Father Alberto Avella was a cornerstone of the Cibola Catholic Community. He served the Diocese of Gallup faithfully, even in retirement, Father Avella continued to Shepard the community he belonged to. His passing is seen as a personal tragedy to many in Cibola County and abroad, as Father Avella’s message and goodness resonates with all of his flock. A postwar baby, Alberto Avella was born in La Luz, Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico on April 8, 1948. At age 32, on December 16, 1980, Alberto Avella was ordained as a priest. He would spend the next several years as a member of the Gallup Diocese, performing various religious duties including being the pastor at St. Teresa in Grants and surrounding parishes in San Rafael, Milan, and San Mateo. He had been the canonical pastor at Seboyeta and Cubero since 2008, and he became the chaplain of St. Teresa’s Catholic School in Grants.
Father Avella died the morning of October 17 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has been working as the pastor of St. Teresa of Avilla Catholic Church for the last 20 years and has served the Catholic faith as a priest since 1980. His passing came after a battle with respiratory illness landed him in the hospital.
To celebrate the life of Father Avella, Bishop James S. Wall of the Gallup Diocese came to St. Teresa’s church in Grants and had the honor of celebrating Father Avella’s funeral.
Father Avella’s passing is causing changes across the entire Gallup Catholic Diocese. In a press release, Bishop Wall made the following announcements.
“Father Avella’s passing creates an opening in Grants, NM and the surrounding parishes/missions. With this in mind, the following assignments will go into effect on All Saints Day, November 1, 2022: “Father Matthew Keller, current Rector of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Gallup, NM, is assigned as Pastor of Saint Theresa Parish in Grants, NM and its surrounding parishes/missions.
“Father Mitchell Brown, current Parochial Vicar of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Gallup, NM, is assigned as Rector of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. “Father Innocent Chibuikem Nzewuji from the Archdiocese of Oweri is assigned as Parochial Vicar of Saint Anthony Parish in Zuni, NM. “Father Cornelius Obumnaeme Okere from the Archdiocese of Owerri is assigned as Parochial Vicar of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Gallup, NM. “Please keep these priests in your prayers as well as the communities they will serve. “Sincerely yours in Christ, +James S. Wall, Bishop of Gallup” “'The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest' - Luke 10:2'