About St. Patrick · Eureka, Utah
St. Patrick Catholic Church is a small Catholic mission in the historic mining town of Eureka, Utah, in Juab County. Built in 1885 under the direction of Reverend Denis Keily, it is one of the oldest Catholic churches in Utah and a contributing building to the Eureka Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The mission is administered from San Andres Catholic Church in Payson by Reverend Alfredo Valdez, with Mass celebrated on the first Sunday of each month at 2:30 p.m. and confessions heard before every Mass.
- Established
- 1885
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Reverend Alfredo Valdez (Administrator, San Andres Catholic Church / Saint Patrick-Eureka / San Isidro-Elberta)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salt Lake City
Why belong here
St. Patrick's offers a rare experience of the Catholic faith in one of Utah's oldest surviving Catholic churches, surrounded by the same mining-town landscape that Irish immigrants settled in the 1880s. The small, monthly Sunday Mass (1st Sundays at 2:30 p.m.) gathers a tight-knit community of faithful Catholics in Juab County, and the faithful receive pastoral care from San Andres Catholic Church in nearby Payson. For visitors, the chapel is a living piece of Utah Catholic and Tintic history — quiet, intimate, and welcoming to those who worship at Mass or come to pray in a place that has served Catholic worship continuously since Christmas Day 1885.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before all Masses
History of St. Patrick Catholic Church
St. Patrick's was built in November–December 1885 under the direction of Reverend Denis Keily, in the midst of the Tintic mining boom. Father Lawrence Scanlan — later Utah's first Catholic bishop — had first visited Tintic in 1873, traveling among the boom camps of Diamond, Silver City, and Eureka. By 1885 the Irish-Catholic community of Eureka was large enough for a permanent church, and the building was completed just in time to host its first Mass on Christmas Day 1885. The structure is the oldest surviving Catholic church in Utah.
- Built November–December 1885 under Rev. Denis Keily
- First Mass: Christmas Day 1885
- Construction cost: approximately $3,000
- Architect/builder unknown
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1979
- Utah Division of State History historical marker (No. N-236-1) on site
The Irish Catholic Heritage of Tintic
The church stands as a tangible reminder of the Irish Catholic immigrants who built their lives in the silver-mining boom towns of the Tintic District. Its National Register listing explicitly recognizes its association with Irish settlement in Tintic and the early missionary work of Bishop Lawrence Scanlan.
- Represents Irish settlement of the Tintic mining district
- Linked to the early Catholic missionary efforts of Bishop Lawrence Scanlan
Parish Life, School, and the Sisters of the Holy Cross
A school opened inside the church itself in January 1886, with the pews designed to also serve as desks; it closed in October 1886. A separate St. Joseph School was built on the site of the present parking lot north of the church in 1891 and staffed by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. The Sisters lived in a convent — today's St. Patrick's Rectory (Old Sisters' Convent) — built around 1920–1923, largely funded by the Walter Fitch family, the Catholic operators of the Chief Consolidated Mining Company. St. Joseph School closed in the 1940s and was later razed.
- School inside the church: January–October 1886
- St. Joseph School: opened May 1891, closed in the 1940s
- Staffed by Sisters of the Holy Cross
- Convent (now rectory) built c. 1920–1923 with Fitch family funds
- Old Rectory built c. 1912 by architect Walter J. Cooper and builder William Jones
Eureka Historic District and National Register Listing
St. Patrick's Catholic Church is a contributing property of the Eureka Historic District. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 1979 and is one of several historic religious structures in downtown Eureka.
- Contributing building of the Eureka Historic District
- National Register of Historic Places, 1979
Administering Parish: San Andres Catholic Church, Payson
St. Patrick's is administered together with San Isidro Mission in Elberta by the pastor of San Andres Catholic Church, 315 E 100 N, Payson, UT 84651. The parish office (phone 801-465-4782) handles all inquiries, sacramental records, and scheduling for the Eureka mission. San Andres offers weekend Masses in English and Spanish, weekday bilingual Masses on Tuesday through Thursday, and a regular Monday evening confession schedule.
- San Andres Catholic Church, 315 E 100 N, Payson, UT 84651
- Administrator: Rev. Alfredo Valdez
- Clergy cluster: San Andres (Payson) / St. Patrick (Eureka) / San Isidro (Elberta)
Clergy and Pastoral Care
St. Patrick's is currently administered by Reverend Alfredo Valdez, pastor of San Andres Catholic Church in Payson. Earlier pastors who have served the Eureka mission include Father Denis Keily (who oversaw construction of the present church in 1885) and Father Rob Moriarty, who in the early 2000s celebrated Sunday Mass at St. Patrick's alongside his duties at San Andres and as chaplain of Juan Diego Catholic High School.
- Rev. Alfredo Valdez — current administrator
- Rev. Rob Moriarty — served early 2000s
- Rev. Denis Keily — oversaw 1885 construction
Visiting St. Patrick's
St. Patrick's is a small, intimate chapel in downtown Eureka. Because Mass is offered only on the first Sunday of each month at 2:30 p.m., visitors planning a pilgrimage to this historic 1885 church should call the parish office at (801) 465-4782 in advance to confirm times and current schedules.
- Address: 121 North Church Street, Eureka, UT 84628
- Phone: (801) 465-4782
- Mass: 1st Sunday of the month, 2:30 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Denis Keily1885
Selected the site and oversaw construction of the church in 1885.
- Rev. Rob Moriartycirca 2003
Celebrated Sunday Mass at St. Patrick's while also serving San Andres in Payson; chaplain at Juan Diego Catholic High School.