Historic Santa Teresa - Catholic Church

Construction started on a first church in Grants in 1920 and was completed in 1923. It was dedicated to St. Teresa of Avila. Grants was originally known as Los Alamitos and was settled in 1864 by Don Jesus Maria Blea followed by Don Diego Antonio Chavez in 1882. The Atlantic and Pacific Railroads contracted with three brothers named Grant to build the railroad through this area going west. They established a base camp which became known as Grant’s Camp and in time shortened to Grants. In 1911 the first Mass was celebrated in Grants by the remarkable Father Robert Kalt, known by everyone as “El Padre Roberto” at the home of don Jesus Maria Blea.
Before 1920 there was no church in Grants and the people usually attended Mass in San Rafael where Padre Roberto lived. El Padre Roberto was assigned to San Fidel which served as the parish church for this whole area including Grants, San Rafael and San Mateo. He came to Grants once a month until 1933 when Mass began weekly in Grants. A large solid stone community center was built in 1951 on a large tract of land donated by the Gunderson’s located about from the old St. Teresa’s church. With the large influx of people during the uranium boom, a large church was needed to accommodate the increasing Catholic population.
In 1959 a new church and rectory were constructed at the corner of High and Smith Streets. cibolacatholiccommunity.com/st-teresa-of-avila