About St. Joseph · Akron, Colorado
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a small rural parish located at 551 W. 6th Street in Akron, Colorado, on the high plains of the Eastern Plains (elevation 4,669 feet). It is one of three Catholic communities in the St. Mary, St. John & St. Joseph cluster, under the Archdiocese of Denver, with St. Mary in Brush as the central parish and St. Joseph served by the same pastor and parochial vicar. Officially established as a parish on February 7, 1918 by Bishop J. Henry Tihen, the Akron Catholic community actually traces its roots back to 1887, and celebrated its 100th anniversary in August 2018. Today the parish offers Mass on weekends and two weekdays, Eucharistic Adoration on Tuesdays, and a Religious Education program, serving a farming and ranching community of about 1,700 people.
- Established
- 1918
- Patron
- Saint Joseph (husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, patron saint and protector of the Catholic Church)
- Rector
- Rev. Herman Nsubuga (appointed July 1, 2024, for a six-year term)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Denver
Why belong here
St. Joseph is a close-knit, multigenerational parish where the community — many of them wheat farmers, ranchers, and small-town families — gathers for Sunday Mass at 8 a.m. and stays for breakfast prepared by rotating families, with the children then heading to Religious Education and adults to an adult faith study. The parish treasures its 100-year history, its small-town Catholic identity, and even a piece of Pope St. John Paul II's 1993 World Youth Day pulpit, which the pastor says 'keeps in high regard those who started the church.' For anyone looking for an authentic, down-to-earth rural parish that still values God, country, and family, St. Joseph welcomes you.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 5:00 p.m. (before 5:30 p.m. Mass)
- Saturday 6:30 p.m. (before 7:00 p.m. Vigil Mass)
- Sunday 7:00 a.m. (before 8:00 a.m. Mass)
- By appointment (excluding Holy Days)
Adoration times
- Tuesdays, 6:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (Eucharistic Adoration, excluding Holy Days and holidays)
About St. Joseph Catholic Church
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Akron, Colorado is a small rural parish in the Archdiocese of Denver, located 25 miles east of Brush along US Highway 34 at 551 W. 6th Street. It is served as part of the St. Mary–St. John–St. Joseph cluster by Pastor Rev. Herman Nsubuga and Parochial Vicar Rev. Maurice Uchenna Okeke. The parish's patron is Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and patron of the Catholic Church, and his feast day is celebrated on March 19.
- Pastor: Rev. Herman Nsubuga (appointed July 1, 2024, for a six-year term)
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Maurice Uchenna Okeke (appointed July 1, 2021)
- Patron Saint: Saint Joseph — feast day March 19
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Denver
- Address: 551 W. 6th Street, Akron, CO 80720
History of the Parish
Catholic life in Akron began in 1887, when missionary priests traveled by train from Brighton to say Mass in private homes. The community organized formally on April 7, 1895, when charter members filed a Certificate of Incorporation for 'The Catholic Church in Akron' at the Washington County Courthouse. The first church building on Main Street was purchased in 1898, the present church on West 6th Street was dedicated in 1914, and on February 7, 1918 Bishop J. Henry Tihen officially established Saint Joseph as a parish, appointing Fr. Louis Grohman as the first resident pastor on March 21, 1918.
- 1887 — Rev. William J. Howlett begins monthly visits from Brighton by train
- April 7, 1895 — 'The Catholic Church in Akron' is incorporated
- September 28, 1907 — Bishop Nicholas C. Matz dedicates the church as Saint Joseph
- May 17, 1914 — New church on Bent Street dedicated by Bishop Matz
- February 7, 1918 — Bishop J. Henry Tihen officially establishes Saint Joseph as a parish
- March 21, 1918 — Fr. Louis Grohman named first pastor
- August 19, 2018 — Centennial Mass celebrated with Archbishop Samuel Aquila
St. Joseph's School and Cemetery
On Easter Sunday 1919, ground was broken for Saint Joseph's Boarding and Day School, which Bishop Tihen dedicated on September 7, 1919, and which opened the next day under the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The school was supported by both Catholics and non-Catholics but closed in 1929 under the weight of the Great Depression. The parish also maintains a Catholic cemetery east of town on land donated in 1916 by Mr. Conrad Heer; Mrs. Anna M. Jost was the first person buried there on August 17, 1918.
- 1916 — Conrad Heer donates an acre east of town for a Catholic cemetery
- 1919–1929 — St. Joseph's Boarding and Day School operated by the Sisters of the Presentation of the BVM
- First day of school: 24 boarding, 65 day students, 30 music pupils
- 2018 — Cemetery blessed and new entrance/exit signs installed during centennial
A Relic of Pope John Paul II
During the 2018 sanctuary renewal, Fr. Marek Ciesla and the parish incorporated the ambo/pulpit that Pope St. John Paul II had used to address attendees at the 1993 World Youth Day in Denver into a brand-new pulpit that the parish uses today. The original piece had been obtained by a St. Joseph parishioner and was, in Fr. Ciesla's words, the perfect way to remember those who founded the parish and to keep the church's history alive.
- Pulpit from Pope John Paul II's 1993 World Youth Day visit to Denver
- Obtained by a St. Joseph parishioner
- Incorporated into the new pulpit during the 2018 sanctuary renewal
Religious Education & Youth Ministry
Religious Education for Children is offered at St. Joseph, with Jennifer Willeke as the parish contact. The wider cluster also runs a Youth Group for grades 7–12 meeting Sundays 4:00–5:30 p.m. at the St. Mary RE Building in Brush, led by Cassie Potts. In addition, after Sunday Mass at St. Joseph, adults meet for about an hour of adult faith studies while children head to RE class — a pattern Fr. Ciesla highlighted as a hallmark of the parish's hunger to learn.
- Religious Education for Children — contact Jennifer Willeke
- Youth Group (grades 7–12) — Sundays 4:00–5:30 p.m., St. Mary RE Building, Brush
- Adult faith study — after Sunday 8:00 a.m. Mass
- Cluster RE Coordinator: Cassie Potts
Cluster Parishes & Staff
St. Joseph is served alongside two sister communities in a single pastoral cluster. St. Mary Catholic Church in Brush (340 Stanford Street) is the central parish, with St. John Catholic Church in Stoneham as a mission of St. Mary's, and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Akron as a sister parish 25 miles to the east. Both priests are shared across the three communities.
- St. Mary, Brush — 340 Stanford St., Brush, CO 80723 — 970-842-2216
- St. John, Stoneham — 41629 Granite, Stoneham, CO 80754 (mission of St. Mary)
- St. Joseph, Akron — 551 W. 6th St., Akron, CO 80720 — 970-345-6996
- Shared Pastor: Rev. Herman Nsubuga
- Shared Parochial Vicar: Rev. Maurice Uchenna Okeke
Office Hours, Contact & Emergencies
The St. Joseph parish office is staffed by volunteers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Brush office hours are Thursday and Friday 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.). For after-hours emergencies involving illness, hospitalization, or sudden death, the parish lists St. Mary in Brush and St. Joseph in Akron, plus St. Helena in Fort Morgan and St. Anthony in Sterling, as contact points.
- Akron office: Tuesday & Wednesday, 9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. (volunteer staff)
- Brush office: Thursday & Friday, 9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
- Phone (Akron): 970-345-6996 — please leave a message
- Phone (Brush): 970-842-2216
- After-hours emergency: St. Helena, Fort Morgan — 970-867-2885; St. Anthony, Sterling — 970-522-6422
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. William J. Howlett1887–
Traveled by train from Brighton to Akron about once a month to celebrate Mass in private homes.
- Rev. James G. Hickey1888–1890
Served Catholic families in Akron and the surrounding area.
- Rev. Faber1890–1893
Missionary priest on the Eastern Plains.
- Rev. E. Downey1890–1893
Lived part-time in Wray and part-time in Fort Morgan while serving the area.
- Rev. J. H. Bricker1894–1897
Cared for the spiritual needs of the Akron area Catholics.
- Rev. J. J. Reordon1897–1902
Served the mission in Akron; under his tenure the trustees purchased the Faehndrich store on Main Street as a church.
- Rev. D. C. Robertson1902–1904
Mission priest.
- Rev. B. A. Froegel1904–1911
Mission priest.
- Rev. Dribbel1911
Mission priest.
- Rev. J. L. Juily1911–1918
Last missionary priest before the parish was officially established.
- Rev. Louis Grohman1918–
First resident pastor of Saint Joseph, appointed March 21, 1918 by Bishop J. Henry Tihen; had been ordained in 1911.
- Rev. Marek Ciesla2015–2018 (approx.)
Pastor during the 2018 centennial celebration; oversaw the sanctuary renewal that incorporated Pope John Paul II's pulpit.