St. Anthony of
Padua Church

 

 

Address: 125 South Fir Street, Aguilar, CO 
Mailing Address:  P.O. Box 577, Aguilar, CO 81020-0577

Office Hours:  Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

 
Phone:  719 941-4124 *  Fax:  719 941-4124
Pastor: Rev. Philip Coury, CM, VF
Summer Mass Schedule:  Sundays:  8:30 a.m.  *  Holidays:  6:00 p.m.  *  Weekdays:  9:00 a.m.
Winter Mass Schedule:  Same as summer schedule.
Missions:  Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Trujillo Creek and San Jose, Gulnare
 
Our mission...
We, the community of St. Anthony Parish of Aguilar, as part of the Diocese of Pueblo, are a parish with unique circumstances:  The majority of our parishioners are senior citizens and retirees with fixed incomes; our youth live in a wide spread area; your community has limited social and recreational resources.  Therefore, we commit ourselves to fulfilling the spiritual needs of our community in the Catholic tradition.
 
STAFF
Rev. Philip Coury, Cm, VF, Pastor
Amy Wilson, CRE
Lois Cirone, Music Director
David Wilson, Parish Council President
Esther Velasquez, Secretary/Bookkeeper/Office Manager
 
HISTORY
Aguilar is located alongside Highway I-25, between Walsenburg and Trinidad. It marks the entrance of the Apishapa Valley in southeastern Colorado, and leads to the San Isabel National Forest, the majestic Spanish Peaks and the snow-capped Sangre de Cristo Mountain range, whose waters feed the streams and fertilize the surrounding area.  The parish of St. Anthony serves two mission churches, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, in Trujillo Creek, and San Jose, in Gulnare.

Cattle raising is one of the area’s basic industries, along with timber milling, to a limited degree.  With the closing of many area coal mines, residents have had to find other sources of employment, often traveling to other cities to work.

The original community, where once various Indian tribes roamed, consisted of a few adobe houses, and was called, San Antonio Plaza, by early Spanish settlers who brought with them their faith. The first church, known as La Parroquia de San Antonio, was built in 1875 on donated land. At that time it was a mission of Holy Trinity in Trinidad. The priest came by horse and buggy, later by train, then by car to say mass once a month.

Aguilar became a hustling community in the 1920s due to the coal mining industry, and the small adobe church could not meet the demands of the growing Catholic population. Plans were made to build a church of stone that could accommodate 300 to 350 persons. The interior of the church was lined with chocolate and cream colored brick, and four unique stained-glass windows were placed on either side of the building. The Altar Society donated a communion rail, which is still in place today.

In 1946, St. Anthony became a parish, with its first resident pastor. The Catholic community was served by the Jesuit Order until 1983. Then from 1983 until 1986, due to a shortage of priests, St. Anthony’s became a mission of St. Mary’s Church, Walsenburg. For the next decade and a half, the parish maintained a resident priest at various intervals, often sharing him with Walsenburg. Currently the Vincentian Community is serving the congregation of 178 families.