About St. Bartholomew Mission · Bayfield, Colorado
St. Bartholomew Catholic Church (commonly called 'St. Bart's') is a small Catholic mission church serving the rural community of Bayfield in La Plata County, southwestern Colorado. It is not an independent parish but a mission of St. Ignatius Parish, the parochial parish in nearby Ignacio, CO, which provides the priests and pastoral administration. The mission church is located on County Road 526 outside Bayfield and is currently served by Fr. Joseph Lawrence, HGN. Worship is centered on a weekly Saturday Mass, preceded by the Rosary and an opportunity for Confession, making it a focused, devotional community for Catholic families in the Pine River Valley.
- Patron
- St. Bartholomew (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Fr. Joseph Lawrence, HGN
- Diocese
- Diocese of Pueblo
Why belong here
St. Bartholomew is a welcoming mission church where the Catholic faithful of Bayfield and the surrounding La Plata County countryside can find the Sacraments, the Rosary, and a tight-knit worship community without driving to a larger town. Parishioners benefit from being part of the broader St. Ignatius Parish family in Ignacio, which means regular priestly ministry, sacramental preparation, and a connection to additional services like the monthly Healing Mass. It is an ideal parish for families seeking traditional Catholic devotional life — weekly Saturday Mass, the Rosary prayed in common before each Mass, and the sacrament of Reconciliation made readily available beforehand.
Mass times at St. Bartholomew Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM (before Mass)
About St. Bartholomew Catholic Church
St. Bartholomew is a small mission church serving the Catholic faithful of Bayfield and the surrounding Pine River Valley in La Plata County, Colorado. Operationally it is a mission of St. Ignatius Parish in Ignacio, CO, which means its day-to-day pastoral care, sacramental records, and priestly ministry are coordinated through the St. Ignatius parish office. The mission is identified by its Weebly-hosted website at stbartsbayfield.com.
- Status: Mission (dependent on St. Ignatius Parish, Ignacio, CO)
- Patron: St. Bartholomew, Apostle
- Located on County Road 526, Bayfield, CO 81122
Clergy & Leadership
The mission is currently served by Fr. Joseph Lawrence, HGN. As a mission of St. Ignatius Parish, all sacramental, administrative, and financial matters are handled in conjunction with the parish office in Ignacio. The 'HGN' designation indicates the priest is a member of a religious congregation whose members serve the mission.
- Fr. Joseph Lawrence, HGN — priest in charge
Religious Education
The mission maintains a Religious Education program for the faith formation of its children. As a mission church, Religious Education is typically coordinated through the St. Ignatius Parish office in Ignacio, ensuring children and families have access to sacramental preparation (First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, Confirmation) consistent with diocesan guidelines.
- Religious Education page listed on parish website (stbartsbayfield.weebly.com)
- Sacramental preparation coordinated with St. Ignatius Parish
Parish Communication & Giving
The mission publishes a weekly bulletin and offers online giving for the convenience of parishioners and visitors. The parish website also makes a New Parishioner Registration Form available, which can be downloaded from the website or picked up at the church entrance and returned via the Offertory basket.
- Weekly parish Bulletin
- Online Giving option
- New Parishioner Registration Form (online or at the church entrance)
Parish Identity & Heritage
The mission is named for St. Bartholomew, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, whose feast day the universal Church celebrates on August 24. As a Roman-Latin rite (Diocese of Pueblo) mission in the rural American Southwest, it follows the Ordinary Form of the Mass and the diocesan liturgical calendar. The mission's connection to St. Ignatius Parish in Ignacio ties it to the wider Catholic life of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation area.
- Diocese of Pueblo (Rite: Roman-Latin)
- Feast of St. Bartholomew: August 24
- Ecclesiastical relationship: Mission of St. Ignatius Parish, Ignacio
Visiting & Contact
Visitors are warmly welcomed to celebrate Mass and pray the Rosary with the mission community. All administrative questions, including requests for the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and registration, should be directed to the St. Ignatius Parish Office in Ignacio, which oversees the mission.
- Address: 1749 County Road 526, Bayfield, CO 81122
- St. Ignatius Parish Office Phone: (970) 563-4241
- Email: [email protected]
- Mother parish website: https://stignatiuschurchignacio.com