Colorado Catholicism by Thomas J. Noel

OUR LADY OF PEACE (1941)

With Hispanics in mind, Archbishop Vehr established Our Lady of Peace on September 19, 1941. He entrusted the churchless parish to the Sons of the Holy Family, who assigned Dominic Morera, SF, to be the first pastor. With the help of Bernard J. Froegel of St. Peter's in Greeley, the parish purchased a block of land.

Because of wartime rationing of construction materials, the church was not built and dedicated until July 8, 1948. In the meantime, Father Dominic held Masses for Spanish-speaking people in St. Peter's, and parishioners cultivated the church site, raising vegetables for the poor and for the war effort. John K. Monroe designed the Romanesque church of brick with creamy terra cotta trim and a life-sized statue of Our Lady of Peace over the front entrance. Juan Menchaca, a Denver artist, hand painted the stations of the cross inside the church, which is illuminated by stained glass windows depicting Our Lady in her various roles.

Victory Noll sisters have been a part of the parish since 1944, when they moved into a little frame cottage, converting it to the Centro de Educación Católica for their work of teaching and caring for the poor. In 1988, the sisters, working with fathers Leonard and Peter Urban of St. Peter Church converted the former St. Peter's parish hall to the Guadalupe Center shelter.

This old church hall and a small wooden church attached to it had served the Spanish colony on Greeley's northwest side before Our Lady of Peace parish came onto the scene. Sister Mary Alice Murphy, OLVM, who spearheaded the Guadalupe Center shelter project, told the Denver Catholic Register of January 21, 1987:

When the migrants come into the Greeley area early in the spring they need a place to stay for two or three days until they can contact a farmer and arrange for a job. Many times these people go to the parks to sleep because they have no money, but the police roust them out and they often must spend all night walking around.

Father Francis Gonzales, SF, the last of eight Sons of the Holy Family to preside at the parish, left in 1983 when the Redemptorist order took charge. Gary Lauenstein, CSsR, the pastor since 1983, speaks both English and Spanish and has often gone to bat for his parishioners. He and other local clergy conducted a hearing on working conditions at Greeley's huge Monfort Beef Slaughterhouse. According to the Colorado Labor Advocate of November 11, 1987, Father Lauenstein hoped "to improve working conditions, and push management to be more responsive to worker grievances."

Pat Montoya, parish historian, reported in 1987 that "Father Gary and Our Lady of Peace tend three missions, St. Mary's in Ault, St. Michael's in Eaton, and Sacred Heart in Gilcrest."