About Ave Maria · Parker, Colorado
Ave Maria Catholic Parish is a growing Catholic community in Parker, Colorado, serving the south Denver metropolitan area as part of the Diocese of Colorado Springs. The parish is the spiritual home to roughly 2,400+ registered families and is paired with Ave Maria Catholic School, a pre-K through 8th-grade diocesan school located on the same 9056 East Parker Road campus. It offers an unusually full sacramental schedule — five weekend Masses, six daily Masses, two days of Eucharistic Adoration, and weekly confession — anchored by a pastor, two parochial vicars, and four deacons. Its roots trace back more than a century to a 1916 mission founded by Msgr. John Judnic, though the modern parish was re-established in the late 1970s and dedicated in 1985 as the first church in the newly created Diocese of Colorado Springs.
- Established
- 1984 (modern parish; original 1916 mission)
- Patron
- Our Lady — parish is named 'Ave Maria' (Hail Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Nathaniel J. Hinds
- Diocese
- Diocese of Colorado Springs
Why belong here
Ave Maria offers one of the most liturgically full schedules in Parker — five Sunday Masses, six weekday Masses, two days of Eucharistic Adoration, and weekly confession — making daily Mass and frequent Reconciliation genuinely accessible. Families can hand their children from the parish school (pre-K through 8th grade on the same campus) straight into OCIA, sacrament preparation, and tiered youth ministry for elementary, middle, and high schoolers. Visitors are welcomed into an active stewardship parish with dozens of ministries spanning prayer life, evangelization, marriage and family, and outreach.
Mass times at Ave Maria
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM (weekly)
- Tuesday 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM (weekly)
- Wednesday 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM (weekly)
- Friday 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM
- Saturday 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM (weekly)
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM (weekly)
- Sunday 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM (weekly)
- First Friday 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- First Saturday 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Adoration times
- Monday 9:30 AM – 7:30 PM
- Thursday 9:30 AM – 7:30 PM
- First Friday 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
- First Saturday 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM
- Perpetual Adoration Chapel on campus (sign-up required for committed hours)
Our Mission
Ave Maria Catholic Parish 'fosters God's kingdom in the community by proclaiming the Word of God, celebrating the sacraments, and welcoming and serving one another.' This mission frames the parish's three-fold focus on liturgy, formation, and outreach, and underpins every ministry from OCIA to the Young Adult group.
- Proclaiming the Word of God
- Celebrating the Sacraments
- Welcoming and serving one another
History of Ave Maria Parish
Catholic life in Parker began with a Christmas 1905 Mass in the schoolhouse. The first priest assigned to Parker, Msgr. John Judnic, founded the Ave Maria Mission in 1916 on a $1 lot on Mainstreet donated by town founder George Parker. The mission closed in 1955 and the original little church was relocated in 1982 to St. Matthew's Episcopal, where it survives as a town landmark. The modern Catholic community returned in 1975–1976 through the efforts of Theatine Father Pat Valdez and Fr. J. Anthony McDaid. The new church opened in October 1984 and was dedicated February 10, 1985 — the first church dedicated in the newly created Diocese of Colorado Springs.
- 1905 – First Catholic services held in Parker's schoolhouse
- 1916 – Msgr. John Judnic founds the Ave Maria Mission
- 1955 – Original mission closed
- 1975 – Fr. Pat Valdez re-establishes Mass in Parker
- 1976 – Parker Catholic Mission formally re-established with ~80 families
- October 7, 1984 – First Mass in the new church building
- February 10, 1985 – First church dedicated in the Diocese of Colorado Springs
Parish Staff & Clergy
Parish life is shepherded by a full pastoral team: a pastor, two parochial vicars, and four deacons, supported by directors of faith formation (elementary, middle school, high school, OCIA), a music director, marketing/communications, IT, facilities and a four-person business office led by Business Manager Damon Engelby.
- Rev. Nathaniel J. Hinds – Pastor
- Rev. Timothy O'Connell – Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Matt Kane – Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Greg Archunde
- Deacon Gregory Razka
- Deacon Paul J. Ruff
- Deacon Jim Zielinski
- Michelle Borras – OCIA Coordinator
- Mary Buechler – Elementary Youth Minister
- Kaelynn Mae Doctor – Middle School Youth Minister
- Whitney West (Gamel) – High School Youth Minister
- Mary Bellah – Music Director
- Elizabeth Leach – Director of Marketing & Communications
- Kari Farrell – IT Administrator
- Fidel Pacheco – Facilities Director
- Damon Engelby – Business Manager
- Nancy Hartshorn – Pastor Executive Assistant
From Our Pastor
Fr. Nathaniel Hinds is a native of Colorado Springs and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Colorado Springs after graduating from St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver. A former math and physics student at the University of Idaho and middle-school teacher at St. Thomas More, he brings a noted passion for Sacred Scripture and for supporting Catholic education — fitting for the pastor of a parish with its own pre-K–8 school.
Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation
The parish's Department of Faith Formation offers age-appropriate catechesis for every stage — from OCIA (formerly RCIA) for inquiring adults, teens, and unbaptized children age 7+, through elementary and middle-school faith formation, to Confirmation in 8th grade (with a high-school catch-up track) and the parish school. A flow chart on the parish site helps parents determine which sacraments their child needs and whom to contact.
- OCIA — adults, teens, and children 7+ (Inquiry meets 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month)
- First Reconciliation / First Communion preparation
- Confirmation — 8th grade (contact Whitney Gamel for high-school students)
- Elementary, Middle School, and High School Youth Ministry
- Young Adult ministry
Ave Maria Catholic School
Ave Maria Catholic School opened in September 2000 as the first Catholic pre-K–8 school in Douglas County and shares the parish campus at 9056 E. Parker Rd. Voted 'Best School' and 'Best Teacher' in Parker by Colorado Community Media (most recently in 2024, its tenth such distinction), the school combines a strong classical academic program with daily faith integration. Its preschool holds Colorado's highest Level 5 early-learning designation. The school partners with parents — Catholic and non-Catholic alike — to form articulate, faith-filled disciples of Christ.
- Pre-K through 8th grade, coed
- Principal: Beatrice Skoog
- Phone: (720) 842-5400 • Attendance line: (720) 842-5410
- Office hours: 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM Monday–Friday
- Accredited by NCEA; preschool rated Colorado Level 5
Ministries & Stewardship
Ave Maria describes itself as a stewardship parish organized around 'Way of Life' evangelization for disciples, with ministries grouped into Prayer Life, Sacramental/Devotional, Marriage/Family, Evangelization, and Young Adult tracks. The parish invites parishioners to discern a ministry through sign-ups on the parish website and through Flocknote (text 'AMCP' to 84576).
- Way of Life Evangelization for Disciples
- Prayer Life ministries
- Sacramental and Devotional ministries
- Marriage and Family ministries
- Young Adult ministry
- Music Ministry
Visit, Contact & Stay Connected
The parish rectory and front office at 9056 E. Parker Road are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM (closed for lunch 12:00–1:00 PM) and closed Friday through Sunday. The easiest way to keep up with announcements, Mass changes, and ministry events is Flocknote — text 'AMCP' to 84576 or sign up at avemaria.flocknote.com.
- Address: 9056 E. Parker Road, Parker, CO 80138
- Phone: (303) 841-3750 • Fax: (303) 841-2412
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM (closed for lunch 12–1 PM)
- Facebook: /AveMariaCatholicParish
- Flocknote: text AMCP to 84576
- School site: avemaria.school
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Pat Valdez (Theatine)1975–1976
Re-established Catholic Mass in Parker, first in a parishioner's home, then at Parker United Methodist and Joy Lutheran churches.
- Father J. Anthony McDaid1976–?
First administrator of the re-established Parker Catholic Mission (~80 families).
- Rt. Rev. Msgr. John Judnic1913–1935s
First priest assigned to the original Parker Parish; founder of the 1916 Ave Maria Mission.