About St. Ignatius of Antioch · Rangely, Colorado
St. Ignatius of Antioch is a Catholic mission parish in Rangely, Colorado, the westernmost community served by the Archdiocese of Denver. Established in 1931, it is one of three parishes in the Northwest Colorado Tri-Parish grouping along with St. Michael in Craig and Holy Family in Meeker, sharing clergy and resources across the high country of Rio Blanco and Moffat counties. Today the parish serves roughly 100 families in a region whose history is rooted in the early-twentieth-century oil boom, and it continues to be a thriving center of faith, community and service in far western Colorado.
- Established
- 1931
- Patron
- St. Ignatius of Antioch
- Rector
- Fr. John F. Croghan (Tri-Parish Pastor)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Denver
Why belong here
St. Ignatius of Antioch is a small but thriving Catholic mission in far western Colorado, where members of every generation are welcomed into a close-knit faith community that worships in both English and Spanish. The parish shares priests, Faith Formation, and outreach with Holy Family in Meeker and St. Michael in Craig through the Northwest Colorado Tri-Parish, giving parishioners a wider family of believers across the high country. It currently offers Sunday Mass, daily Mass on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, monthly silent adoration, and a Catholic Extension-supported heritage of lay ministry — all reasons a Catholic moving to Rangely, or anyone passing through the oil country of Rio Blanco County, can quickly find a home here.
Mass times at St. Ignatius of Antioch
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- See tri-parish Adoration and Confessions schedule on nwtriparish.com
Adoration times
- Silent Adoration: 12:30 pm on the 1st Sunday of each month
St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish — Rangely, Colorado
St. Ignatius of Antioch is a Catholic mission parish of the Archdiocese of Denver in the small oil-country town of Rangely, in Rio Blanco County. It is one of three parishes in the Northwest Colorado Tri-Parish grouping and traces its roots back to 1931.
- Established 1931
- Westernmost parish of the Archdiocese of Denver
- Member of the Northwest Colorado Tri-Parish
Parish History
The mission was founded from Holy Family in Meeker in 1931 and, for its first two decades, Mass was celebrated in private homes by priests who traveled or flew in from elsewhere. The community grew steadily, moved through several buildings in the 1950s, and received its first resident pastor in 1958. Recent decades have seen the parish continue to thrive alongside its sister parishes of Holy Family and St. Michael.
- 1931 — Mission established by Father Francis J. Brady from Holy Family, Meeker
- 1940s — Father Blaise Schumacher, OSB, flies in twice a month; Mass celebrated in the Purdy family home
- 1950 — Mission grows to about 100 members
- 1951 — Archbishop Vehr consecrates the new parish hall (a former grocery store)
- 1957 — Parish moves into the Pan-American Oil Patch Recreation Hall
- 1958 — Father Leo Blach becomes first resident pastor
- 1982 — Two Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa arrive to assist
- 1983–1986 — Father Bert Chilson serves as pastor
- 1986 — Father Lawrence T. Solan begins alternating weeks between Rangely and Meeker
- 1991 — Father Roger Lascelle becomes pastor
- 1998 — Tri-parish grouping formed as Lascelle also takes Saint Michael, Craig
- 2023–24 — New exterior stucco, new sanctuary floor, and the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage
Clergy & Staff
St. Ignatius is served as part of the Northwest Colorado Tri-Parish. Clergy and staff are based at the tri-parish office in Craig and shared across the three parishes.
- Pastor: Fr. John F. Croghan ([email protected], ext. 4)
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Sebastian Splawinski ([email protected], ext. 5)
- Deacon: Brice Glasscock (ext. 3)
- Business Administrator (ext. 2)
Faith Formation & Sacraments
Religious education, Totus Tuus, and preparation for the sacraments are coordinated across the Northwest Colorado Tri-Parish. Families in Rangely, Meeker and Craig share formation programs with the tri-parish priests and staff.
- Tri-Parish Faith Formation (shared with Holy Family and St. Michael)
- Totus Tuus summer program (parishes alternate hosting)
- Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick — contact the tri-parish office
Northwest Colorado Tri-Parish
St. Ignatius is one of three Catholic parishes that share clergy, staff, and programming across the high country of far western Colorado. The grouping allows mission-sized communities like Rangely to maintain a strong sacramental life and Faith Formation program despite their small size.
- St. Michael Parish — Craig, CO
- St. Ignatius Parish — Rangely, CO
- Holy Family Parish — Meeker, CO
- Tri-Parish Office: 678 School St, Craig, CO 81625 · (970) 824-5330 · [email protected]
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish through the central tri-parish office or directly at the Rangely church location. In-person office hours, sacramental emergencies, and scheduling details are coordinated through Craig.
- Church: 109 S Stanolind Ave., Rangely, CO 81648 · (970) 675-8935
- Tri-Parish Office: 678 School St, Craig, CO 81625 · (970) 824-5330
- Email: [email protected]
- Pastor email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Francis J. Brady1931–
Pastor of Holy Family in Meeker who established Saint Ignatius Mission from the Meeker parish.
- Father Blaise Schumacher, OSB1940s
Flew in two Sundays a month to celebrate Mass in the Purdy family home.
- Father Leo Blach1958–
First resident pastor of Saint Ignatius Parish.
- Father Bert Chilson1983–1986
- Father Lawrence T. Solan1986–
Began splitting his time one week in Rangely and one week in Meeker between Holy Family and Saint Ignatius.
- Father Roger Lascelle1991–
Continued serving both Meeker and Rangely; in 1998 also became pastor of Saint Michael Parish in Craig, forming the present tri-parish grouping.
- Fr. John F. Croghan
Current pastor of the Northwest Colorado Tri-Parish.