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May 29, 2002
Denver's Most Precious Blood Parish turns 50
Parish to celebrate anniversary with June 2 Mass and picnic
By Alwen Bledsoe
Education and remarkable generosity have marked Most Precious Blood Parish's 50 years in Denver, said Father Ken Koehler, pastor of the parish. The parish will celebrate its anniversary June 2 with a 10:45 a.m. Mass with Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., and, afterwards, a picnic at Observatory Park.
The church's 50-year history began with an announcement from Archbishop J. Vehr on June 19, 1952, that Most Precious Blood would be one of three new parishes to be built on land the archdiocese had previously bought from the University of Denver.
The church was given into the care of the Vincentian Fathers, a community founded by St. Vincent de Paul, a saint known for his generosity to the poor. And the Vincentians' generosity and learnedness still inhabit the parish today, said Father Ken Koehler, the first non-Vincentian to pastor the church.
"There's a great spirit of education," Father Koehler emphasized.
The Sunday morning adult education program, which regularly draws around 50-60 participants, supplements the church's dedication to children's education, both religious and academic, he said.
Arline Young has spent 46 of her 71 years at the parish and sent all eight of her children through the church's kindergarten through eighth grade school.
"Ours is a parish that continually wants to learn about their faith," she said.
The many in the parish who have graduated from the Catholic Biblical School greatly enrich the church's adult education program, Young continued. In fact, she added, it's difficult to come across a day or evening in the week which isn't occupied by some sort of Bible study, class, or small faith community meeting.
And the church doesn't just nurture the intellect. Young remembers two specific times when her family was supported through emotional turmoil by parishioners.
One of her sons, she said, was helped through marital troubles by a counselor at the church. At another time her family found strength in the prayers of parishioners when another son suffered through spinal meningitis at 2.
"We could just feel the prayers, could just feel that different people really meant it when they said, `We've got you in our prayers.' We knew they were on their knees," Young remembered.
Her son and her family came through the difficult time just fine, she said.
"Father just makes all the difference in the world," she added. "He just really knows how to help. He's not afraid to jump in and help."
According to Father Koehler, the church has gradually been making the transition from being a suburban church to being an urban one.
As a result, he said, "our resources are not as abundant as they would be in a suburban parish," but there are also virtues that arise out of the parish's proximity to much of Denver's need.
"This parish has a spirit of caring for the poor, we're known for that," the priest said.
"People join our parish because they want to help others," Young agreed. "That's what
we're known for. The need around us is very large."
The parish began the Sunday Lunch Program, which brings sack lunches every Sunday afternoon to seniors, homeless and those in danger of homelessness. The program is now organized by several parishes, Father Koehler explained. Other volunteer programs find parishioners helping to build and repair homes, providing temporary shelter for homeless families (a project that can require up to 200 parish volunteers, according to the priest), helping low-income families purchase Christmas gifts for their children, and donating baby items to single moms.
"I think it's just a great parish. I enjoy it," Father Koehler raved as he reflected on his 10 years at Most Precious Blood.
Parishioner Sue Berscheid agrees. She and her husband David went through marriage preparation at the parish 19 years ago and are now shepherding young couples through the same process. "What I hear over and over from people young and old is a sense of community," she said. "We have a strong sense of community, supporting each other and developing very strong relationships." "My husband and I have made some of the best friends we've ever had there," she later continued. "We have journeyed with our peers through marriages and deaths and illness and births, in good times and in bad. We're so strongly there for one another." The parish, she added, has taught her what is truly important in life: marriage, family, commitment and raising their children in the Catholic faith. Her 7-year-old attends the parish school and her 5-year-old will next year, Berscheid said. Already, she added, her children's lives are inundated with the church and their best friends are friends they've made at church. "We go to Mass and see so many people who we love and value who love and value us. It's that sense of community. I keep using that word over and over again, but it is a very strong sense of community. It's an invaluable part of our lives and we treasure it very much."
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