About St. Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows · Walsenburg, Colorado
St. Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Walsenburg, Colorado, part of the Diocese of Pueblo. The parish was established in 1869 as Our Lady of the Seven Dolors (Our Lady of the Seven Dolors / Our Lady of Sorrows are the same devotion) and serves as the anchor of the Spanish Peaks Catholic Community, which also includes St. Anthony of Padua in Aguilar, Christ the King Mission in La Veta, and Sacred Heart Mission in Gardner. The present red-brick Gothic Revival church was begun in 1892 and houses large Munich-Royal Bavarian stained-glass windows; the parish celebrated its 125-year jubilee of the current building in 2020.
- Established
- 1869
- Patron
- Our Lady of Sorrows (also known as Our Lady of the Seven Dolors)
- Rector
- Fr. Jeganmari Thangavel HGN
- Diocese
- Diocese of Pueblo
Why belong here
St. Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows offers a daily-Mass schedule most parishes five times its size cannot match — a Sunday liturgy at 10:30 AM plus four weekday Masses, with a weekly Holy Hour on Wednesdays and the Rosary prayed before several Masses, all in a single downtown church whose stained glass was made in Munich and whose bells have rung over Walsenburg for 125 years. As the anchor of the Spanish Peaks Catholic Community serving Walsenburg, Aguilar, La Veta, and Gardner, it is the spiritual home for Catholics across the southern Colorado coal country. The parish has just completed a new 40-by-80-foot parish hall, hosts regular community events like the Fall Festival and 5K runs, and welcomes visitors to a faithful, neighborly congregation rooted in more than a century and a half of local history.
Mass times at St. Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Holy Hour (Mass follows at 5:00 PM)
Parish History & 125-Year Jubilee
St. Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows traces back to 1869, when Bishop Joseph P. Machbeuf of the Diocese of Denver established it as the Parish of Our Lady of the Seven Dolors and named Fr. Joseph Percevault as its first pastor. The small early chapels were quickly outgrown by the Catholic immigrant families flocking to the Walsenburg coal mines, and Fr. Gabriel Ussel launched construction of the present Gothic Revival brick church in 1892. The economic Panic of 1893 delayed completion until 1900, when the bells were finally blessed. During the 2019–2020 pastoral year, the parish marked the 125th anniversary of the building's completion with a Jubilee Mass celebrated by Bishop Stephen J. Berg of Pueblo on June 14, 2020, and a full weekend of community events — a dance, 5K run and fun walk, picnic, raffle, bingo, and an Italian dinner.
- 1869 — Parish founded by Bishop Joseph P. Machbeuf
- 1882 — First chapel on the present rectory lot, built by Fr. Gabriel Ussel
- 1892 — Construction begins on the present brick church, designed by architect Patrick P. Mills in Gothic Revival style
- 1893 — Walls and roof completed; delayed by the Panic of 1893
- 1900 — Bells of the new church blessed; Masses begin
- 1931 — Original 30+ foot steeple blown over in a windstorm and rebuilt shorter
- 1940s — Red-brick exterior coated in gray stucco to prevent erosion of the low-fired local brick
- 1970s — Shingled roof replaced with white aluminum
- 2018 — Ground broken for new 40x80 ft parish hall under Fr. Stephen Olamolu
- 2020 — 125-Year Jubilee celebrated with Bishop Stephen J. Berg
The Church Building
The present church is a Gothic Revival structure designed by architect Patrick P. Mills and built of locally fired red brick, with large stained-glass windows imported from the Munich Royal Bavarian Studios. The exterior was coated in gray stucco in the 1940s and re-roofed in white aluminum in the 1970s. The original tall steeple was lost in a 1931 windstorm and replaced with a shorter version topped by a large metal cross. The bells blessed in June 1900 still ring over Walsenburg.
- Architect Patrick P. Mills
- Gothic Revival style
- Locally fired red brick (later gray stucco)
- Munich Royal Bavarian Studios stained glass
- Total original cost $17,031.95
Mass & Liturgical Schedule
The parish offers Mass five times a week. The Sunday liturgy is at 10:30 AM, and the Rosary is prayed before several of the weekday Masses, reflecting a strong communal prayer tradition in this southern Colorado community.
- Sunday — 10:30 AM
- Tuesday — 8:00 AM (Rosary at 7:30 AM)
- Wednesday — 5:00 PM (following Holy Hour)
- Thursday — 8:00 AM (Rosary at 7:30 AM)
- Friday — 5:00 PM (Rosary at 4:30 PM)
Sacraments
Reconciliation (Confession) is heard on Saturdays from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM or by appointment. Eucharistic Adoration is observed every Wednesday with a Holy Hour from 4:00 to 5:00 PM, immediately before the 5:00 PM Mass.
- Confession: Saturday 2:00–3:00 PM or by appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration: Wednesday 4:00–5:00 PM (Holy Hour before Mass)
Parish Hall & Facilities
After roughly 18 years of fundraising, the parish broke ground in January 2018 on a long-awaited 40-by-80-foot parish hall with restrooms and a kitchen. Then-pastor Fr. Stephen Olamolu helped raise a significant portion of the $263,000 needed for the project, with construction expected to be completed that spring or early summer. The flexible building now serves a variety of church and community gatherings.
- 40 ft x 80 ft parish hall
- Restrooms and kitchen
- Built with ~$263,000 raised over 18 years
- Ground broken January 14, 2018 by Bishop Stephen J. Berg
Spanish Peaks Catholic Community
St. Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows is the anchor parish of the Spanish Peaks Catholic Community, a single-pastorate cluster serving the Catholic faithful of southern Colorado. Fr. Stephen Olamolu (installed 2018) served as pastor for the entire community, and confessions for the Aguilar mission are heard at St. Mary's on Saturday afternoons.
- St. Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows — Walsenburg (anchor)
- St. Anthony of Padua — Aguilar
- Christ the King Mission — La Veta
- Sacred Heart Mission — Gardner
Parish Life & Community Events
Beyond the sacraments, the parish hosts an active community life. Annual events include a Fall Festival (with Broncos bingo, cake walk, and socialization) and the Jubilee year brought a dance, 5K timed run and fun walk, parish picnic, raffle, bingo, and Italian dinner — all designed both for fellowship and to raise awareness and funds for the aging church building.
- Fall Festival
- Jubilee 5K timed run and fun walk
- Parish picnic
- Raffle, bingo, Italian dinner, dance
- 125-Year Jubilee committee
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led currently by Fr. Jeganmari Thangavel HGN, who served as pastor during the 125-Year Jubilee year. His immediate predecessor was Fr. Stephen Olamolu, installed by Bishop Stephen J. Berg on January 14, 2018. The parish traces its clergy line back to founding pastor Fr. Joseph Percevault (1869) and Fr. Gabriel Ussel (1880s–early 1900s), who conceived and began the present church.
- Current Pastor — Fr. Jeganmari Thangavel HGN
- 2018 — Rev. Stephen Olamolu installed as pastor
- Diocesan Bishop — Most Reverend Stephen J. Berg, Diocese of Pueblo
- Founding pastor — Fr. Joseph Percevault (1869)
- Fr. Gabriel Ussel (built 1882 chapel, began present church in 1892)
Location & Accessibility
St. Mary sits in downtown Walsenburg at 121 East 7th Street. Directory listings note that the building offers wheelchair-accessible entrance, wheelchair-accessible parking, and a wheelchair-accessible restroom.
- Address: 121 E 7th St., Walsenburg, CO 81089
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance, parking, and restroom
- Phone: (719) 738-1204
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Joseph Percevault1869–
First pastor; established by Bishop Joseph P. Machbeuf of the Diocese of Denver; built the first Catholic church in Walsenburg near 7th and Main Streets.
- Fr. Gabriel Ussel
Built the small church on the present rectory/lot in 1882; dreamed of and began the present large brick church in 1892.
- Rev. Stephen Olamoluinstalled January 14, 2018
Hails from Nigeria; also serves St. Anthony of Padua (Aguilar), Christ the King Mission (La Veta), and Sacred Heart Mission (Gardner). Helped raise funds for the new parish hall.
- Fr. Jeganmari Thangavel HGN2019–2020 (as of jubilee)
Organized the 125-Year Jubilee of the current church building in 2019–2020.