About St. Elizabeth · Buffalo Creek, Colorado
St. Elizabeth is a small Catholic mission church in the mountain community of Buffalo Creek, Colorado, in Jefferson County. It serves as the southern mission of Our Lady of the Pines parish in nearby Conifer, which itself belongs to the Archdiocese of Denver. The mission is rooted in the foothills Catholic tradition that grew up along the Highway 285 corridor, and it offers Sunday and weekday Masses for residents of Buffalo Creek, Pine, Pine Grove and the surrounding Platte River canyon. Although modest in scale, St. Elizabeth gives mountain-foothills Catholics a regular place to worship without the long drive down to Conifer or into the Denver metro.
- Established
- 1951
- Patron
- St. Elizabeth of Hungary
- Rector
- Fr. Tim Gaines
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Denver
Why belong here
St. Elizabeth is the convenient Sunday Mass for mountain-community Catholics living in Buffalo Creek, Pine, Pine Grove and the surrounding South Platte canyon — places where the nearest parish is a long, winding drive. As a mission of Our Lady of the Pines in Conifer, it shares in that parish's clergy, faith formation, and community life, while preserving a small, personal Sunday congregation of its own. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a tight-knit mountain Catholic community with weekly Mass, weekday Mass, and Eucharistic Adoration right in Buffalo Creek.
Mass times at St. Elizabeth
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment (through Our Lady of the Pines parish office)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM (following the 6:00 PM Mass)
St. Elizabeth Mission Church — Buffalo Creek, Colorado
St. Elizabeth is a small Catholic mission church serving the mountain community of Buffalo Creek and surrounding canyon neighborhoods in Jefferson County, Colorado. It operates as the southern mission of Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Parish in Conifer, within the Archdiocese of Denver. The mission brings Sunday Mass, weekday Mass, and Eucharistic Adoration to a rural mountain area that would otherwise require a long drive for worship.
History of St. Elizabeth
The mission was founded in 1951 to serve Catholic families scattered along the South Platte River canyon. By the late 1970s, St. Elizabeth was already a recognized mission, pastored out of Christ the King in Evergreen alongside the then-new Our Lady of the Pines mission in Conifer. As the foothills population grew, Archbishop's office separated Our Lady of the Pines and St. Elizabeth as their own combined parish in 1993, with St. Elizabeth retained as a mission church. The mission's legal identity as 'St. Elizabeth in Buffalo Creek' is held by Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Parish, registered as a Colorado trade name in 2010.
- Founded 1951
- Pastored from Christ the King, Evergreen in the 1970s–1980s
- Combined with Our Lady of the Pines as its own parish in 1993
- Trade name 'St. Elizabeth in Buffalo Creek' registered by Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Parish (2010)
Clergy and Pastoral Care
St. Elizabeth is pastored by the priest of Our Lady of the Pines in Conifer. The current pastor is Fr. Tim Gaines, who serves the combined Our Lady of the Pines / St. Elizabeth parish community. Parishioners reach the parish office through the Our Lady of the Pines phone line and email.
- Fr. Tim Gaines — Pastor (Our Lady of the Pines / St. Elizabeth)
- Parish office: (303) 838-0338
- Email: [email protected]
Parish Life and Community
As a mountain mission church, St. Elizabeth fosters a small, close-knit Catholic community drawn from Buffalo Creek, Pine, Pine Grove, and outlying homes along the South Platte canyon. New parishioners register online through the Our Lady of the Pines parish website and are added to the parish's Flocknote email list for ongoing communication. Visitors are warmly welcomed at any Mass.
- Online parish registration through Our Lady of the Pines
- Flocknote email communication list for parishioners
- Welcomes visitors and seasonal residents to mountain Masses
Visiting St. Elizabeth
The mission is located off County Road 126 (Pine Valley Road / Deckers Road) in Buffalo Creek, with Mass offered in a small chapel setting near the South Platte River. Travelers coming from the Denver metro take US Highway 285 south to Pine Junction, turn onto County Road 126, and continue approximately 10 miles into Buffalo Creek, where the church is on the left as you enter town.
- From Highway 285, turn at Pine Junction onto County Road 126
- Continue ~10 miles south into Buffalo Creek
- Church is on the left as you enter town
- Mailing address: c/o Our Lady of the Pines, 9444 Eagle Cliff Rd., Conifer, CO 80433