In 1915 a young Franciscan Missionary was sent from the Midwest to serve in the newly formed state of New Mexico. He fell in love with the beautiful land and its people, and chose to spend the rest of his career serving here. Father Theodosius Meyer, (Fr. Theo) kept track of all the missions, churches and communities he served and upon his retirement in 1953 he wrote a memoir about what it was like to live in a state where roads were few and travel was often by short rail, in the back of a farmer’s wagon or on foot.
He fell in love with the varied peoples and the history of the state. Because of his family training as a carpenter he was frequently called upon to build or restore the churches he served and was the driving force for road building in some areas. This included the restoration of St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe. He also chaired the Fiestas de Santa Fe committee. During his career he wrote a number of articles for newspapers around the state, frequently on controversial subjects, earning him the unofficial title of “Voice in the Wilderness”.
Fr. Theo brings rich personal insights into everything from what kinds of crazy bugs he encountered while hiking to what it was like to be doing repairs on a cathedral in Santa Fe, just to discover 30 graves beneath the floor! Wearing the brown robes made him easily identifiable to friends…and to enemies who did not like what he had to say. He was threatened on more than one occasion and a was shot while fishing in a local stream.
After his death his effects were claimed by family in Indiana. A young nephew whom Theo had never met, found the memoir being stored in a family member’s home and felt the stories and history compelling. Leo Meyer asked me to look into the possibility of publishing it.. and now, after two years of research to verify the information in Fr. Theo’s typewritten notes, his story can be added to the rich history of New Mexico.
The Trails and Trials of Father Theodosius Meyer is available on Amazon in book and ebook formats.
Fr. Theo’s Timeline
November 24, 1882 – Born Frank Joseph Meyer at home in Batesville, Indiana
September, 1903 – Enrolled in St. Francis College.
August. 15, 1906 – Entered the Novitiate at Mt. Airy Seminary, Cincinnati, OH.
June 17, 1914 – Ordained a priest at Holy Family Seminary in Oldenburg, Indiana by Bishop Chartrand.
July, 1914 – Sent to the Franciscan Chapter House in Cincinnati, Ohio, for a few months. Then given his first parish assignment.
1916- St. Peter’s church, Roswell, New Mexico. He also performed Mass and visited the sick at St. Mary’s Hospital (open 1912-1916) in Roswell. He made regular trips to surrounding parishes:
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Church – Clovis, NM
- Hagerman, (Pecos Valley south of Roswell)
- Carlsbad: St. Edward Parish.
- Portales, NM. St. Helen Catholic Church, and missions surrounding at Melrose, Portales, Elida and No Man’s Land
July, 1917 –1920 Sent to Minonk, Illinois (Benson, Roanoke?)
Summer of 1920 – Assigned to the Santa Fe Archdiocese in New Mexico, said Mass and gave instruction in the following towns and missions:
- St. Catherines – Santa Fe.
- Anthony Parish – Albuquerque
- Cienega
- Pena Blanca
- Bajada
- Lamy
- Rio Tesuque
- Tesuque Pueblo
- Rio in Medio
- Embudo, (West of Cienega)
- El Vado
- Park View
1921 – The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe – headed renovation of the cathedral.
1921-1926 – Santa Fe: served as head of the Red Cross, took part in the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce activities and served several terms as Chaplain of the New Mexico State Legislature.
July 1926 – Assigned to St. Francis of Assisi church in Lumberton, NM (Rio Arriba County), with weekly trips to Tapiecitos. 1930 – Renovated St. Francis Church in Lumberton with stained glass windows from the Franz Meyer Company.
1934-1939 – Renovated St. Joseph church, Park View, NM
1945-1947 – Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, Pena Blanca, NM
1947 –1950 Farmington, NM and Cuba, NM (Diocese of Gallup)
July 1950 – Moved over to St. John’s Parish in Roswell, NM
July 1951 – moved to St. Peter Parish in Roswell, NM
January, 1953 – Assigned to St. Francis Parish in Gallup, NM
July, 1955 – Assigned as Superior of the Franciscans in Emporia, KS
Died 1958- Funeral services held in Sacred Heart church. Buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Emporia, KS.: Section 0, plot 1, space 2.
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