SAN PEDRO, Colorado — In this quiet village nestled in the San Luis Valley, large cracks and exposed adobe bricks are beginning to show on the walls of a beloved church where countless baptisms and weddings have been celebrated for generations.
“They are hurting because it’s their church. It’s our community. And they’re all hurting,” Carlos Atencio said of his fellow villagers.
The adobe church known as Iglesia de San Pedro y San Pablo has served as the region’s third church since it was rebuilt in the 1930s after a fire. But now church services are no longer held in the 90-year-old building as adobe walls begin to shift and crack.
Iglesia de San Pedro y San Pablo
Atencio said the church is no longer safe for services, yet he continues to serve as the mayordomo, a traditional church caretaker among Hispano villages in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
Atencio said he continues to cut vegetation around the church and pay utility bills, sometimes out of his own pocket because of a lack of donations.
“This is part of who I am. I’d say part of our home. Part of our family. Part of my life,” Atencio said during an interview with 9NEWS in September.
At present, there are no immediate plans within the Diocese of Pueblo to stop the crumbling or repair the church, which could cost nearly $300,000, according to a 2015 structural assessment.
The 2015 assessment was partially paid for by a State Historical Fund grant from History Colorado and conducted by an architectural firm that specializes in historic buildings.
“Because the cementitious stucco hides damage to the adobe, the stucco must come off for an accurate assessment. Once the stucco is removed, a full assessment of the adobe must be completed by a preservation specialist experienced in historic adobe construction,” the 2015 assessment says.
“It’s part of our family and it’s part of our culture. This is it for us,” Atencio said of the worry the community feels if the church isn’t saved and eventually collapses.
San Pedro y San Pablo is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it’s considered worthy of preservation because of its historical nature as it relates to Hispano culture in the San Luis Valley.
If the church isn’t saved, Maria Martinez, who is a longtime community advocate and genealogist, said the village would lose its identity.
“Our history. Our sense of community. Our sense of neighbors. Just our culture would be lost,” Martinez said.
Interior of Iglesia de San Pedro y San Pablo
"Local members attached to the mission church, along with its parish priest, have expressed concerns about the future of the mission," the Diocese of Pueblo said in a statement. "Maintaining the facility and ensuring the safety of the structure according to state safety requirements and codes has become increasingly difficult. Bishop Stephen Berg has therefore assigned a team to investigate the concerns of St Peter and St Paul, and other missions, to evaluate their structural and safety issues. The safety of parishioners is of greatest concern."
The statement from the diocese also referenced a drastic decline in donations because people have largely moved from rural areas that rely on such mission churches.
“It must be noted that all Catholic Churches in the San Luis Valley struggle financially and from a shortage of priests, endemic throughout the Diocese. The Diocese of Pueblo remains committed to providing sacramental and pastoral care for the benefit of all,” the statement said.
The community of San Pedro has set up a GoFundMe account to try to raise money for repairs.
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