About St. James the Apostle Mission · Trujillo, Colorado
St. James the Apostle Mission (La Misión de Santiago) is a small historic Catholic mission church in the Trujillo settlement of Archuleta County, southern Colorado, about 15 miles south of Pagosa Springs along the San Juan River. It is one of four rural mission churches served by the Immaculate Heart of Mary / Pope John Paul II Catholic Church parish in Pagosa Springs, within the Diocese of Pueblo. The mission traces its origins to 1908, when Theatine missionaries — mostly Italian and Spanish priests — established it among the Hispano farming and herding families of the Trujillo valley; the present adobe-and-plaster church was completed in 1916 and consecrated in 1918. The community continues to care for the adjacent Trujillo Cemetery, which holds the graves of the founding Garcia family and many descendants, and Mass is celebrated here on a rotating, seasonal basis from June through October.
- Established
- 1908
- Patron
- St. James the Apostle (Santiago Apóstol)
- Rector
- Father Kenny Udumka (pastor of the parent parish Immaculate Heart of Mary / Pope John Paul II, Pagosa Springs, since November 2014)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Pueblo
Why belong here
St. James the Apostle Mission is a small but deeply rooted Hispano Catholic community — one of the oldest in Archuleta County — where Mass is celebrated in the same adobe church built in 1916 by Spanish-speaking ancestors. It is part of a vibrant parent parish (IHM/JPII in Pagosa Springs) that counts over 380 families and 41 active ministries, but at Trujillo the experience is intimate, historic, and tied to a working cemetery cared for by the families buried there. Visitors and pilgrims are warmly welcomed to share in this living mission heritage each summer month.
Mass times at St. James the Apostle Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment at the parent parish — call (970) 731-5744; Saturday confessions 3:45–4:45 PM at Pope John Paul II in summer (2:45–3:45 PM winter)
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration available at the parent parish (Pope John Paul II / St. Patrick's Adoration Chapel) — visit the parish office for access; Holy Hour with Benediction Thursday 12:30–1:00 PM
History of St. James the Apostle Mission
The Trujillo settlement sits in a broad flat valley about 15 miles south of Pagosa Springs, along the San Juan River. Catholic missionary work began there in 1908 under the Theatine Fathers — Italian and Spanish priests who had been ministering in Archuleta County since 1873. Land for the mission was bequeathed by Cipriano Garcia before his death in 1909, and the site sits next to what is now the Trujillo Cemetery. The first wood-frame church was outgrown and sold; a second wooden church burned in 1915; the present adobe-and-plaster church was built in 1916 and consecrated in 1918, with stained-glass windows imported from Spain and paid for by local subscribers. The Trujillo Church Committee marked the mission's 100th anniversary in 2018.
- Founded 1908 by Theatine missionaries
- Land bequeathed by Cipriano Garcia, 1909
- First wood-frame church: sold and moved
- Second wooden church: burned 1915
- Present adobe church built 1916, consecrated 1918
- Stained-glass windows imported from Spain, sponsored by local families
- 100-Year Anniversary Booklet published by Trujillo Church Committee, 2018
- Documented in the 1939 WPA survey
- Inventoried in Robert Adams, The Architecture and Art of Early Hispanic Colorado (1974), site 5AA 632
Architecture and Setting
The church is a small adobe structure covered in white plaster, with stained-glass windows reported to have come from Spain. It sits on the main north–south road through Trujillo, adjacent to the Trujillo Cemetery. The stylized iron cemetery gates and central white cross were installed sometime after 1974.
- Adobe walls covered with white plaster
- Stained-glass windows from Spain, sponsored by subscription
- Adjacent to the Trujillo Cemetery (donated to Diocese of Pueblo, 1944)
The Trujillo Cemetery
The Trujillo Cemetery is about two acres, oriented east–west, and lies immediately south of St. James the Apostle Church. It grew organically from the earliest Garcia family burials in 1907–1908; Cipriano Garcia was buried there in 1909. The land was formally donated to the Diocese of Pueblo in 1944. There are 192 reported burials (1908–2020); 116 graves were identified in field documentation, with three planted trees and a large central white iron cross.
- Cemetery land donated to the Diocese of Pueblo in 1944
- Earliest burials: Garcia family, 1907–1908
- Cipriano Garcia buried 1909
- Approximately 192 reported burials, 1908–2020
- Cared for by church caretakers and the families of those buried there
Parent Parish: Immaculate Heart of Mary / Pope John Paul II (Pagosa Springs)
St. James the Apostle is served as a mission by the merged Immaculate Heart of Mary / Pope John Paul II Catholic Church in Pagosa Springs — known locally as IHM/JPII. The parent parish includes over 380 registered families and 41 active ministries, with two campuses: Pope John Paul II (353 S. Pagosa Blvd., Pagosa Springs) and the historic Immaculate Heart of Mary Church (dedicated May 1949). Bishop Tafoya dedicated the current Pope John Paul II church on March 24, 2009. A 2016 campaign added a day chapel and meeting rooms, completed in March 2019.
- Over 380 registered families, 41 ministries
- Pastoral staff: Father Kenny Udumka (Pastor, joined November 2014, from Nigeria); Katy Reis, Office Manager
- Pope John Paul II church dedicated by Bishop Tafoya, March 24, 2009
- Day chapel and meeting room expansion completed March 2019
- Phone: (970) 731-5744
- Address: 353 S. Pagosa Blvd., Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
The Theatine Heritage in Archuleta County
Since 1873, the Catholic community of Pagosa Springs and Archuleta County has received spiritual care from Theatine missionaries — Italian and Spanish priests who built St. Edward's Catholic Church in Pagosa Springs in 1893 and went on to found a chain of mission chapels across the county.
- Theatine missionaries serving the area since 1873
- St. Edward's Catholic Church, Pagosa Springs, built 1893
- Missions founded: St. James the Apostle, Trujillo (1908); St. Frances, Frances (1908); St. John the Baptist, Pagosa Junction (1911); Chromo Station (1922)
Community and Hispano Heritage
St. James the Apostle is a living Hispano Catholic mission. The founding Garcia family and early settlers (Archuleta, Martinez, Chavez, Lucero) homesteaded the Trujillo valley in the late 19th century; many of their descendants still maintain graves and family plots in the adjacent cemetery. The mission is known in Spanish as La Misión de Santiago.
- Known in Spanish as La Misión de Santiago
- Founding families: Garcia, Archuleta, Martinez, Chavez, Lucero
- Cemetery caretakers drawn from local families
Visiting St. James the Apostle
Visitors are warmly welcomed to share in Mass at this historic mission church. Because Mass is celebrated only on a rotating monthly basis during the summer, pilgrims should call the parish office in advance to confirm dates and times. The church and cemetery are open year-round for private visits.
- Call (970) 731-5744 to confirm Mass dates
- Open year-round for private visits
- Located on the main north–south road through Trujillo, adjacent to the Trujillo Cemetery
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Theatine Fathers (Italian and Spanish missionaries)1873–early 20th century
Founded the mission in 1908; originally based at St. Edward's, Pagosa Springs (built 1893).