Saint Joseph (Mission church of St Rose of Lima, Buena Vista, CO)

About St. Joseph Catholic Church

St. Joseph Catholic Church is the Catholic mission parish of Fairplay, Colorado, serving the South Park region of northern Park County — including the communities of Alma, Como, and the visitors who pass through on the way over Kenosha Pass. It is a mission of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Buena Vista, within the Diocese of Colorado Springs, and is cared for by pastor Rev. Stephen J. (Steve) Parlet, who lives in Buena Vista and makes the roughly 80-mile round trip each Sunday, on Holy Days, and on First Fridays. The parish community numbers about 80 registered families but welcomes far larger crowds in summer, when South Park fills with visitors and second-home owners. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 12:30 pm at 455 Castello Avenue. The parish office is generally open on Fridays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and confession is offered during those hours (parishioners are asked to call 719-836-2042 to confirm before coming).

History of St. Joseph

The parish traces its roots to the early 1860s, when Father Joseph Machebeuf, a French missionary sent to Colorado from New Mexico, traveled by wagon train from Denver into South Park to celebrate Mass and visit mining camps. Father Machebeuf later became the first Bishop of Denver; one of his first acts as bishop was to send a young, energetic priest, Father Henry Robinson, to serve Fairplay and the surrounding communities of Alma and Como. Father Robinson established St. Joseph's Catholic Mission in 1874, and the small wood-frame church he built that year is still standing on the parish property.

• Early 1860s: Father Joseph Machebeuf first brings Catholic worship to Fairplay, traveling by wagon train from Denver.
• 1874: Father Henry Robinson formally establishes St. Joseph's Catholic Mission; original wood-frame church seats 64.
• Over the years: Two additions are made to the original church, providing a coffee room and a restroom, but no sacristy or confessional.
• March 16, 2008: Father Steve announces the parish is ready to move forward with a new church building.
• June 2009: Ground is broken for the new church.
• June 25, 2010: The new St. Joseph Church is dedicated.
• 4th of July weekend 2010: Parish celebrates Mass with 200+ people present — and a seat for everyone for the first time.
• Ongoing: Restoration of the 1874 church as a parish hall and community center, and continued fundraising to retire the new-church mortgage.

Parish Staff and Clergy

St. Joseph Mission is served by Rev. Stephen J. (Steve) Parlet, who is pastor of St. Rose of Lima in Buena Vista and pastor of St. Joseph Mission in Fairplay. Father Steve grew up in South Dakota as one of four children, first felt the call to the priesthood in eighth grade, and later answered it after earning a degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He spent a year in Israel during seminary and was ordained in 1997. Before coming to Buena Vista and Fairplay, he served as pastor of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Colorado Springs from 2000 to 2007. Outside the parish, Father Steve enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, boating, four-wheeling in his Jeep, family genealogy, and classic comedy movies.

• Rev. Stephen J. (Steve) Parlet — Pastor
• Parish phone: 719-836-2042
• Father Steve's email: [email protected]
• Parish office email: [email protected]

Religious Education and Faith Formation

The parish's Religious Education program is one of its most visible signs of growth. Three years before the new church project, the program had only 5 children; by the time the new church was being planned, enrollment had climbed to 17 students taught by 3 catechists — and the parish expected those numbers to keep rising along with the parish family. Sacramental preparation for children is part of this catechetical ministry.

• Religious Education (catechism) for parish children
• 17 students currently enrolled
• 3 catechists/teachers
• Sacramental preparation for children

The 2010 New Church Project

The new St. Joseph Church was the answer to decades of overcrowding in the 1874 building. The old church had been expanded twice — once for a coffee room and once for a restroom — but still seated only 64, with room for just 4 folding chairs in the rear aisle. On busy summer weekends up to 135 people would crowd in, with overflow spilling into the coffee room, the entryway, and the steps. There was no sacristy or confessional, and the pastor used a storage closet to vest and hear confessions — a situation that conflicted with ADA, building, and fire codes. After three years of analysis and planning, the parish committed to a modest but larger new church seating about 150, with room to expand to roughly 220 as the parish grows. Ground was broken in June 2009, and the new church was dedicated on June 25, 2010. The parish successfully raised about 70% of the project cost but had to take out a mortgage to finish — a debt the community continues to pay down. The original 1874 church, treated with reverence in accordance with Canon Law, is to be restored as a parish hall and community center.

• New church capacity: ~150 seats, expandable to ~220
• Dedicated June 25, 2010
• Fundraising goal: pay off the building-fund mortgage
• Future use of the 1874 church: parish hall and community center

Online and Community Life

Although St. Joseph is a small mountain mission, the parish has invested in keeping its scattered community connected. The parish website offers a live camera inside the church and an 'Archives of previous masses' page so that parishioners and visitors can follow along or catch up on a Mass they missed. The site also hosts the parish calendar, downloadable forms for new parishioners, and information about the New Mass Translation introduced in recent years. The site header invites visitors to 'Follow us on Facebook,' linking to the parish's social media presence.

• Live camera inside the church
• Archive of previous Masses on the parish website
• Parish calendar and new-parishioner forms
• Facebook page linked from the parish site