Its community includes students, families, staff, parishioners and welcomed guests, supported by an open-door policy and regular communication among parents, teachers, administrators and the parish.
Academics, Arts, Technology and Athletics
The art program serves Junior Kindergarten through eighth grade and introduces drawing, painting, ceramics, sewing and other media. Folk art and art history are integrated with social studies, while Catholic artistic traditions form part of the curriculum. Student work is displayed in classrooms and hallways.
Computer technology classes teach general skills, age-appropriate internet safety, coding, keyboarding, presentations, research, spreadsheets and word processing. Students in grades K-8 use Chromebooks and Google Applications for Education, with content controls and a formal protocol for technology use. The curriculum also includes Spanish from Junior Kindergarten through eighth grade, building reading, listening, speaking and writing skills through the study of Latin American music, cultural videos, prayers, crafts, games and research.
Music develops literacy, performance skills and etiquette through daily singing and listening. Students learn Western music from the Renaissance through the 21st century, read from a hymnal, sing in two parts and perform on simple instruments. Health and physical education emphasize mental, physical and social health, motor skills, cooperation and lifelong activity.
After-school choices include baking, chess, crochet, knitting, embroidery, gardening, choir, guitar, ensemble and yearbook. Athletics depend on enrollment and interest, with basketball, flag football, golf, volleyball, track and field, and cross country offered for elementary and middle-school students.
Catholic Identity in Every School Day
Catholic identity is woven into the school year through weekly Mass, Holy Days of Obligation Mass, Stations of the Cross, May Crowning, monthly adoration, service projects, a St. Vincent de Paul canned-food drive and Locker 505. Catholic Schools Week and the Distinguished Disciple program are also part of OLA’s Catholic identity.
The schoolwide learning expectations give that identity a practical shape. Students are expected to be:
- Active Catholic Christians who participate in Mass and the sacraments, follow Christ and understand the Catholic faith.
- Never Give Up learners who learn from mistakes, persevere and take responsibility for their learning.
- Global Citizens who respect cultures, act as stewards of God’s creation and put Catholic social justice teachings into practice.
- Effective Communicators who speak with wisdom, reverence and patience, listen respectfully and seek to be a “voice” for Christ.
- Lifelong Learners who seek truth through Christ and continue looking beyond what is required.
- Service to Self and Others through responsible, Christ-like behavior and care for the needs of others.
Families at the Center of OLA School
Family participation is part of the school’s daily life. Families have a voice through the Home and School Association and School Consultative Council, and each parish and school family is asked to give time in service each month. Volunteer roles include classroom assistants, homeroom parents, coaches, judges, lectors, choir members, altar servers and greeters. Child-protection training through Virtus is required for volunteers.
A before-school program welcomes students from 7:30 to 8:00 a.m. each morning, and aftercare is also offered. School uniforms consist of gray or white polos, with at least one gray polo for Mass day. The school also participates in the USDA National School Lunch Program and National School Breakfast Program and provides free and reduced-price meal applications for eligible families.
Giving, Registration and One Parish Community
Online giving is processed through Our Sunday Visitor, and mailed Sunday Offertory envelopes remain another way to support the parish. The Parish Office at 811 Guaymas Place NE receives mailed gifts. OLA School follows a structured admissions process of inquiry, application, family interview when needed, committee review, enrollment decision and registration, with transfer students considered as class space permits.
The parish and school continue to share one mission at Guaymas Place: worship that builds the Body of Christ, education that forms students for a lifetime of learning, and service that places compassion and hope in the lives of families and neighbors.