In 1961, an industrious group of individuals decided that their Catholic faith was important and that their children needed to know more about their faith. Other Catholic churches were too far away for them to bring their children, especially during the harsh winters. So they contacted Archbishop Vehr, who was Archbishop of Denver at the time and asked his permission to have a parish in the Black Forest. The Archbishop stated that he would investigate the possibility of a “priestly ministration” in their area, but he was doubtful if a parish could be started. This did not dissuade them. They were determined to educate their children and have Masses in their area. They raised money, found priests to say Mass and approached Archbishop Vehr again.

In that first year the number of children in catechism class was 8, but by the end of the school year there were 31 students. The whole community was involved in educating and spreading the Word of God. Pushed by the Spirit in the hearts of the people of the community, the Catholic Community in the Black Forest was named Our Lady of the Pines by the Archbishop on May 11, 1962. Catholic education was primary in the minds of the founders. On June 24, 1963, there were 82 Catholics who attended Mass in the Black Forest Community Center. The first furnishings for Mass came from a church in Elbert, Colorado, that had closed after their priest had died. From then on the people of Our Lady of the Pines Guild raised money by having bake sales and raffles.

April 12, 1964, was the first field Mass. The first Holy Day Mass was said on December 8th in a building at the corner of Black Forest and Swan called the Sugar Shack. Religious instructions and classes grew. In 1964, Archbishop Vehr allocated money to build a Catholic Church. On August 22, 1965, ground was broken for Our Lady of the Pines new chapel. The church was built by volunteers. December 25, 1965 the first Mass was celebrated in the new church.

In 1970 Father Hanlon was recruited to be the first priest for Our Lady of the Pines. In 1971, plans began for the building of a rectory. In Our Lady of the Pines fashion, in 1973-74, volunteers began the project. January 1977, Father Bill Vollmer came to Our Lady of the Pines. In April 1978 Deacon Gene Eastham was assigned to assist Father Vollmer. In August 1982, Sister Evangeline Salazar joined the parish to direct religious Education programs. On June 10, 1984, Our Lady of the Pines was designated a canonical parish. Father Fritz Lang was assigned to Our Lady of the Pines in July 1985. On November 8, 1987 the new addition of the annex was completed to serve the needs of 285 families with six new classrooms plus a multi-purpose room. This addition would allow 375 people to attend Mass at one time. In 1995, Fr. Jerry Borer, S.J., became the new pastor and more Catholics were served with his statement, “Come to the Eucharist.” The parish grew and religious education classes increased. It was time for a larger church.

Fr. Jerry started the campaign to build a bigger church that would accommodate more people and more ministries were started: charity and social ministry, Befriender ministry and the youth ministry grew. In 2003, Father Jerry retired without completing the work he started and even though the campaign continued the new church was not built until 2005. Because of a lack of priest in the diocese, Our Lady of the Pines was appointed a Parish Director, Deacon David Camous in 2003. He was able to complete the project of building the church in 2004. The parish continued to grow and in 2010, Bishop Michael Sheridan assigned a new pastor, Fr. Andrzej Szczesnowicz. Since Fr. Andrzej has been at Our Lady of the Pines our numbers have increased to 1055 households, the religious education program has increased, social outreach expanded and the welcoming spirit that was started with our founders is alive, well, and flourishing.