Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Convent

Situated first in Ponca City, Oklahoma, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province was established in 1953. The sisters purchased the Marland Estate, added a chapel, built a school, and soon established many ministries – eventually overseeing all of the territory west of the Mississippi River. In 1975, seeking a more central location for its missions, the province decided to relocate to New Mexico, “the land of enchantment.” In Rio Rancho, a suburb of Albuquerque, the administration lived in condominiums for a year, as they oversaw the building of a one-story provincial house on a 10-acre property in the sight of the Sandia Mountains. Just three miles from St. Felix Pantry in the urban center of Rio Rancho, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Convent includes 55 rooms, a library, a greenhouse, a chapel, and four hand-carved panels for the main doors – created by one of the sisters.