Wildflowers and the Call to the Altar: Mission and History of an Altar Society

By Skya Abbate and John Wester

Wildflowers and the Call to the Altar is a fascinating story of the history of the St. Francis Altar Society, embedded within the tri-cultural nexus of Santa Fe, New Mexico. For close to a hundred years, the society responded to the call that the church, established in 1610, required a formal Altar Society to care for the sanctuary needs, yet also to address the personal sanctification of the members. Since its inception, the society has served the altar of the church and extended its vision to "the altar of the world" through works of social justice, which are more urgent than ever, along with the care of the altar and the laundry. There is room for the holiness and fidelity of women to serve the church. Under the mantle of humility, and the commitment to mission, the women of the St. Francis Altar Society have persisted like the women at the foot of the cross. They have embraced the call to ministry and discipleship extended to all in the Gospels. Service to the altar extends into the world, where the reality of the love of Christ intersects with everyday life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Release date: Dec 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781532663345

Skya Abbate

Skya Abbate is a sociologist, Doctor of Oriental Medicine, and graduate student in the Master of Pastoral Studies Program at Loyola University, New Orleans, where she majors in Christian Spirituality and Ecological Theology. She is actively involved in her parish, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she serves as a long-standing member in multiple ministries.

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Wildflowers and the Call to the Altar

Mission and History of an Altar Society

Skya Abbate

Foreword by John C. Wester

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Wildflowers and the Call to the Altar

Mission and History of an Altar Society

Copyright © 2018 Skya Abbate. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

Resource Publications

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

Eugene, OR 97401

www.wipfandstock.com

paperback isbn: 978-1-5326-6332-1

hardcover isbn: 978-1-5326-6333-8

ebook isbn: 978-1-5326-6334-5

Manufactured in the U.S.A. March 15, 2019

Photos by Anthony Abbate. Morning Song and the Cathedral. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Photos by Skya Abbate. St. Francis Feast Day and Christmas Arrangement. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Photos by David A. Brown. 2018 Retreat, The Presidents Working for Social Justice, and Embracing the Future. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Photo by Josh Etsey. Linens for the Lord. Copyright July 8, 1997. The New Mexican, Inc. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved

Photo by Carolee J. Friday. Tradition. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Photo by Dick Goehring. Garden Party. Copyright August 22, 1956. The New Mexican, Inc. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1: History

Chapter 2: Mission and Institutional Realities

Chapter 3: Organization

Chapter 4: Flowers

Chapter 5: The Years

Chapter 6: The Presidents

Chapter 7: The Silver Teas

Chapter 8: Peace and Social Justice

Chapter 9: Prayers, Spiritualties, and Annual Retreats

Chapter 10: The Personalities

Chapter 11: Organizational Analysis

Chapter 12: Goals and Dreams

Chapter 13: Organizational Templates and Forms

Chapter 14: The Future

References

Glossary

Appendix: St. Francis Altar Society Members 1975–2018

In gratitude to the past members of the St. Francis Altar Society for their legacy of service.

To the present members of the St. Francis Altar Society for your legacy of faith.

To the future members of the St. Francis Altar Society for your discernment to answer the call to the altar.

We are like a field of wildflowers growing together and made more beautiful by our diversity and differences, our fruits, our blossoms, and even our natural decline.

Skya Abbate, President, 2005–2018

Foreword

Our beautiful St. Francis Cathedral Basilica, nestled in the beautiful hills of Santa Fe, is a revered historical landmark that has given God honor and praise since it began almost 150 years ago. Home for the Catholics of the Santa Fe Archdiocese and a beacon for countless tourists, this sacred space serves as the mother church of the archdiocese where sacraments are celebrated, prayers are offered, and souls are nourished. Such a beautiful edifice requires incredible dedication and commitment on the part of many to ensure its vitality and its ability to meet the needs of God’s people. Most of these good people work behind the scenes, quietly and selflessly, for the glory of God and the service of those who come to be refreshed and nourished at St. Francis Cathedral. Of these generous souls, none work harder and with more dedication than the members of the Cathedral Altar Society. I am grateful to Dr. Skya Abbate for shining a grateful light on these wonderful volunteers who give so much to the life of our mother church. For generations, the members of the Altar Society have ensured that all the appointments of the altar and worship space are of the highest quality and properly cared for, conscious of the part they play in the unfolding of the sacred mysteries. They do not ask for recognition or favor since they see their work as a service to God’s people and a way of thanking God for all his blessings. Nonetheless, I am delighted to see the publication of Dr. Abbate’s excellent and wonderfully crafted book that enables us all to deepen in our appreciation for those who serve at the cathedral altar behind the scenes but very much in front of our grateful gaze.

I thank Skya for her much needed book and I thank all the members of the Cathedral Altar Society for their unparalleled service and exemplary devotion to God and his Church. We Catholics firmly believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, who offered his life for us on the altar of the cross, became at once the priest and the sacrifice. The altar of St. Francis Cathedral stands as a sacred symbol of Christ and of his ultimate gift of love to us. Wildflowers and the Call to the Altar, Mission and History of an Altar Society reminds us that those who serve at the altar are serving Christ himself and the sacred mystery it represents. For this service, we in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe will be forever grateful.

Most Reverend John C. Wester

Archbishop of Santa Fe

Acknowledgements

In grateful acknowledgement to all those who helped make this book a reality

Copyeditor Elizabeth Grant

Translation of 1940 Spanish Altar Society By-Laws Angelina Gonzales Kollasch

Most especially thanks to the Spiritual Development and Writing Club Contributors who spent countless hours doing research, interviews, and proofing the book:

Skya Abbate is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and college professor in New Mexico. She holds degrees in Sociology (MA), Pastoral Studies (MA), Bioethics and Health Policy (MA) and is a doctoral candidate in Catholic Bioethics and Health Policy. She has been the Altar Society President from 2005 to 2018, a member of the Liturgy Committee, the Pastoral Council, and the Sacred Heart League as well as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, Mass Coordinator, and Adult Altar Server. Her weekly articles on the liturgical year that she composed for the parish bulletin from 2004 to 2012 as the Living Liturgy Series were published in the book The Catholic Imagination, Practical Theology for the Liturgical Year (2012). She continues to write for the parish bulletin on select topics during Lent and Advent. She is the author of seventeen books within numerous genres.

Helen Anaya, a native of Santa Fe, graduated from St. Francis Cathedral School and Loretto Academy. She received her BA in Chemistry from the University of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio. Following this she did a twelve-month internship at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado in Medical Technology as a clinical laboratory scientist.

Tessie Anchondo is a native of Santa Fe. She is a life member of the Cathedral and attended St. Francis School as a child. She later graduated from Santa Fe High School in 1961. After graduation, she started her career with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Beginning as a stenographer and then as a secretary, she entered the field of adjudication which led to supervisory positions as unit chief and later as chief of the adjudication section, and then to lands and minerals, supervising one hundred employees in one of BLM’s busiest offices. The bureau recognized Tessie in the form of several achievement awards, including the second highest department award, Interior Honor Award for Superior Service in 1990.

Yolanda Vigil Brewer, a native of Santa Fe, has recently retired from her position as Education Director at Zia Credit Union in Los Alamos and Espanola, New Mexico. She held this position for fourteen years. She has a Masters degree in Business Education and has fulfilled her life-long teaching career. She and her husband, Dan, have three children.

Margie Carrillo is retired from working in different offices, the last being a law firm where she was in the bookkeeping office and billing time for lawyers. She joined the Altar Society in 2006. She has served as the Secretary of the society for over eight years.

Roberta Quintana Gallegos is a lifetime member of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. In 2018, she would have been married for 60 years. Bobbie was blessed with five children, nine grandchildren, and a great grandson. Bobbie graduated from Loretto Academy and then attended the University of New Mexico as one of the first two military orphans to receive the G.I. Bill. She received her BS in Business Education in 1958 and retired from state government after 35 years of service. Her career included serving as a legal secretary/law clerk to Chief Justice M. E. Noble, as well as Justices Sisk, Oman, Compton and Stowers. She also served as Appointment Secretary to former Governor Jerry Apodaca. She retired in 1997 after serving as Administrative Assistant to Attorney General Tom Udall, now U.S. Senator. Bobbie considers her Catholic faith and education a great blessing. She has been a member of the Altar Society for over 35 years!

Olinda Garcia retired from state government and is currently a part-time administrative personal assistant. She has been a volunteer with the Chamber of Commerce for 20 years and honored as a volunteer of the year in 2006. She has been a volunteer at the Cathedral Gift Shop for over 14 years, a weekly collection counter for over 20, and Treasurer of the Altar Society for the last 18 years. She loves being with family and friends.

Leonor Anaya Mead, a native of Santa Fe, graduated from St. Francis Cathedral School and Loretto Academy. She received her BSN in Nursing from the University of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio. She also did post-graduate studies in nursing cardiology from Mt. Sinai and Cedars of Lebanon Hospitals in Los Angeles, California. She was instrumental in establishing the first coronary care unit at St. Vincent Hospital Santa Fe, New Mexico. She served as the Altar Society President from 1999 – 2000.

Alice McKirnan, an Albuquerque native, attended Loretto Academy in Santa Fe for 12 years. Later, she moved to southern California and held various jobs with Travelers Insurance and James G. Wiley Import Export Company. She then worked in the dental field for over 20 years. During that time she married, had three children, six grandchildren, and one great grandchild. She retired after 40 years and returned to Santa Fe to care for her mother until her passing. She is a member of the St. Francis Altar Society and enjoys music, piano, gardening, spending time with family, and cooking.

Mary Jane Martinez was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico and graduated from Santa Fe High School. She is the mother of five, grandmother of eight, and a great-grandmother of seven. She has held secretarial positions both in private and state agencies. She worked for the State Legislature for 27 years and held a secretarial position during Governor Jerry Apodaca’s term in office. She served the Secretary of Region XIII National Association of Deacon Directors and as Secretary for the Policy Board of Deaconate Formation. She loves to spend time camping in the State and National forests. As a grandparent she spends a great deal of time attending school activities, sports, recitals and school plays. She served as the Altar Society President from 1995–1996.

Introduction

Altar Societies—Caretakers of the House of the Lord

It appears that a lesser-known ministry, the worthy story of Altar Societies, has been neglected in their important historical role in the Roman Catholic Church. Thus, their legacy, needs, and effects, which have endured to this day, are heralded in this little work. Altar Societies played, and continue to play, a vital role in the Catholic Church both by the physical care of the altar and through the cultivation of the spiritual growth of its members and the parish.

Historically, the primary mission of such societies was seen as an appropriate function to be carried out by women through their tending of the altar, linens, sanctuary, vestments, candles, and the provision of flowers. Some of this work was shared or assumed by sacristans in the past¹ and remains so even today. Yet, an important distinction about the work of these members is that it is more than housekeeping, albeit in the house of the Lord, but a veritable vocation that extends beyond the sanctuary into the divine milieu of community and creation.

Wildflowers and the Call to the Altar, Mission and History of an Altar Society is a fascinating story of the history of the St. Francis Altar Society embedded within the tri-cultural nexus of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Stemming from 1921 to the present the society responded to the call by Fr. Eligius Kunkel that the church, built in 1610, required a formal Altar Society to care for the sanctuary needs yet one that would also address the personal sanctification of the members. Fifty-five women responded to that call and it is one that that is still heard today although that voice may now be a whisper.

The work of an Altar Society assumes a vital role in liturgy. It helps in preparing suitable worship space that assists the congregation in entering into communion with God and each other. While some small parishes and churches do not have official altar societies, they have faithful and trusted women (and no doubt men) who care for the altar in an unobtrusive manner. Some have few members, while other parishes have numerous affiliates such as the St. Francis Altar Society of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Today, the St. Francis Altar Society consists of a group of laywomen who serve their parish located in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The ministry of the St. Francis Altar Society began in 1921, well before the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s and the call for the laity to be priest, prophet, and king.² This book chronicles their mission wherein a few dozen women throughout its history, as the core members, did most of the work. It is a society that has sustained itself for nearly 100 years, truly a formidable accomplishment and a testament to the fortitude of the women as well as the inspiration behind their mission statement. More importantly, the longevity of this group across decades testifies to their devotion to the service of the altar. This shows what that means to them in the Catholic tradition and as a locus wherein they can thrive and find meaning.

In this book, each chapter is devoted to a particular theme that defines the group as co-workers in the vineyard of the Lord ³ partly as a way in which to acknowledge their accomplishments, partly to learn what their history can teach us and other lay ministries. Perhaps most importantly it is to illustrate the meaning of humble service that can be applied in any ministry or personal devotion.

The scope of the history of the St. Francis Altar Society is explored from their deep relationship with flowers as symbolic of their work, to their especial devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, their central ministry of prayer for those who are ill, and their service to the altar of the world through acts of mercy and charity for the marginalized both at home and abroad. Their history illustrates their struggles as an organization with membership, their empathy and compassion for others in illness, their persistence with changes in parish rectors, and their responses through world wars and times of change within the church itself.

Through the personal narratives of the 100-year lineage of Presidents and that of other members, a lens is offered of how to view new problems in creative ways and how to sustain and reinterpret their mission so that the altar, parish, and church are served along with the cultivation of the spiritual development of its members. Essentially their biggest challenge has been to balance fidelity to their mission with simultaneously becoming flexible enough to adapt to changing times as many organizations and businesses must also learn to do if they are to survive. As such, for 10 decades, they have succeeded in maintaining their devotion to the altar by reinventing themselves, a skill that is needed in the modern world characterized by rapid change, cultural distractions, and changes in the church. In addition to their history, in this work, forms and templates are provided to those who might wish to form, organize, or improve on an existing altar society.

In today’s busy world, with a population of women that are older and have the concomitant obstacles of age, illness, transportation, and even limited income, and a younger audience that have competing activities, the response to that call is not without its problems. As a parish ministerial leader and the most longstanding President, I see that the needs of the Altar Society in many ways parallel the needs of other parish ministries as voluntary organizations that vie for attention and participation in lay ministry.

While the work of the women and the accomplishments of the society over time are told in an anecdotal fashion through interviews, vignettes, written minutes of meetings and meditations, the infrastructure of this work is about the spiritual lineages within the church that animates the society. The Altar Society emerges as an institution where religious, cultural, and social needs are met. Here faithful service is done in small, loving, humble and unobtrusive ways. Since its inception the society has served the literal altar of the church and extended its vision to what I have termed the altar of the world, through works of world responsibility and social justice which are more urgent than ever, along with the care of the altar and the linens!

Such a society can offer authentic and seasoned spirituality to any age