About Saint Rose of Lima (see also St Joseph Mission, Fairplay, CO) · Buena Vista, Colorado
St. Rose of Lima Parish in Buena Vista, Colorado, is a Catholic community established over 130 years ago, centered on living with Jesus Christ as the focal point of daily life. The parish is led by Pastor Rev. Fr. Stephen J. Parlet and Deacon Russ Barrows, who serve alongside a dedicated team. The parish also oversees St. Joseph Mission in Fairplay, CO, and offers a range of ministries, sacraments, and services including weekday and weekend Masses, confession, and adoration. The community is active in outreach, including prison ministries, and welcomes all who seek spiritual growth and fellowship.
- Established
- 1893
- Patron
- Saint Rose of Lima
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Stephen J. Parlet
- Diocese
- Diocese of Colorado Springs
Why belong here
Join a parish with deep roots and a vibrant community that offers spiritual nourishment through Mass, confession, and adoration, as well as outreach ministries including prison ministry and faith formation. The parish welcomes all who seek to live with Jesus Christ at the center of their lives, offering warmth, service, and fellowship in a small-town setting.
Mass times at Saint Rose of Lima (see also St Joseph Mission, Fairplay, CO)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- One hour before Mass on Saturday
About Our Parish
We the Catholic Community of St. Rose of Lima for over 130 years, strive to live as God wants us to live with Jesus Christ as the center of our lives.
Meet Our Pastor
Father Steve is one of four children originally from South Dakota. He originally received his call to the priesthood in eighth grade, but he sent the call to 'voicemail'. He studied electrical engineering and computer science and received his degree from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. After graduation, he had a conversion experience and decided to finally answer his 'voicemail'. After spending a year in Israel while in Seminary, he was ordained in 1997. Father Steve was pastor at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Colorado Springs from 2000-2007 prior to coming to Buena Vista where he is pastor for St. Rose of Lima and pastor at St. Joseph Mission in Fairplay. He likes to hunt, fish and hike. He also likes boats, four-wheeling in his Jeep, researching his family geneology and classic comedy movies.
Meet Our Deacon
Deacon Russ is the first of three siblings who were born in Denver. His summers consisted of swimming, and neighborhood play, and taking a few camping trips to the Arkansas Valley on weekends where his family fished and hiked up and down the Collegiate Peaks. Although interested in Aviation, with eyesight below 20/20 he moved to his next academic areas of interest: mathematics and chemistry. Long story short, he graduated from Metropolitan State College with degrees in chemistry and mathematics, University of Idaho, with a master’s degree in Chemistry, and finally from the University of Denver with a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. He has worked in Washington State, joined the chemistry faculty at the University of Denver and worked for Lockheed Martin as a Contamination Engineer. After ten years of Aerospace Engineering, he joined the Chemistry faculty at Metropolitan State University and spent 25 years rising through the ranks to become a full Professor of Organic Chemistry. At the end of December of 2018, he retired and he and his wife Darcy moved to Buena Vista. None of this sounds very “Deacon-ish”, but in the middle of work and family life, he entered the Diaconate program for the Archdiocese of Denver in 1995 and was ordained a Deacon in June of 2000. Over the next eighteen years, he was assigned to four different parishes in the Denver area. He was also a Catholic Chaplin at the Jefferson County Detention Center. After retiring and moving to the Diocese of Colorado Springs, he was assigned to St. Rose of Lima in Buena Vista, where he now serves the church community and continues with prison ministries at the Buena Vista Correctional Complex.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fr. Stephen J. Parlet2007–present
Previously pastor at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Colorado Springs; ordained in 1997; also pastor at St. Joseph Mission in Fairplay.