Rev. Jose Maria Blanch

Rev. Jose Maria Blanch SF, passed away on Sunday, June 27th. He had been in residence at Holy Family Parish, Chimayo, since 2015.

At the age of seventeen, he joined the Sons of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, in Barcelona, Spain, attracted by the testimony of these priests. Fr. Blanch had spent several years of his childhood in a school for orphans because his father, Miguel Blanch, a well-known teacher and musician in his hometown, was killed by communist men who declared him “too Catholic and influential before the people.”

Ordained priest on March 4th, 1951, he served as a young priest in Spain and Italy before coming to New Mexico in 1975. He referred to his years in Santa Cruz de la Cañada Parish (Santa Cruz), Sacred Heart Parish (Albuquerque), and Holy Family Parish (Chimayo) as the best years of his priestly life at the service of God and His people in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

His health declined during the last years till the point that it was painful for him not to be able to continue counseling and to converse with people. Public visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, July 2, 2021, with a rosary to follow at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Family Parish in Chimayo. Fr. Blanch faced this new situation as a call to prepare himself for his final offering to the Lord, scheduled for Friday, July 2nd, at 11:00 am also at Holy Family Parish in Chimayo. Burial will be held at a later date. The Parish will be following COVID-19 restrictions.  A capacity of 150 people will be allowed, and masks are mandatory. Restrooms will be closed to the public. Rosary and Mass will be lived streamed through YouTube and Facebook, under Santa Cruz Espanola. Funeral services for Rev. Jose Maria Blanch have been entrusted to DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of the Espanola Valley. 505-747-7477.