About Our Lady of Lourdes · Georgetown, Colorado
Our Lady of Lourdes is a historic Catholic parish in Georgetown, Colorado, perched in the Rocky Mountains along Clear Creek. The parish is part of the 'God Rush Catholic' Tri-Parish Community, which links three mountain parishes: Our Lady of Lourdes in Georgetown, St. Mary of the Assumption in Central City, and St. Paul in Idaho Springs. Together they share a single pastor and combine resources to keep Catholic life vibrant in the old mining towns of Clear Creek County. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Denver and is currently served by Father John Green and Deacon Ron Roderick.
- Established
- 1866
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lourdes
- Rector
- Father John Green
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Denver
Why belong here
Our Lady of Lourdes offers the chance to worship in a piece of living Colorado history — a 19th-century mountain parish founded during the silver rush, in a setting Machebeuf called 'great, strong, lonesome prayers reaching up to heaven.' As part of the three-church 'God Rush Catholic' Tri-Parish Community (with St. Mary of the Assumption in Central City and St. Paul in Idaho Springs), parishioners enjoy Saturday Vigil Mass, Adoration and Reconciliation, a welcoming pastor in Father John Green, and the prayers and witness of Deacon Ron Roderick. It is a small, faithful community rooted in the Clear Creek mining country — a place where visitors, history lovers, and locals gather around the same altar first raised for Georgetown's Catholic miners over 150 years ago.
Mass times at Our Lady of Lourdes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM (during Adoration)
- Before any scheduled Mass, or by appointment
Adoration times
- Saturday: 4:15 PM – 4:55 PM (Confessions held during Adoration)
History of Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes was founded in 1866 by Bishop Joseph Projectus Machebeuf as his second mountain mission, planted in the booming silver-mining town of Georgetown on the south fork of Clear Creek. The parish thrived under Father Nicholas C. Matz (1877–1885), who erected a new church, a parochial school, and a hospital staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph. The original brick church at 11th and Main burned in 1917 and was replaced in 1918 by the present brick structure at 9th Street and Taos Street — which the parish website marks as 'Founded 1917.' Today the parish shares its pastor with two sister missions in the God Rush Catholic Tri-Parish Community.
- 1866 — Parish founded by Bishop Machebeuf
- 1877–1885 — Father Nicholas C. Matz serves as pastor (later 2nd Bishop of Denver)
- 1917 — Original brick church at 11th and Main burns
- 1918 — Present brick church built at 9th & Taos
- Tri-Parish 'God Rush Catholic' formed with St. Mary (Central City) and St. Paul (Idaho Springs)
The God Rush Catholic Tri-Parish Community
Our Lady of Lourdes is one of three linked parishes that together form the 'God Rush Catholic' Tri-Parish Community — a ministry sharing arrangement named for the 1859 Gold and Silver Rush that founded the Clear Creek mountain towns. The three parishes are: Our Lady of Lourdes in Georgetown, St. Mary of the Assumption in Central City (the main church), and St. Paul in Idaho Springs. They pool resources under a single pastor and share a single parish mailing address in Idaho Springs. The community's weekly bulletin is the source of truth for any schedule changes or cancellations.
- Our Lady of Lourdes — Georgetown (9th & Taos)
- St. Mary of the Assumption — Central City
- St. Paul — Idaho Springs
- Single pastor: Father John Green (since 2022)
- Shared mailing: PO Box 848, Idaho Springs, CO 80452
Clergy & Staff
Our Lady of Lourdes is served by Father John Green, pastor of the God Rush Catholic Tri-Parish Community since 2022, and Deacon Ron Roderick. Father John was ordained to the priesthood on May 15, 2010, and personally prays for every prayer request submitted through the parish website. Deacon Ron assists with ministry across the three parishes. General inquiries go to [email protected], and finance matters to [email protected].
- Father John Green — Pastor (2022–present); ordained 5/15/2010
- Deacon Ron Roderick
- Rectory phone: (303) 567-4662
- General email: [email protected]
- Finance email: [email protected]
- Prayer requests: [email protected]
Sacraments
Our Lady of Lourdes offers the full sacramental life of the Roman Catholic Church through the God Rush Catholic Tri-Parish. Reconciliation is regularly scheduled on Saturday afternoons during Adoration and by appointment; Eucharistic Adoration follows the same Saturday schedule. Marriage preparation is coordinated through Father John Green, who provides spiritual direction and music planning assistance and typically receives a celebrant's gift of about $150. Parishioners are encouraged to contact the rectory for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, and other sacramental needs.
- Reconciliation — Saturday 4:15–4:45 PM or by appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration — Saturday 4:15–4:55 PM
- Marriage preparation — contact Father John Green
- Baptism, Anointing of the Sick, First Communion, Confirmation — by request through the rectory
Prayer & Devotional Life
A distinctive feature of Our Lady of Lourdes is its personal prayer-request ministry: every intention submitted through the parish website is received directly by Father John Green, who prays on the petitioner's behalf. The parish notes the comfort offered to those making requests: 'Please know that you are a holy and precious Child of God and that God is always with you.' Weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Saturday afternoons also offers the community a regular hour of quiet devotion paired with the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
- Online prayer-request form ([email protected])
- Father John personally prays for each intention
- Saturday Adoration — 4:15–4:55 PM
Why Our Lady of Lourdes Matters
Few Catholic parishes in the American West can trace their origin directly to a frontier bishop's 1866 mountain mission. Our Lady of Lourdes is one of them — founded in the same decade that Bishop Machebeuf was building Denver's first churches, in a mining town whose Catholic miners, schoolchildren, and hospital patients were shepherded by Father Matz, the man who would become Denver's second bishop. That heritage of faith in the high Rockies — what Archbishop Salpointe called 'great, strong, lonesome prayers reaching up to heaven' — is the inheritance the God Rush Catholic community keeps alive today.
- One of the oldest Catholic parishes in the Colorado mountains
- Pastorate of Father Nicholas C. Matz (later Bishop of Denver)
- Founding tied to the 1859 Gold & Silver Rush and Bishop Machebeuf's mountain missions
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Nicholas C. Matz1877–1885
Future second Bishop of Denver; during his tenure he erected a new church, parochial school, and a hospital staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph.
- Father John Green2022–present
Ordained May 15, 2010; current pastor of the God Rush Catholic Tri-Parish Community.