About Holy Family · Keenesburg, Colorado
Holy Family Catholic Church is a small mission parish in Keenesburg, Colorado, in the Eastern Plains of the state, served from the neighboring Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Roggen. Established in 1920 as a mission of the (then) Diocese of Denver and built by local farming families in 1918–1919, Holy Family today is a bilingual (English and Spanish) community of roughly 65 families. The church sits at 100 S. Ash Street in the small town of Keenesburg (population about 1,200) and is part of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Denver. The current pastor, Rev. Thomas Kuffel, oversees both Holy Family and Sacred Heart as a combined parish community.
- Established
- 1919
- Patron
- Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Rev. Thomas Kuffel
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Denver
Why belong here
Holy Family is a tight-knit, bilingual rural community of about 65 families in the small Eastern Plains town of Keenesburg. Worshippers can attend Mass in English on Sunday morning or in Spanish at noon, and the church offers the rosary before every Mass plus a monthly First Saturday Mass followed by a full day of Eucharistic Adoration. The parish shares its ministry with Sacred Heart in Roggen, giving parishioners access to a fuller sacramental and formation life — including OCIA (RCIA), religious education, a music ministry, community outreach, a Healing Mass, and Bible study — all in a setting where, as the parish's centenary story put it, "with a few people that God has in this church, we can be a big sign for those who are far away from God."
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before Sunday Mass
- Saturday 4:30 PM – 4:50 PM (before the Anticipatory Mass)
- First Saturday 8:00 AM – 8:20 AM (before the First Saturday Mass)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- First Saturday of the Month: 9:00 AM – 4:15 PM (following the 8:30 AM First Saturday Mass)
Our Story — A Century of Faith in Keenesburg
Holy Family Catholic Church has been serving the small farming community of Keenesburg, Colorado, since the first Mass was celebrated in the new church in the summer of 1919. Local Catholic families, encouraged by Father Bernard Froegel, chose a site east of Main Street in 1918 and brought their own horses and equipment to dig the basement and lay the foundation. Bishop Tihen formally dedicated the church and officially established it as a mission of the Diocese of Denver in 1920. In June 2019 the parish marked its 100th anniversary with Mass celebrated by Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila and a reception that drew nearly 200 people — a powerful sign of life for a rural church of about 65 families.
- 1918 — Father Bernard Froegel encourages Keenesburg Catholics to build a church; ground is broken east of Main Street.
- 1919 — First Mass is celebrated in the new church in the summer.
- 1920 — Bishop Tihen officially establishes Holy Family as a mission.
- 1932 — Holy Family is made a parish; Rev. Bernard Weakland is assigned as the first resident pastor.
- 1944 — Rev. Charles P. Sanger is appointed; Sacred Heart in Roggen again becomes the mother parish, Holy Family its mission.
- 1974 — A parish center is added under Rev. Eugene Murphy.
- 2004–2005 — Rev. Robert Wedow remodels the interior (altar, confessional, ramp, sidewalks).
- 2018–2019 — The stained glass windows are restored in time for the centennial.
- June 8, 2019 — 100th anniversary Mass celebrated by Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila.
Parish Staff and Leadership
Holy Family shares its pastoral team with the partner parish of Sacred Heart in Roggen. The pastor, Rev. Thomas Kuffel, oversees both churches, assisted by Deacon Ed Green. Mary Jacob serves as Business Manager and Christina Workman as Parish Secretary. Christina Workman also serves as Director of Religious Education for Holy Family, while Deacon Ed Green is the Director of Religious Education for Sacred Heart. Amy Vieth leads the Holy Family Parish Council, and Linda Epple coordinates the Heart of the Plains Cemetery. For Baptism or Marriage, parishioners are asked to call Fr. Kuffel directly for an appointment.
- Pastor: Rev. Thomas Kuffel — 720-550-1499 — [email protected]
- Deacon: Ed Green — 720-550-0356 — [email protected]
- Business Manager: Mary Jacob — 720-550-1118
- Secretary: Christina Workman — 720-550-0160 — [email protected]
- Director of Religious Education (Holy Family): Christina Workman
- Parish Council Lead (Holy Family): Amy Vieth
- Heart of the Plains Cemetery: Linda Epple — 970-347-7597
Faith Formation, Sacraments, and Devotions
Faith formation at Holy Family is offered through the combined Sacred Heart & Holy Family program, with Religious Education Classes (CCD) for children, OCIA (RCIA) for adults preparing to enter the Catholic Church, and ongoing Bible Study. The parish website lists the seven sacraments available through the parish — Baptism, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick — and invites parishioners to call the pastor to begin preparation. Devotional life is centered on the monthly First Saturday Mass with its extended period of Eucharistic Adoration, the rosary before every Mass, and a periodic Healing Mass offered through the parish's Healing Mass ministry.
- Religious Education Classes (CCD)
- OCIA (RCIA) — for adults entering the Church
- Bible Study
- Baptism preparation (by appointment with the pastor)
- Marriage preparation (by appointment with the pastor)
- First Saturday devotion: 8:30 AM Mass followed by Adoration until 4:15 PM
- Rosary before every Mass
- Healing Mass
Ministries and Outreach
Beyond the sacraments and devotions, Holy Family (together with Sacred Heart in Roggen) supports a wide range of ministries that parishioners can join. These include Liturgical Ministries, the Music Ministry, Community Outreach, a Healing Mass, a Prison Ministry, Eucharistic Adoration, and a dedicated Ministerio de Español for Spanish-speaking parishioners. The parish relies on its many volunteers to keep these ministries running, and the staff page publicly thanks all the volunteers at Sacred Heart and Holy Family who help the parish.
- Liturgical Ministries
- Music Ministry
- Community Outreach
- Healing Mass
- Prison Ministry
- Eucharistic Adoration
- Ministerio de Español
Visit, Contact, and Office Information
Holy Family Catholic Church is located at 100 S. Ash Street in Keenesburg, Colorado 80643. Although the church building is in Keenesburg, the parish office is housed at the partner parish of Sacred Heart in Roggen, at 38044 County Road 16, Roggen, CO 80652. The parish office phone is 303-849-5313 and is staffed Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The parish email is [email protected], with an alternate at [email protected]. The parish's combined website, https://sacredheartroggen.com, hosts weekly bulletins, weekly meditations, news and events, a photo gallery, online giving, and parish registration.
- Physical Address: 100 S. Ash Street, Keenesburg, CO 80643
- Mailing Address: 38044 CR 16, Roggen, CO 80652
- Office Phone: 303-849-5313
- Office Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Tuesday – Thursday, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Website: https://sacredheartroggen.com
- Parish Registration and Online Giving available via the website
Holy Family at a Glance
Holy Family is a small but remarkably resilient mission church. The Denver Catholic newspaper, reporting on the 2019 centennial, described the parish as a "tight-knit, diverse community" in a town of just over 1,200 people, with about 65 registered families — many of them with deep, multigenerational ties to the parish. The pastor at the time of the centennial, Father Carlos Bello-Ayala, called it "a sign for the Church… that it is alive, that it is vibrant, and we are welcoming those who are in need of God." Today the parish continues to welcome worshippers in both English and Spanish in the same small church built by Keenesburg's farming families a century ago.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Bernard Froegel1918–c.1920
Encouraged the Keenesburg community to build the church; oversaw groundbreaking in 1918 and first Mass in 1919.
- Rev. William J. Gallagher1928–1944
Served during the period when Holy Family was paired with Roggen.
- Rev. Bernard Weakland1932–1938
First resident pastor when Holy Family was made a parish in 1932 with Sacred Heart as its mission.
- Rev. Charles P. Sanger1944–1949
Re-established Sacred Heart as the mother parish; remodeled the church and built two new additions.
- Rev. Edward Day1969–1973
- Rev. Eugene Murphy1973–1980
Built the parish center in 1974.
- Rev. Robert Breunig1985–1992
- Rev. Peter Urban1992–1994
- Rev. Gerald Young1994–1995
- Rev. Joseph Blanco1995–2000
Updated the church basement, including new carpet and window wells.
- Rev. Reinhold Weissbeck2001–2002
- Rev. Robert Wedow2003–2006
Remodeled the church interior, including the altar and confessional, and replaced the ramp and sidewalks.
- Rev. Frank Garcia2007–2008
- Rev. Hector Chiapa-Villarreal2009–2012
- Rev. Carlos Wilson Bello Ayala2013–2019
Pastored during Holy Family's 100th anniversary in June 2019, when Archbishop Aquila celebrated the centennial Mass.
- Rev. Peter Dinh2019–2024
- Rev. Thomas Kuffel2009–Present
Current pastor of the combined Sacred Heart & Holy Family Catholic Church parish.