About St. Cajetan · Denver, Colorado
St. Cajetan Parish is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Catholic parish in southwest Denver, Colorado, serving as the National Parish for Hispanics under the Archdiocese of Denver. Founded in 1922 at the petition of Hispanic community leaders, it was the first Hispanic Catholic parish in Denver and for many decades anchored the Spanish-speaking Auraria neighborhood before relocating in 1975 to its current home at 299 S. Raleigh Street. Today the parish is led by Rev. Israel Perez Lopez with Vicar Rev. Gustavo A. Becerra Mendez and Deacon Abram Leon, and it offers a robust schedule of weekend and daily Spanish-language Masses along with one English Mass, weekly confession, and extended Eucharistic Adoration.
- Established
- 1922
- Patron
- St. Cajetan of Thiene
- Rector
- Rev. Israel Perez Lopez
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Denver
Why belong here
St. Cajetan is the historic National Parish for Hispanics in Denver, and its parish life today is built around that mission: nearly all of its eight weekend Masses are celebrated in Spanish, with a full English Mass on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and a Saturday bilingual Mass at 6:00 p.m. Parishioners can attend daily Mass Tuesday through Friday in Spanish, weekly confession on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and extended Eucharistic Adoration on Friday and Saturday evenings. Families serve actively as lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, altar servers, catechists, choir members, and coordinators of parish groups such as Renacimiento Evangelizador (Thursday evenings), Worldwide Marriage Encounter, and the parish youth group, making it a community where faith is practiced together across generations.
Mass times at St. Cajetan
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday 8:00 a.m.
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Friday 7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
- Saturday 3:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. (midnight)
Parish History
Saint Cajetan Parish was founded in May 1922 by Bishop Tihen at the request of Hispanic community leaders who wanted their own church staffed by Theatine Fathers. After outgrowing the basement of Saint Leo Church, the parish moved to the former Mullen home in Auraria in 1923 and built a 700-seat Spanish Colonial Revival church, completed March 21, 1926. From its earliest decades the parish was the cultural, spiritual, and social center of Denver's Hispanic community, operating a school (opened 1937), a health clinic, a credit union, and from 1961 an annual street fair in honor of St. Cajetan.
- Founded May 1922 by Bishop Tihen
- First Theatine pastor: Father Bartholomew Caldentey
- Original 1926 church at Ninth and Lawrence, Auraria
- School opened 1937 (Benedictine Sisters from Atchison, Kansas)
- Annual St. Cajetan street fair from 1961
- Landmarked 1970 (National Register & Denver Landmarks)
- Relocated to southwest Denver in 1975
The Original 1926 Church and the Auraria Campus
The original Saint Cajetan Church in Auraria — designed by Robert Willison in the Spanish Colonial Revival style with a stucco exterior, rounded arches, twin bell towers, a curvilinear gable, and red-tile roof — survived the demolition of the surrounding neighborhood thanks to its 1970 landmark status. It was acquired by the Denver Urban Renewal Agency in 1973 and, after a $350,000 federal renovation completed under Governor Richard Lamm in 1976–78, reopened as Saint Cajetan Center, a multi-purpose auditorium serving the Auraria Higher Education Center (University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and Community College of Denver).
- Architect: Robert Willison
- Style: Spanish Colonial Revival (inspired by Mexico and New Mexico)
- Seating: 700
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1970)
- Current use: Saint Cajetan Center event auditorium
The Southwest Denver Campus (1975–Present)
After the 1973 displacement, the parish relocated to southwest Denver and built a new church at 299 S. Raleigh Street in 1975. The parish office is at 4325 W. Alameda Avenue, and the building also houses a community hall that is available for personal-event rentals.
- New church built 1975
- Parish address: 299 S. Raleigh St., Denver, CO 80219
- Parish office: 4325 W. Alameda Ave., Denver, CO 80219
- Community hall available for rental
Ministries and Parish Life
Parish life at St. Cajetan centers on the family. The parish website highlights whole-family ministries, with multiple family profiles serving together as lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, altar servers, catechists, and choir members. Apostolates and movements active in the parish include Renacimiento Evangelizador, Worldwide Marriage Encounter, Young Adults for Christ, and a youth group historically coordinated by the Sisters of the Charity of Mary Immaculate.
- Renacimiento Evangelizador — Thursdays 7:00–9:00 p.m.
- Worldwide Marriage Encounter
- Young Adults for Christ
- Parish youth group
- Children's and adult choirs (incl. 9:00 a.m. Sunday Mass choir)
- Lectors (Proclaimers of the Word)
- Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist
- Altar servers
- Catechists
Families within our Spiritual Family
The parish highlights multi-generational families who serve together across ministries: the Sanchez family (parishioners for 30+ years, catechists, coordinators of Worldwide Marriage Encounter, lectors, EMEs); the Flores Amezquita family (coordinators of the 9:00 a.m. Sunday Mass and the Renacimiento Evangelizador group); the Silva, Fuentes-Pineda, and Molina-Escorza families (lectors, EMEs, altar servers, catechists, and choir members).
- Sanchez family
- Flores Amezquita family
- Silva family
- Fuentes-Pineda family
- Molina-Escorza family
Sacraments
The parish prepares the faithful for the full sacramental life of the Church, including Christian initiation (a 2003 retreat is documented for the Sanchez family), children's First Communion catechesis, adult Confirmation preparation, parish weddings, and ongoing Marriage Encounter support for couples. Confession is offered on the published weekly schedule and by appointment.
- Christian initiation (RCIA-style retreats)
- First Communion
- Confirmation
- Marriage / parish weddings
- Confession and Reconciliation
- Anointing of the Sick (available on request)
Our Patron Saint — St. Cajetan of Thiene
St. Cajetan (1480–1547), born in Vicenza, Italy, was ordained a priest in 1516 and in 1524 co-founded the Clerics Regular (Theatines) with Bishop Gian Pietro Carafa (later Pope Paul IV). After the 1527 sack of Rome he directed the order in Venice, then moved to Naples in 1533, where he died in 1547. He is known as 'the Father of Providence' for his charity to the sick and his work for clerical reform. Urban VIII authorized his public worship in 1629 and Clement X canonized him on April 2, 1671; his feast is kept on August 7. The parish invokes him as the patron of its Hispanic Catholic community.
- Born Vicenza, Italy, 1480
- Co-founder of the Theatines (1524)
- Died Naples, 1547
- Beatified 1629 (Urban VIII); canonized 1671 (Clement X)
- Feast day: August 7
- Title: 'Father of Providence'
Visit, Contact, and Office Hours
The parish office is at 4325 W. Alameda Avenue and is open Tuesday through Friday 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday and closed daily for lunch from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. The church is located at 299 S. Raleigh Street, Denver, CO 80219. Telephone: 303-922-6306.
- Parish office: 4325 W. Alameda Ave., Denver, CO 80219
- Church: 299 S. Raleigh St., Denver, CO 80219
- Phone: 303-922-6306
- Office hours Tue–Fri 10:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m.; Sat 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
- Closed Sun & Mon; lunch break 12:00–1:00 p.m.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Bartholomew Caldentey, C.R.1922–
Founding Theatine pastor; began saying Masses in the basement of Saint Leo Church, then oversaw the move to the Mullen house and the construction of the 1926 Spanish Colonial Revival church.
- Rev. James Prohens, C.R.1975–2007
Theatine priest; co-led the parish with Fr. Fraile for 34 years; oversaw the 1975 relocation and construction of the new southwest Denver church; died in 2007.
- Rev. Tomas Fraile, C.R.1975–2014
Theatine priest; co-led the parish with Fr. Prohens for 34 years; died in 2014.
- Rev. Israel Perez Lopez2014–present
From the Archdiocese of Denver; current pastor.