St. Joseph Apache Mission, Mescalero
The chapter opens with discussion of native Catholicism among the Apache, and of the syncretic church imagery epitomized by the Apache Christ behind the altar. The discussion then pursues the “rebuild my church” mandate that St. Francis received in a vision and the application of the same by Franciscans and others who undertook the restoration of the huge stone church and the congregation in Mescalero. The discussion of a trainee program at this and other sites introduces a section regarding the influence of church restoration on the alcoholism and sobriety of one of the workers. The chapter then discusses the difficulties of transition from Franciscan to diocesan pastorship. It concludes with a historical section on the freed Chiricahua prisoners of war who settled at Mescalero, and on Father Albert Braun, whose vision and initiative resulted in the construction of St. Joseph. The chapter includes a visiting guide.