About St. Kateri Catholic Community · Lakewood, Colorado
St. Kateri Catholic Community is a Native American Catholic ministry that has been based at St. Bernadette Parish in Lakewood, Colorado since 1985. Drawing members from about ten Native American tribes across the Archdiocese of Denver, the community celebrates a weekly Mass that weaves together Catholic worship and American Indian traditions, and gathers for religious education and community-building events. Its mission is to evangelize and serve the Native American Catholics of the Archdiocese of Denver, and all are welcome to attend. The community is named for Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American to be canonized (in 2012).
- Established
- 1985
- Patron
- Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
- Rector
- Father Joe McLagan
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Denver
Why belong here
St. Kateri Catholic Community welcomes anyone — Native American, other, or simply curious — who wants to experience a Catholic Mass enriched by Indigenous traditions such as those of the Mohawk, Navajo, Apache, and other tribes represented across the Archdiocese of Denver. It gathers weekly for worship, ongoing religious education, and community-building events, and is hosted within the larger St. Bernadette Parish family in Lakewood. Visitors can expect a warm, culturally rooted spiritual home grounded in the witness of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint.
Mass times at St. Kateri Catholic Community
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM (prior to 12 PM Mass, at St. Bernadette)
- Sunday 8:15 AM – 8:45 AM (at St. Bernadette)
- First Saturdays 9:30 AM (following 9 AM Mass, at St. Bernadette)
- By appointment with Father Joe McLagan
Adoration times
- Friday following 8:00 AM Daily Mass until 12:30 PM (at St. Bernadette)
- First Saturdays of the Month 9:30 AM (following 9 AM Mass; Adoration available during confessions)
St. Kateri Catholic Community
The St. Kateri Catholic Community is a ministry of St. Bernadette Parish in Lakewood, Colorado. It is primarily made up of people of Native American heritage and intentionally weaves Catholic worship together with American Indian traditions. The community's stated mission is to evangelize and serve the Native American Catholics of the Archdiocese of Denver, and all are welcome at its services and celebrations. In addition to its weekly Sunday Mass, the community gathers for religious education and community-building events throughout the year.
- Sunday Mass at 12:00 PM at St. Bernadette Church
- Open to all — Native American, non-Native, and visitors alike
- Religious education coordinated by Margaret Tranekier
- Spiritual care from Father Joe McLagan and Father Geronimo (Parochial Vicar)
History of the Ministry at St. Bernadette
The St. Kateri ministry has been hosted at St. Bernadette Parish since 1985. For decades the community turned the parish's old convent into a chapel and celebrated its weekly Mass there, drawing members from about ten Native American tribes across the Archdiocese of Denver. In the fall of 2016, the Kateri community moved its weekly Mass into the main church, deepening its integration with parish life. Catholic Charities then leased and transformed the former Kateri chapel/convent into Marisol Home, a residence that can shelter up to 18 single-parent families with children at a time. St. Bernadette parishioners — and by extension the Kateri community — provide significant meal support and volunteer hours for that Marisol ministry.
- Kateri ministry at St. Bernadette since 1985
- Members from about ten Native American tribes across the Archdiocese of Denver
- Moved weekly Mass into the main church in fall 2016
- Former convent/chapel converted into Marisol Home by Catholic Charities (capacity ~18 families)
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha — The Community's Patron
The community takes its name from Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American to be canonized as a Catholic saint. According to the parish's own account, Tekakwitha was born in 1656 to a Christian Algonquin mother and a Mohawk chief in what is now Auriesville, New York. Orphaned by smallpox at age four and left scarred, she was taken in by an uncle who allowed the Jesuits to preach in his village. Baptized Catherine in 1676 in Fonda, New York — 'Kateri' is the Mohawk form of Catherine — she refused an arranged marriage, fled persecution to the Christian Indian village of Sault Ste. Marie in Kahnawake, Canada, made her First Communion on Christmas Day, and in 1679 took a vow of chastity, dedicating her life to Christ. She died on April 17, 1680, was declared Venerable in 1943, Beatified by Pope John Paul II on June 22, 1980, and Canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012. Her memorial in the U.S. liturgical calendar is July 14, and she is venerated as a patron of ecology. The parish encourages visitors to learn more at the National Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine in Fonda, New York.
- Born 1656 in what is now Auriesville, New York
- Baptized Catherine in 1676 — 'Kateri' is Mohawk for Catherine
- Died April 17, 1680 in Kahnawake, Canada
- Declared Venerable 1943; Beatified 1980 by Pope John Paul II; Canonized October 21, 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI
- First Native American Catholic saint; patron of ecology
- Memorial in the U.S. liturgical calendar: July 14
Mass and Prayer
The St. Kateri Catholic Community celebrates its weekly Sunday Mass at 12:00 PM inside St. Bernadette Church in Lakewood. Because it lives within St. Bernadette Parish, Kateri members have access to the full range of Mass and prayer opportunities offered at the parish church, including a Saturday Vigil Mass, a Sunday morning Mass interpreted in American Sign Language, daily Mass Monday through Friday, a First Saturday morning Mass, and Eucharistic Adoration times. Confessions are heard at St. Bernadette on Saturday and Sunday and by appointment with Father Joe McLagan.
- St. Kateri Community Sunday Mass: 12:00 PM at St. Bernadette
- St. Bernadette Saturday Vigil: 4:00 PM
- St. Bernadette Sunday: 9:00 AM (Interpreted — ASL)
- Daily Mass Monday–Friday: 8:00 AM
- First Saturdays of the Month: 9:00 AM
Clergy and Staff
The community is shepherded by Father Joe McLagan, pastor of St. Bernadette Parish, with Father Geronimo serving as Parochial Vicar for the St. Kateri Catholic Community. Religious education for the community is coordinated by Margaret Tranekier. In a pastoral emergency outside parish office hours, parishioners and community members can reach Father Joe by dialing the parish number and selecting his extension.
- Pastor: Father Joe McLagan
- Parochial Vicar (St. Kateri): Father Geronimo
- Religious Education: Margaret Tranekier
- Pastoral emergencies: 303.233.1523, ext. for Fr. Joe
Connection to St. Bernadette Parish
St. Kateri Catholic Community is one of several distinctive ministries under the umbrella of St. Bernadette Parish, the pioneer Catholic church of Lakewood (founded 1947). St. Bernadette also heads the Colorado Catholic Deaf Ministry, runs a parish school, and hosts Marisol Home, the transitional housing ministry that grew directly out of the Kateri community's former chapel space. Parish leaders have described St. Bernadette as 'one holy, Catholic and apostolic church,' intentionally inclusive of the deaf community, the Native American community, and families and individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty along Lakewood's Colfax corridor.
- St. Bernadette Parish founded in 1947
- Hosts the Colorado Catholic Deaf Ministry
- Operates a parish school
- Hosts Marisol Home transitional housing (up to 18 families)
Getting in Touch and Visiting
St. Kateri Catholic Community meets at St. Bernadette Catholic Church, 7240 West 12th Avenue, Lakewood, CO 80214. The parish office can be reached at (303) 233-1523 or by email at [email protected]. The simplest way to experience the community is to attend the 12:00 PM Sunday Mass and introduce yourself to Father Joe McLagan or Father Geronimo after the liturgy.
- Address: 7240 West 12th Avenue, Lakewood, CO 80214
- Phone: (303) 233-1523
- Email: [email protected]
- Sunday gathering time: 12:00 PM Mass