About St. Rita · Nederland, Colorado
St. Rita Catholic Church is a small mission parish serving the mountain communities of Nederland, Colorado, and the surrounding Boulder Canyon corridor (Rollinsville, Ward, and beyond), about 20 minutes up Boulder Canyon from the city of Boulder. Operated as a mission of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Boulder within the Archdiocese of Denver, St. Rita celebrates one Sunday Mass at 9:30 a.m. and is known for its warm, close-knit mountain-town congregation, its outdoor 99.3 FM broadcast in the parking lot, and its outreach to the local Nederland Food Pantry. The parish is named for St. Rita of Cascia, the patron saint of impossible causes, and its roots reach back to a 1932 summer camp ministry that grew into a chapel in 1935 and the present church built in 1961.
- Established
- 1932
- Patron
- St. Rita of Cascia
- Rector
- Father Mark Kovacik
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Denver
Why belong here
St. Rita is a small, welcoming mountain parish where Catholics in the Nederland, Rollinsville, and Ward communities can worship close to home instead of driving down Boulder Canyon. With one celebrated Sunday Mass at 9:30 a.m., rosary and confessions beginning at 9:00 a.m., a creative outdoor broadcast on 99.3 FM for those tuning in from the parking lot, religious education for children each September, monthly food-pantry collections for the Nederland Food Pantry, and a yearly Palm Sunday OCIA retreat, the parish offers the essentials of Catholic life in an intimate setting. As a mission of Sacred Heart of Jesus in Boulder, parishioners also have access to the larger parish's daily Masses, OCIA (Becoming Catholic) program, and ministries.
Mass times at St. Rita
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:00 AM (before Mass)
- Weekdays by appointment
Church History
St. Rita's story begins in 1932 with a Dominican priest's summer camp at the old Antlers Hotel and grows into the present-day mountain mission church. Fr. James Reagan, O.P., of Denver's St. Dominic's Parish proposed the Catholic Daughters of America purchase the Antlers in 1932; he ran the camp through 1954 while saying Mass for Catholics from Rollinsville to Ward. By 1935 he had raised enough money to build St. Rita's Chapel, and in 1961 — after the camp closed — the Antlers was demolished and the current St. Rita's Catholic Church was built on the same site.
- 1932 — Fr. James Reagan, O.P., launches summer camp at the Antlers Hotel
- 1935 — St. Rita's Chapel constructed by parishioners from St. Dominic's and the mountain communities
- 1954 — Summer camp operations end
- 1961 — Old Antlers demolished; present St. Rita's Catholic Church built on the site
Our Patron: St. Rita of Cascia
The parish is named for St. Rita of Cascia (1381–1457), an Italian widow and Augustinian nun revered as a powerful intercessor. St. Rita is the patron saint of impossible causes, difficult marriages, and parenthood. Her feast day is celebrated on May 22, the anniversary of her death. She was beatified by Pope Urban VIII in 1627 and canonized by Pope Leo XII on May 24, 1900.
- Patronage: Impossible Causes, Difficult Marriages, Parenthood
- Feast Day: May 22
- Canonized by Pope Leo XII on May 24, 1900
Religious Education
Religious education for the parish's children begins each September and is coordinated by Karla Canales. The program supports Catholic formation for the families of Nederland, Rollinsville, Ward, and the surrounding mountain communities, and complements the parent parish's broader formation offerings. Those interested in enrolling or learning more are encouraged to contact the religious education director directly.
- Director: Karla Canales — (805) 709-2185
- Classes begin each September
- Open to children of parish families from Nederland and surrounding mountain communities
Becoming Catholic (OCIA)
Adults seeking to become Catholic are served through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) at the parent parish, Sacred Heart of Jesus in Boulder. The 2025–2026 program includes weekly Tuesday evening meetings at 6:00 p.m., Sunday Mass attendance, monthly one-on-one sponsor meetings, and a full-day Lenten retreat held every spring on Palm Sunday at St. Rita Church in Nederland — beginning with 9:00 AM Mass and concluding after a shared dinner at 5:30 PM. There is no cost to participate.
- Weekly catechumenate meetings: Tuesdays at 6:00 PM
- Monthly sponsor meetings (one-on-one)
- Palm Sunday Lenten Retreat held at St. Rita in Nederland
- Contact: Henry Schliff, Director of Religious Education — (720) 355-949
Outreach and Community Life
St. Rita's small mountain congregation is deeply woven into the life of Nederland. The parish collects donations for the Nederland Food Pantry on the first Sunday of each month, and parishioners are invited to donate altar flowers by leaving a contribution in the flower box at the rear of the church. The annual Palm Sunday retreat brings Boulder-area Catholics up the canyon, and the parish's famous parking-lot FM broadcast (99.3) extends its reach to anyone passing through.
- Nederland Food Pantry donations — 1st Sunday of each month
- Altar Flowers donation box at the rear of the church
- Parking-lot Mass broadcast on 99.3 FM
- Annual Palm Sunday OCIA retreat
Staff and Clergy
St. Rita is staffed through Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Boulder. The pastor and parochial vicar serve both parishes, and a small team of lay staff and music ministers keep the Nederland mission running.
- Pastor: Father Mark Kovacik — (303) 442-6158 x 116 — [email protected]
- Parochial Vicar: Father Tomislav Tomic — (303) 442-6158 x 114 — [email protected]
- Visiting priests: Father John Paul Almedia, Father Greg Ames
- Religious Education: Karla Canales — (805) 709-2185
- Director / Operations: Dave Rasmussen — (303) 582-9083
- Music: Sheri Rasmussen — (303) 582-9083
- Altar Flowers & Music: Susan Williams — (303) 258-9241
Contact and Visit
St. Rita Catholic Church sits along Highway 119 (Boulder Canyon Drive) in Nederland, about 17 miles southwest of Boulder and roughly 3,000 feet higher in elevation. The parish mailing address, phone, and email route through the parent parish at Sacred Heart of Jesus in Boulder.
- Address: 326 Boulder Canyon Highway (CO-119), Nederland, CO 80466
- Phone: (303) 258-3060
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.saintrita-church.com/
- Parent Parish: Sacred Heart of Jesus, 1318 Mapleton Ave., Boulder, CO 80304 — (303) 442-6158
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father James Reagan, O.P.1932–1954
Dominican priest from St. Dominic's Parish in Denver who founded the summer camp at the Antlers Hotel in 1932, offered Mass for the mountain communities, and built St. Rita's Chapel in 1935.