Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
October 31 , 2001
Sixteen years St. Cajetan's dedicates $1.5 million hall
By Rossana Goñi
Archbishop Chaput blesses new facility for evangelization ago, a group of enthusiastic parishioners of St. Cajetan's Parish gathered with their pastor to decide which was the most important project for their community's future. Almost immediately, they agreed on the need to build a community center to provide means for evangelization.
After several years of prayer and effort, the center is now a dream come true. On Sunday, Oct. 21, within the emotional setting of a procession of the Lord of the Miracles (a Peruvian image of Christ) and mariachi music, hundreds gathered to join Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., in the blessing of the new $1.5 million St. Cajetan's Community Hall.
The event started at noon with the celebration of the Eucharist presided by Archbishop Chaput and concelebrated by St. Cajetan's Pastor Father Jaime Prohens and Assistant Pastor Father Tomás Fraile.
The wall-to-wall packed church was dominated by an image of Our Lord of the Miracles, which stood on one side of the altar under the devoted watch of purple-dressed members of the Fraternity of Our Lord of the Miracles. Immigrants brought the Peruvian-born devotion to Northern Colorado.
During his homily, Archbishop Chaput encouraged the predominately Hispanic congregation to pray constantly and to be grateful to God for his many blessings, among them, the completion of the new community center.
Following the Mass, Archbishop Chaput led hundreds in the procession to the new center located at 4335 W. Byers St., a block away from the parish church.
"We are incredibly happy with our community center. We will now be able to promote more and more activities aimed to strengthen our faith and become better evangelizers," said Maria Garcia.
In fact, the new center will provide room and facilities to hold meetings, conferences, retreats and Sunday school for the increasing number of children in the area. The center also will provide community services, such as education programs and language training for non-English speaking adults.
According to Linda Sosa, one of the leading volunteers at St. Cajetan, the center "is a great achievement for the whole community, because everybody was instrumental in helping to build it, either through money or personal involvement. We will now be able to provide better attention to the community, especially to our children.
"It has been so encouraging to see people from so many different cultural backgrounds working together," she added.
According to Roxana Cevallos, another leader involved in the project, "this has been the achievement and success of a united community that decided to take on even the most challenging of tasks."
Cevallos underscored the "human and spiritual support" of the parish's pastors, Fathers Prohens and Fraile, who she said, "never failed us."
The celebration ended with a lunch provided by the Fraternity of Our Lord of the Miracles, who were also concluding a novena in honor of their patron.
Contact Us
