About St. Ignatius · Walden, Colorado
St. Ignatius of Loyola is a Catholic Mission church in Walden, Colorado — the county seat of sparsely populated Jackson County in the high mountain valley of North Park. It is one of five worship sites that make up "Grand Catholic," a collaborative parish grouping spanning Grand and Jackson Counties and administered from the parish office at Our Lady of the Snow in Granby. Listed by GCatholic as a Mission of St. Peter Church in Kremmling within the Archdiocese of Denver, St. Ignatius serves the Catholic faithful of Walden and the surrounding ranching community with Sunday Mass and confessions each week. The parish shares its clergy with neighboring churches in the grouping, including Our Lady of the Snow in Granby, St. Anne in Grand Lake, St. Bernard of Montjoux, and St. Peter in Kremmling.
- Established
- 1950
- Patron
- St. Ignatius of Loyola
- Rector
- Fr. Michael Freihofer
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Denver
Why belong here
St. Ignatius is a small but devoted mountain mission serving Walden and the wider North Park community of ranches and small towns. Parishioners gather each Sunday at 1:00 PM for Mass, with confessions offered beforehand from 12:30 to 12:50 PM or by appointment, and worship in a striking 1952 church of brick, stucco, and Lyons sandstone set on a bluff above town. As part of the Grand Catholic family of five churches across Grand and Jackson Counties, the mission connects Catholics in the high country to a wider network of clergy, formation, and sacramental life under the Archdiocese of Denver.
Mass times at St. Ignatius
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 12:30 PM – 12:50 PM (or by appointment)
St. Ignatius Mission, Walden
St. Ignatius of Loyola is the Catholic mission church for Walden, the small county seat of Jackson County in Colorado's North Park high country. It is one of five worship sites that share clergy and pastoral resources under the umbrella name 'Grand Catholic,' alongside Our Lady of the Snow in Granby, St. Anne in Grand Lake, St. Bernard of Montjoux, and St. Peter in Kremmling. The parish office and sacramental records are maintained at Our Lady of the Snow, 300 N. 11th St., Granby, CO 80446, with office hours Monday through Thursday, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
- Patron: St. Ignatius of Loyola
- Founded as a mission: 1950
- Jurisdiction: Archdiocese of Denver
- Classification (GCatholic): Mission of St. Peter, Kremmling
History
St. Ignatius was established in 1950 to bring the sacraments to the scattered ranching and mountain families of North Park. A bluff-top site near the Jackson County Courthouse was donated for the church, and the brick-and-stucco building was designed by architect John K. Monroe, completed in 1952. The simple, handsome interior is anchored by a wall of Lyons sandstone behind the altar and finished with golden oak floors and pews.
- 1950 – Mission established
- 1952 – Church building completed; architect John K. Monroe
- Materials: brick, stucco, Lyons sandstone, oak
Building and Architecture
Per the SAH Archipedia entry drawn from Thomas J. Noel's 'Buildings of Colorado' (Oxford University Press, 1997), the church sits on a bluff-top near the courthouse and is built of brick and stucco with sandstone and oak interior finishes. The simple, handsome interior centers on a wall of Lyons sandstone behind the altar and golden oak floors and pews.
- Architect: John K. Monroe
- Year built: 1952
- Site: bluff near the Jackson County Courthouse, 4th and LaFever streets
Clergy and Staff
St. Ignatius is served by the priests of the Grand Catholic grouping. The pastor and parochial vicar are shared across the five worship sites.
- Fr. Michael Freihofer — Pastor (covering all Grand Catholic sites)
- Fr. Peter Wojda — Parochial Vicar (covering all Grand Catholic sites)
Holy Week at St. Ignatius
The parish joins the rest of Grand Catholic for coordinated Holy Week liturgies. St. Ignatius typically hosts the Easter Vigil at 8:15 PM.
- Easter Vigil: 8:15 PM at St. Ignatius, Walden
- Coordinated Holy Week schedule published each year at grandcatholic.com
Grand Catholic Parish Grouping
St. Ignatius is one of five worship sites in 'Grand Catholic,' which covers the parishes and missions serving Grand and Jackson Counties in northern Colorado. The parish office is located at Our Lady of the Snow in Granby.
- Our Lady of the Snow — 300 N. 11th St., Granby, CO 80446 (parish office)
- St. Anne — Grand Lake
- St. Bernard of Montjoux
- St. Ignatius of Loyola — 448 LaFever St., Walden, CO 80430
- St. Peter — Kremmling
Visit, Contact, and Directions
St. Ignatius Catholic Mission is at 448 LaFever Street, Walden, CO 80430. The parish office and phone line are managed from Granby and can be reached at (970) 887-0032 or [email protected]. Office hours at Our Lady of the Snow are Monday through Thursday, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
- Address: 448 LaFever St., Walden, CO 80430
- Phone: (970) 887-0032
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish office: Our Lady of the Snow, 300 N. 11th St., Granby, CO 80446