Diocese of Las Cruces

The Diocese of Las Cruces was established in 1982, carved from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and the Diocese of El Paso to serve the southernmost third of New Mexico — a vast stretch of Chihuahuan Desert and Rio Grande valley. Its seat is the Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral in Las Cruces, and the diocese includes the Basilica of San Albino in the historic village of Mesilla, one of the oldest Catholic communities in the American Southwest. Across its approximately 73 parishes, the Church has been a continuous presence in this border region since Spanish colonial missions in the 1500s.