The Archdiocese of Santa Fe has reassigned longtime local priest Fr. Andrew Ifele to Holy Trinity Parish in Arroyo Seco and its mission churches. Fr. Ifele had served as priest at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Questa and its mission churches—Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Cerro, Sagrado Corazón in Costilla, Santo Niño in Amalia, and St. Edwin’s in Red River—since 2011.
Fr. Ifele was the first priest assigned to Questa following the collapse of the west wall of St. Anthony’s Church. He encouraged and supported the community as it undertook the full reconstruction of the wall, recognizing the cultural and historical significance of the effort to the people of Questa.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Fr. Jason Pettigrew was assigned to St. Anthony’s Parish and he began his new role in late July.
In a 2017 interview with Medium’s Catholic Extension column, Fr. Pettigrew spoke about his journey from cowboy to priesthood. In the article, he recounted how, in his 30s, he worked as a rancher, traveling the Southwest gathering wild cattle and catching boars and donkeys. Pettigrew recalled that he had money in the bank, a fiancée, and “everything that was supposed to make a man happy,” but he felt a yearning for something more in his soul.
“I asked God, ‘Please show me what You want from me.’ A few days later, a thought kept popping into my head: ‘Rosary, rosary, rosary.’ I had never prayed the rosary, but I bought one and learned how to pray it,” Pettigrew said in the interview.
Soon after, he attended his first Catholic Mass in Carlsbad and felt he had found his spiritual home.
Pettigrew began participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and recalls that the best day of his life was being baptized, confirmed and receiving his First Communion– taking the Body of Christ for the first time.
He said that while working on a ranch in the Rocky Mountains, he would pray the rosary and ask God for clarity. That spiritual reflection led him to quit ranching and sell his horses, trucks, and trailers to attend seminary.
When asked how he viewed his role as a missionary, Fr. Pettigrew said, “I embrace it. Pope Francis said that priests should smell like their sheep—I spent my whole life with livestock. A rancher’s life is in service and sacrifice for the flock. That’s exactly what a priest should do. A priest, just like a rancher, gets that call in the middle of the night—you get up and serve 24/7.”
This story includes excerpts from a 2017 Medium interview by Catholic Extension, a nonprofit organization that supports the Catholic Church in America’s poorest places.
