Catholic Nevada Before Las Vegas

About this sermon

Long before Las Vegas, Reno or Nevada statehood, Catholic missionaries carried the Faith into what one historical account called a “nameless desert.” In this episode of How the Faith Came to the United States, we explore the early Catholic history of Nevada. The story begins with Franciscan Father Francisco Garcés, who traveled with Juan Bautista de Anza’s expedition from Sonora toward California in 1775. While exploring the region near the Colorado River, Father Garcés is credited with celebrating the first known Mass within the territory that would become Nevada. This historic Mass was offered in 1776 near present-day Laughlin. Franciscan Fathers Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante also passed through the region during their famous 1776 expedition. Although these early missionaries established no permanent settlements, they brought the Cross and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass into Nevada’s wilderness. The episode also traces Nevada’s changing ecclesiastical jurisdiction—from Mexico and the Diocese of Sonora to Monterey, San Francisco, Marysville and eventually the Apostolic Vicariate of Utah. Finally, we meet Father Lawrence Scanlan, the Irish missionary who served the mining settlement of Pioche before assuming responsibility for an enormous territory covering parts of Nevada and Utah. Traveling by horseback, stagecoach and rail, he ministered to Catholics scattered across more than 157,000 square miles. 00:00 You Are the Resistance 00:42 How the Faith Came to Nevada 00:51 Nevada’s Early Catholic History 00:59 Father Francisco Garcés 01:08 The Anza Expedition of 1775 01:24 Exploring the Colorado River 01:46 A Nameless Desert 01:54 Domínguez and Escalante Enter Nevada 02:18 Spanish Expeditions from New Mexico 02:34 Nevada’s First Catholic Mass 02:42 Mass Near Present-Day Laughlin 02:50 The Franciscan Expedition of 1776 02:58 Nevada Under Mexican Ecclesiastical Authority 03:13 From Monterey to San Francisco 03:22 The Vicariate Apostolic of Marysville 03:38 The Apostolic Vicariate of Utah 03:47 Father Lawrence Scanlan 04:03 The Life of Father Scanlan 04:28 Missionary Priest of Pioche 04:44 Volunteering for Utah Territory 04:53 America’s Largest Parish 05:15 Missionary Journeys Across the Frontier 05:23 Nevada’s Remote Mining Camps #CatholicHistory #NevadaHistory #AmericanCatholicHistory #CatholicNevada #FranciscanMissionaries #FranciscoGarces #FirstMass #LaughlinNevada #LasVegasHistory #FatherScanlan #CatholicPioneers #ChurchHistory #CatholicMissions #NevadaCatholics #SensusFidelium https://dioceseoflasvegas.org/Diocesan%20History.shtml https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10775a.htm https://www.tanbooks.com/ type SF15 at Checkout for 15% off Mediatrix Press affiliate link - https://mediatrixpress.com/?wpam_id=9 Glory & Shine Products - https://gloryandshine.com/?utm_source=Youtube%20/%20Sensus&utm_medium=a45903521d&utm_name=65995592a1 ***Donations to Sensus Fidelium is 501(c)3 tax deductible*** 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 ✝️ SUPPORT THE MISSION 🙏 Donate https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 📬 Free Catholic Newsletter https://sensusfidelium.com/newsletter/ 📰 Read on Substack https://sensusfidelium.substack.com/ ──────────────────── 📺 WATCH & READ 📺 Sensus Fidelium App https://sensusfidelium.tv/ 📚 Sensus Fidelium Press https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ 👕 Official Merchandise https://sensusfidelium.com/merchandise/ ──────────────────── 🤝 PARTNER WITH US 📣 Advertise on Sensus Fidelium https://sensusfidelium.com/advertise-with-sensus-fidelium/ 🎤 Invite Steve Cunningham to Speak https://sensusfidelium.com/speaking/ ⛪ Parish Formation & Consultation https://sensusfidelium.com/for-parishes/ ──────────────────── 🌎 CATHOLIC COMMUNITY ✝️ Trusted Catholic Businesses https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴