Holy Child Catholic School 

Knights of Columbus of Holy Child 

Holy Child Youth

Located in the mountains about 10 miles east of Albuquerque, Holy Child Parish was established on September 15, 1962 by Archbishop Byrne.  The first pastor was Father John Fitzgerald, who served until January 29, 1967.  The original church, Santo Niño, was a tiny adobe structure built in 1912 on Route 66.  The present church, constructed in 1971 by parishioners, is a metal building on higher ground a mile to the east.  Parishioners built a rectory in 1987 to the north of the church.  In 1996, volunteers constructed a 3,760 square foot multipurpose building nearby.  This permitted classrooms in the church to be replaced by additional seating to accommodate over 400 people at Sunday Masses.  An office building was added between the church and the rectory at the beginning of 2000.

The parish covers over 300 square miles and includes seven mission churches arranged as a cross along State Highway 14 and old Route 66.  Holy Child Church in Tijeras is at the center of this cross. 

Five miles to the west lies Carnuel, whose church is also named Santo Niño (1960).  Five miles to the east, in Sedillo, is the church San Isidro Labrador (1941). 

In succession, beginning two miles north of Tijeras on State Highway 14 are:  San Antonio de Padua (1960) in the community of San Antonio; farther north and slightly west, San Lorenzo (c. 1870) in Cañoncito; and Señor de Mapimi (c. 1886) in San Antonito, approximately six miles north of Tijeras. 

Fifteen miles south of Tijeras on State Highway 337 (formerly South 14) is San Isidro de Labrador (c. 1932) in Escobosa, and twenty-two miles south is Capilla de San Juan Nepomuceno (1842) in Chilili.