About St. John the Baptist Mission · Pagosa Junction, Colorado
St. John the Baptist Mission is a small historic Catholic mission chapel in the abandoned railroad town of Pagosa Junction, Archuleta County, Colorado, situated in the Diocese of Pueblo on the Southern Ute Reservation. It is served as a satellite mission by Immaculate Heart of Mary / Pope John Paul II Catholic Church in Pagosa Springs, whose pastor Father Kenny Udumka (from Nigeria, assigned November 2014) oversees this and three other country missions in the county. The little hillside chapel still stands above the old railroad yards and hosts occasional Masses — typically an annual Mass that draws descendants of the original Hispanic and Ute families who once lived in the San Juan River valley.
- Established
- 1911
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Father Kenny Udumka
- Diocese
- Diocese of Pueblo
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist Mission is a living piece of Catholic heritage in the San Juan Mountains — the third church built on this site after two predecessors were lost to the San Juan River floods, and one of four historic country missions still cared for by the Immaculate Heart of Mary / Pope John Paul II Catholic parish community. For descendants of the original Pagosa Junction families it is a place of annual pilgrimage and reunion, and for visitors it offers a quiet witness to more than a century of faith on the Southern Ute Reservation.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Confession is offered at the parent parish, Pope John Paul II Catholic Church, on Saturday 3:45–4:45 PM (summer) and 2:45–3:45 PM (winter), or by appointment.
History of St. John the Baptist Mission
Catholic life in Pagosa Junction began with the arrival of the Theatine Fathers (Order of Clerics Regular), Italian and Spanish missionaries dispatched by the Bishop of Pueblo around 1906 to evangelize the San Juan Mountains. The first St. John the Baptist church was built in 1911 near the San Juan River to serve the railroad and ranching community, but it was destroyed that same year in the great flood of 1911. A replacement went up but was also eventually lost to the river. The present chapel — the third Catholic church built for the Pagosa Junction area — was erected on a hillside above the old railroad yards and dedicated in 1927. It has remained standing while the town around it faded: when the Southern Ute tribe declined to renew the community's lease and the Bureau of Reclamation reshaped the river valley for Navajo Lake, Pagosa Junction was abandoned, but the little mission chapel survived and continues to host an annual Mass for descendants.
- First church built 1911; destroyed in the 1911 San Juan River flood
- Second church also lost to flooding
- Present (third) church built on a hillside above the abandoned railroad yards and dedicated in 1927
- Served originally by Theatine Fathers based in Durango (ca. 1906–ca. 1960)
- Pagosa Junction community abandoned when the Southern Ute tribe declined to renew the lease
The Community of Pagosa Junction
Pagosa Junction was once a small but vibrant railroad and ranching town in the San Juan River valley on the Southern Ute Reservation, settled primarily by Hispanic families with some Ute parishioners. Catholic and Penitente faith was practiced by settlers and sheepherders in the area as early as the 1850s–60s, well before formal parishes were organized. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's plans for Navajo Lake, completed in 1963, displaced an estimated 200 families from the river communities, and Pagosa Junction itself was abandoned when the Ute tribe declined to renew the community's lease. Many of the town's buildings still stand, and St. John the Baptist Mission is one of the most visible reminders of the lost community.
- Located on the Southern Ute Reservation in Archuleta County
- Original population included Hispanic ranching families and Ute parishioners
- Displaced in the mid-twentieth century by the Navajo Lake project
- Buildings still standing but town unpopulated
Parent Parish: Immaculate Heart of Mary / Pope John Paul II Catholic Church
St. John the Baptist Mission is served by the Immaculate Heart of Mary / Pope John Paul II Catholic parish community based in Pagosa Springs, which combines two parishes: the historic Immaculate Heart of Mary Church (455 Lewis St., Pagosa Springs, dedicated May 1949 by Bishop Joseph Willging) and Pope John Paul II Catholic Church (353 South Pagosa Blvd., dedicated March 24, 2009 by Bishop Tafoya). Between them the community numbers about 380 registered families and roughly 41 ministries, and from this base the parish pastors four country missions across Archuleta County.
- Immaculate Heart of Mary Church dedicated May 1949 by Bishop Joseph Willging
- Pope John Paul II Catholic Church dedicated March 24, 2009 by Bishop Tafoya
- About 380 registered families and 41 ministries
- Director: Katy Reis (Office Manager)
Current Pastor: Father Kenny Udumka
Father Kenny Udumka, a priest from Nigeria, has served as pastor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary / Pope John Paul II Catholic parish community since November 2014. Under his pastorate the parish continues to minister to St. John the Baptist Mission and the three other country missions of Archuleta County.
- Joined the parish November 2014
- A native of Nigeria
- Oversees four country missions including St. John the Baptist
Theatine Fathers and the Wider Mission Network
From roughly 1906 the Theatine Fathers, Order of Clerics Regular, established a permanent base in the region out of Sacred Heart Parish in Durango, with priests mainly from Italy and Spain. They expanded their work across Archuleta County and founded a chain of missions: St. James the Apostle (1908) in Trujillo, St. Frances (1908) in Frances, St. John the Baptist (1911) in Pagosa Junction, and Chromo Mission (1922) in Chromo. Earlier, the Archuleta County Catholic community had been served by visiting priests who were picked up at the train stops at Pagosa Junction and Pagosa and transported by horse-drawn wagon between the missions. The Theatines administered the missions until roughly the 1960s, when diocesan administration through the Diocese of Pueblo took fuller responsibility.
- St. James the Apostle, Trujillo (1908)
- St. Frances, Frances (1908)
- St. John the Baptist, Pagosa Junction (1911)
- Chromo Mission, Chromo (1922)
- Visiting priests originally arrived by train at Pagosa Junction and Pagosa
Sacramental Records and Archival Holdings
Sacramental registers for St. John the Baptist Mission — baptisms, marriages, and burials of both Hispanic and Ute parishioners — are preserved in two principal repositories. The Diocese of Pueblo chancery (101 North Greenwood Street, Pueblo, CO 81003) holds records of the missions beginning in 1911, and these are also summarized in Marquette University's Raynor Memorial Libraries Guide to Catholic Records About Native Americans. The records span more than a century and are an important resource for descendants researching their Catholic and Native American heritage.
- Diocese of Pueblo Chancery, 101 N. Greenwood St., Pueblo, CO 81003
- Records begin 1911 and are ongoing
- Also documented in Marquette University's Guide to Catholic Records About Native Americans (entries CO-19 and CO-20)
Visiting the Chapel
The mission is located on Cat Creek Road in Pagosa Junction, on the Southern Ute Reservation in southern Archuleta County. The townsite is unpopulated but the chapel stands intact above the abandoned railroad yards, and visitors are welcome — particularly for the annual Mass. Those planning to visit should call the parish office in advance for access details and to confirm any scheduled service.
- Address: Cat Creek Rd., Pagosa Junction, CO 81147
- Phone: (970) 731-5744
- Email: [email protected]
- On the Southern Ute Reservation
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Theatine Fathers (Order of Clerics Regular)1906–ca. 1960
Italian and Spanish Theatine priests based out of Sacred Heart Parish in Durango established and served St. John the Baptist and the other Pagosa-area missions from 1906 until roughly the 1960s.