About San Rafael · Huntington, Utah
San Rafael Catholic Mission (formally St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Mission) is a small Roman Rite mission church located at 1716 S. Hwy 10 in Huntington, Utah, in the heart of western Emery County's coal country. It is one of three mission communities — alongside Good Shepherd in East Carbon and St. Michael the Archangel in Green River — served from Notre Dame de Lourdes Catholic Church in Price. The mission belongs to the Diocese of Salt Lake City and offers Sunday Mass in English as well as a monthly Spanish Mass and regular Eucharistic Adoration, faithfully serving Catholic families in a region where the surrounding towns have historically been overwhelmingly Latter-day Saint. The mission's Hispanic ministry is a particular point of life, and its lay ecclesial ministers have been recognized statewide for evangelization among the region's growing Latino Catholic population.
- Established
- 1977
- Patron
- Saint Raphael the Archangel
- Rector
- Fr. Marco Lopez
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salt Lake City
Why belong here
San Rafael Mission is a welcoming Catholic home in a region where Catholics are a small minority. It offers the weekly Sunday Eucharist in English, a monthly Spanish Mass (Misa en Español), and a quiet monthly hour of Eucharistic Adoration and Confession on the last Tuesday of the month. The mission is part of a family of communities served from Notre Dame de Lourdes in Price, which means parishioners have access to the full sacramental and formation life of a larger parish — faith formation for children, youth ministry, RCIA/OCIA, Bible study, Knights of Columbus, prayer groups, marriage and baptism prep, and a respected Hispanic lay-ministry program — while still gathering as a small, close-knit mission community in Huntington.
Mass times at San Rafael
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday (Last of the month): 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (during Blessed Sacrament Adoration)
- Before or after Mass
- Other times by appointment: call 435-637-1846
Adoration times
- Every Second Sunday before Mass at 8:30 AM in Huntington (mission)
- Tuesday (Last of the month): 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM — Blessed Sacrament Adoration with Confession
Parish Identity & Patron
San Rafael Catholic Mission takes its name from Saint Raphael the Archangel, one of the three archangels (with Michael and Gabriel) mentioned by name in Sacred Scripture. Raphael is the archangel of the Book of Tobit, who accompanied the young Tobias on his journey and is the traditional patron saint of travelers, the blind, and physicians. The mission is formally known as St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Mission and belongs to the Diocese of Salt Lake City. It is one of three mission communities served from Notre Dame de Lourdes Catholic Church in Price, Utah, which has been the mother parish for Catholics across Carbon and Emery Counties for more than a century.
- Patron: Saint Raphael the Archangel
- Feast Day: September 29
- Diocese: Diocese of Salt Lake City
- Cluster parish: Notre Dame de Lourdes, Price, Utah
Mass & Worship Schedule
Worship at the mission centers on a weekly Sunday Mass in English, with a monthly Spanish Mass added in recent years. Because the mission is served from Notre Dame de Lourdes in Price, the cluster's printed Mass schedule lists every liturgy across all four communities on one page, making it easy to attend any Mass within the family of parishes on a given weekend.
- Sunday 9:30 AM — English Mass at San Rafael Mission, Huntington
- 2nd Tuesday of the month 6:00 PM — Misa en Español at San Rafael Mission
- Last Tuesday of the month — Adoration 5:00 PM, Confession 5:00–6:00 PM, Mass at 6:00 PM
- Holy Day Vigil: 6:00 PM at St. Raphael, Huntington
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious Education for children (Pre-K through 6th grade) is organized at the cluster level through Notre Dame de Lourdes' Director of Religious Education. Classes help children learn the foundations of the Catholic faith and prepare them to receive the sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion, and (later) Confirmation.
- Religious Education for Pre-K through 6th grade
- Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation
- Director of Religious Education: Catherine Kane ([email protected], 435-630-1846)
Youth Ministry & Confirmation
The youth ministry serves middle- and high-school-aged young people (ages 12–18) from across the cluster, including San Rafael Mission. The group meets twice a month: one gathering focuses on social activities, the other on spiritual formation — giving teens a balanced rhythm of friendship and faith.
- Youth Ministry for ages 12–18
- Meets twice a month — one social gathering and one faith-formation gathering
- Youth Ministry & Confirmation Coordinator: Toni Bettino (435-820-0097)
RCIA / OCIA — Becoming Catholic
Adults seeking to become Catholic, or Catholics in need of Confirmation, are welcomed into the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) process. Classes cover the teachings of the Church and the journey through the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.
- OCIA / RCIA classes for adults
- OCIA contact: Terry Manzanares ([email protected], 435-650-7437)
Parish Ministries & Groups
Beyond the formation programs, the mission and its cluster parish support a wide range of lay-led ministries — from men's and women's groups to music, hospitality, and outreach. The Knights of Columbus council hosts a parish pancake breakfast on the first Sunday of each month, the prayer group meets on the first and third Thursday evenings at 6:00 PM in the Chapel, and the music ministry fields two groups that lead the congregation in song at Sunday liturgies. A Coffee and Donuts ministry provides fellowship after Mass.
- Knights of Columbus — men's service organization; pancake breakfast the first Sunday of each month
- Prayer Group — 1st and 3rd Thursday, 6:00 PM in the Chapel
- Choir / Music Ministry — two music groups
- Coffee and Donuts — hospitality after Sunday Mass
- Altar Servers
- Respect Life
- Holy Departure Prayer Ministry
Hispanic Ministry
San Rafael Mission's Hispanic ministry is one of its distinctive features. In a region of Utah where the diocese estimates roughly 70% of Catholics are Latino, the mission has long offered a Misa en Español on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:00 PM. Lay pastoral ministers Rubén and Rosario Cano have served the mission for years, leading religious education and community outreach; in 2017 they were profiled nationally for their work among the rapidly growing Latino Catholic communities across Utah.
- Misa en Español — 2nd Tuesday of each month, 6:00 PM
- Family Healing Prayer (letanía de la curación para las familias) — Spanish-language devotion resource
- Hispanic Lay Ecclesial Ministers coordinating religious education and outreach
Sacraments
All seven sacraments are available through the cluster parish of Notre Dame de Lourdes. Baptism and marriage require preparation classes; First Communion and Confirmation are normally received after a period of faith formation. Confession is offered regularly in Huntington at the last-Tuesday Adoration hour and by appointment; the Anointing of the Sick and Catholic Funeral rites are coordinated through the parish office.
- Baptism — Baptism Preparation class required
- Marriage — Marriage Preparation required; contact the parish office
- First Communion & Confirmation — through Faith Formation and Youth Ministry
- RCIA / OCIA — for unbaptized adults and uncatechized Catholics
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment
- Confession — Last Tuesday 5:00–6:00 PM, before/after Mass, or by appointment (435-637-1846)
- Catholic Funeral — coordinated through the cluster parish office
Parish Staff & Leadership
San Rafael Mission is led from Notre Dame de Lourdes in Price. The cluster staff handles administration, religious education, liturgy, and youth ministry across all four worship sites — Notre Dame de Lourdes (Price), Good Shepherd (East Carbon), St. Raphael the Archangel (Huntington), and St. Michael the Archangel (Green River).
- Pastor: Fr. Marco Lopez — [email protected], 925-470-6612
- Retired Priest (in residence / assistance): Fr. Donald Hope — 801-910-0879
- Parish Secretary: Heather Harvey — [email protected], 435-637-1846
- Director of Religious Education & Bookkeeper: Catherine Kane — [email protected], 435-630-1846
- Youth Ministry & Confirmation: Toni Bettino — 435-820-0097
- OCIA & Maintenance: Terry Manzanares — [email protected], 435-650-7437
- Liturgy: Madalene C. Williams