HISTORY

The Franciscan Friars began serving the needs of the Chinle area in 1902 when Fr. Leopold Ostermann, OFM, was first sent out from the base at St. Michaels to begin ministering to the People. With community and federal approval, land was set aside for a mission; in 1905-06, a Friary was built and at first, part of the room on the south side was used as a church. A separate, real church, the Annunciation Mission, was built in 1909-10, and in 1910, a building was added beside it which served as the interpreter’s house and the community Post Office. Growth made it necessary to build a new church late in 1959; constructed out of cinder blocks, it was named Our Lady of Fatima, was dedicated on March 27, 1960, and was located on the site where our current hogan church is. Our beautiful hogan church was built during the fall of 1989 and used for the first time for Christmas Eve mass, December 24, 1989; it was dedicated on June 3, 1990.  We have enjoyed and continue to enjoy a continuous existence and growth. In time, the community of Many Farms also became part of the parish of Chinle. Then, with the diminishing number of Friars, the entire parish of Pinon and its eight surrounding communities became the responsibility of the Chinle parish on December 1, 1981. In 2007, the parish of Lukachukai and its three outlying mission chapels were also placed under the care of Chinle.

In October, 2005, we celebrated our Centennial with special ceremonies, festivities, and a co-authored publication [*see below]. On June 5, 2007, we were successful in having the site named to the Federal Register of Historic Places, as the Chinle Franciscan Mission Historic District. The designation includes three buildings: The Friary, the Annunciation Mission, and the Workshop; one site, the Cemetery; and one object, the Bell. In the fall of 2008, we raised a two-story multipurpose 40′ x 115 metal building christened the Joobaa’ Hogan, or Kindness Center. The downstairs immediately became the new location for our Food Bank program. A small 16 x 40′ space at the west end of the food bank was designated as a transient shelter, with two bedrooms and a handicapped accessible bathroom with shower. Such temporary shelter had been provided for many years in the west end of the Annunciation Mission with the pastor’s permission but no real facilities or privacy.

 

*Our Centennial Publication, which sells for $5 plus postage and is available from the Parish Office, is entitled: Blessings Brought, Blessings Found: Annunciation Mission, 1905-2005, Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Celebrating 100 Years of Franciscan and Church Presence in Chinle, Arizona by Fr. Blane Grein and Charlotte J. Frisbie. Albuquerque: Cottonwood Printing, Inc. October, 2005