250 Years of Grace: The Story God Is Still Writing
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From the Domínguez-Escalante Expedition to Archbishop James Golka, God has faithfully guided the Catholic Church in Colorado through every generation.
By Father Scott Bailey
Pastor
Risen Christ Parish, Denver
While our founding fathers were signing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, two Franciscan friars in Santa Fe were preparing for a journey north into an unfamiliar territory which we now call Colorado. Known as the Domínguez-Escalante Expedition, it was a trek to discover a new path to California and to find possible locations for future missions. Though they did not establish any communities in the state, they likely celebrated Mass during their time in western Colorado. Thanks to the Domínguez-Escalante Expedition, this summer marks the 250th anniversary of the arrival of our Eucharistic Lord in Colorado.
In honor of that anniversary, this article will trace the history of the Catholic faith in Colorado, with particular focus on the Archdiocese of Denver. This will be a mere outline of our local Church’s history, but it is intended to be a celebration of what God has done in our midst.
When the Domínguez-Escalante Expedition came through Colorado in 1776, this land was sparsely populated by native tribes and had long been claimed by Spain. Over the next several decades, this land would change hands a few times: first, it belonged completely to the United States, then it was divided between the United States and Spain, and finally, it was divided between the United States and Mexico. When the United States won its war with Mexico in 1848, the area was divided amongst four American territories: New Mexico, Utah, Nebraska and Kansas. During those years, neither Spain, Mexico, nor the United States established any lasting settlements in the area. It would take a Gold Rush to bring new people — and the Church — to the area that would become Colorado.
The Gold Rush and Foundations of the Church in Colorado (1858-1889)
In 1858, gold was discovered along the South Platte River (near present-day W. Dartmouth Ave. and S. Santa Fe Dr., to be exact). News spread quickly, and within a couple of years, tens of thousands of prospectors and miners had moved to the area. Settlements were built nearby called Denver City and Auraria. Since the new settlements were within the boundaries of the Diocese of Leavenworth, Kansas, the bishop there decided to visit this developing part of his vast diocese. In June of 1860, Bishop J.B. Miège celebrated Mass in Denver City in a home built on the southeast corner of 15th St. and Market St. This was the first celebration of the Eucharist in Colorado in 84 years. Enlivened by the bishop’s presence and the gift of the sacraments, the Catholic settlers organized to build a church. With a donated plot of land (located between 15th St., Stout St., 16th St. and California St.), a church foundation was laid.
Due to the great distance from the seat of his own diocese, Bishop Miège was concerned about his ability to provide for the growing pastoral needs of the region. The decision was made to transfer the territory we know as Colorado to the care of the bishop of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Bishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy of Santa Fe sent Fathers Joseph Machebeuf and John Raverdy to develop the Catholic missions in the region. On Christmas night 1860, Father Machebeuf celebrated the first Mass in the new church at 15th and Stout Streets, called St. Mary’s. To the best of our knowledge, Colorado has not been a day without the Eucharist since then.
Over the next several years, mission parishes were established in mining towns and new settlements. The early focus of Fathers Machebeuf and Raverdy was to establish mission churches in Central City, Georgetown, Trinidad, Golden and Buena Vista. For several years, there were only three priests to support 17 missions across all of Colorado. Traveling to the mountain towns was arduous without trains, but these priests were fueled by missionary zeal.
In 1868, Father Machebeuf was ordained a bishop and, for two years, was given responsibility for the Church in both Colorado and Utah, until Utah was transferred to the Archdiocese of San Francisco. St. Mary’s Parish in Denver now had the dignity of being the cathedral, but it was quickly starting to feel too small. As Denver's population doubled from 1870 to 1872, Bishop Machebeuf helped the Church meet the needs of the growing city. He was the bishop of Colorado for 19 years. During that time, Colorado became a state, over 30 parishes were established, 16 schools were opened, 6 hospitals were built, the Sisters of Loretto opened St. Mary’s Academy, the Jesuits opened a college (today, that is called Regis University), and a large property was purchased near Golden (today, that is Mount Olivet Cemetery).
It cannot be overstated that Bishop Machebeuf was instrumental in bringing the Lord and his Church to Colorado. He was a French priest who came to this land to be a missionary, not knowing that one day he would be serving a vast, developing territory with a mixed population of American settlers, Native tribes and Hispanic men and women. The Holy Spirit worked through him to meet the pastoral needs of the faithful of his day while laying a strong foundation for the future of the Church in Colorado. 150 years later, the Lord is still working through many of the institutions he built. Though he was gifted as an administrator and businessman, Bishop Machebeuf was always first concerned for the salvation of souls. In 1886, he was asked if he ever dreamt of a bigger, more beautiful cathedral. He responded, “A cathedral is a question of money, stone and mortar, while my work was, and should have been, a question of souls.”
Bishop Matz & The Era of Infrastructure (1889-1917)
When Bishop Nicholas Matz was appointed in 1889 to succeed Bishop Machebeuf, our nation was in the midst of rapid development. Four states were admitted to the Union that year, electricity was taking over in big cities, and railroads were beginning to cross the length of the country. The “Wild West” had been explored, settled and developed. 30 years after the Gold Rush, Colorado was starting to enjoy a newfound stability.
By the time he was consecrated a bishop, Bishop Matz had already been in Colorado for nearly 20 years. He had been ordained a priest by Bishop Machebeuf in 1874 and had served at St. Mary’s Cathedral and in Georgetown. He had watched Colorado grow, and he learned from Bishop Machebeuf how to meet the pastoral needs of the present while preparing for the needs of the future. During his 28 years as bishop of Colorado, the Catholic population grew dramatically, requiring greater institutional infrastructure. Bishop Matz oversaw many significant projects, including the opening of about 50 new parishes and missions, the creation of Mount Olivet Cemetery in Wheat Ridge, and the building of five new hospitals. Necessarily a “builder” bishop, the legacy of Bishop Matz was cemented in the building of a new cathedral and the establishment of a seminary.
The faithful in Denver were already beginning to outgrow St. Mary’s Cathedral by 1880, so fundraising started to build a new cathedral. It would take 22 years to raise sufficient funds to begin the project. Thanks to the help of devout and wealthy donors like John K. Mullen, a property on Colfax Ave. was purchased, and groundbreaking took place in 1902. Construction of the cathedral would take several years and faced many financial setbacks. The socialite and philanthropist Molly Brown helped motivate wealthy Denver residents in 1906 to keep construction moving through her Carnival of Nations. Six months after Molly Brown survived the 1912 sinking of the Titanic, Bishop Matz celebrated the first Mass in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Due to its extraordinary beauty, it was elevated to the status of a minor basilica in 1979 by Pope St. John Paul II.
In 1907, the first building of St. Thomas Seminary was erected on a 40-acre campus. The seminarians were formed by the Priests of the Congregation of the Missions (Vincentians). There were 12 seminarians in the first academic year, but St. Thomas Seminary would not remain a small institution for very long. Within a couple of decades, hundreds of men would pass through its halls. St. Thomas Seminary became the place of priestly formation for men from Colorado and many other dioceses across the American West and Midwest. Though it closed its doors in 1995, a new seminary opened in 1999 on the same site: St. John Vianney Theological Seminary.
In the early part of the 20th century, the Church in Colorado was rapidly planting roots through its buildings and institutions while the Lord was building up the heart of his people. During that time, Denver was home to three individuals who became known for their extraordinary holiness: St. Frances Cabrini, Servant of God Julia Greeley, and Father Leo Heinrichs.
Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini brought sisters to Denver to open a school at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in north Denver, as well as an orphanage. The sisters primarily cared for the children of Italian immigrant miners and even opened a summer camp in Golden for orphaned girls. St. Frances Cabrini would eventually become the first American citizen to be canonized. The summer camp was eventually converted into a shrine, and today tens of thousands of pilgrims visit it each year.
Servant of God Julia Greeley was a former slave who converted to Catholicism in Denver in 1880. She worked as a domestic servant and used her earnings to discreetly support poor white families. She was deeply devoted to the Eucharist and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. After her death in 1918, Julia Greeley was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Her remains were relocated to the cathedral in 2016 to inspire devotion and to help promote her cause for canonization. At the transfer of her remains, Denver Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodríguez remarked with joy that Julia Greeley was “the first person buried in Denver’s cathedral. Not a bishop, not a priest — a laywoman, a former slave.”
Father Leo Heinrichs was the pastor at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish in Auraria. While distributing communion at Mass one day in 1908, a man approached him with a gun and shot Father Heinrichs in the chest. Attentive to the Eucharist which had fallen to the ground, Father Heinrichs’ last act was to collect hosts he had spilled and then set the ciborium on a step before the altar of the Blessed Mother. To this day, he is remembered for his devotion to the Eucharist to his dying breath.
50 Years of Resilience & Growth (1917-1967)
In late 1917, Denver received a new bishop from Lincoln, Nebraska: Bishop John Henry Tihen. At that time in national news, the United States had just entered World War I. In local news, the Ku Klux Klan was on the rise in Colorado.
Colorado had the second-largest Klan membership in the nation by the 1920s. In addition to their racist views, the Klan was also vehemently anti-Catholic. While violence and burning crosses were a part of the Klan’s intimidation tactics, the Klan in Colorado primarily operated using boycotts, written threats and political interventions. They used their influence to try to discredit the Catholic Church, make Catholic businesses fail, forbid the establishment of Catholic schools and ban the use of sacramental wine at Mass. The Klan had powerful members in government, including Denver’s mayor and Colorado’s governor.
Thanks in large part to the Denver Catholic Register and its founding editor, Father Matthew Smith, the lies and evils of the Klan were exposed. In his articles, Father Smith frequently offered counsel on navigating such a challenging time. He called upon Catholics to remain vigilant, never give in to the temptation of violence and to speak the truth. Confident that truth always wins, Father Smith wrote, “If we spread truth among our non-Catholic friends, sooner or later they will realize that such a movement as the Klan has no place in our American institution.”
During the 1920s, the Diocese of Denver saw significant growth in Catholic ministries serving the underprivileged. Collections were taken in parishes to support orphanages, nursing homes and camps for boys and girls. It was during this time, in 1927, that Bishop Tihen established Catholic Charities as a central office for coordinating ministries serving the poor. The timing could not have been better. In 1929, the stock market crashed, triggering the Great Depression. The charitable services provided by Catholic Charities were essential in helping many people survive those difficult years.
When Bishop Urban Vehr came to Denver in 1931, he made it his priority to become familiar with the people and the territory of his diocese. In his first year, he managed to visit every parish in Colorado. For the next decade, he was on the road 30,000 miles each year to become familiar with every aspect of the diocese. He opened many parishes, missions and schools, establishing much of what is our current archdiocese.
In 1941, the Holy Father raised the Diocese of Denver to the rank of an Archdiocese. This was an acknowledgment that Northern Colorado had grown both in population and in its influence upon the region. With the change came new boundaries and the establishment of the Diocese of Pueblo in the southern half of Colorado. For the next 26 years, Archbishop Vehr would now care for an Archdiocese of about 87,000 Catholics and have vigilance over the neighboring Dioceses of Pueblo and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The Archdiocese received its first auxiliary bishop in 1961: Bishop David Maloney. Born in Colorado and a long-time priest of the Archdiocese, Bishop Maloney had the unique privilege of participating as a council father in the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965. He did so on behalf of Archbishop Vehr and the Archdiocese of Denver.
Modern Challenges and Renewal (1967-Present)
In the years immediately following the Second Vatican Council, the entire Church was wrestling with how to engage the world amid increasing secularism. Within the Church, Catholics were navigating liturgical changes to the Mass and theological questions about the roles of the clergy and the lay faithful. Charting the path forward was a challenge for many bishops during that time. During those difficult years, Bishop James Casey was installed as the second Archbishop of Denver in 1967.
Prior to coming to Denver, Archbishop Casey had studied and been ordained a priest in Rome, served as a chaplain in World War II in the South Pacific, and served as the bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska. Unpopular for closing 25 Catholic schools in the archdiocese and for being one of the most vocal bishops in the nation against the Vietnam War, he nonetheless has the legacy of establishing low-income housing through Catholic Charities, opening many parishes and starting the Catholic Biblical School in 1982.
In 1983, Pope St. John Paul II created the Diocese of Colorado Springs, which once again redefined the boundaries of the Archdiocese of Denver. Ten years later, Pope St. John Paul II visited Colorado for the first World Youth Day in the United States. During his historic visit, the pope had a private conference with President Clinton at Regis University, celebrated Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, hiked at Camp St. Malo in Allenspark and prayed the Stations of the Cross at Mile High Stadium. The pope’s closing Mass at Cherry Creek State Park had over 700,000 people in attendance from around the world.
At Mile High Stadium, Pope St. John Paul II said, “Jesus has called each one of you to Denver for a purpose.” Though he was talking to participants at World Youth Day in 1993, those words are also applicable to anyone living within the boundaries of the Archdiocese of Denver today. We have been called to this place for a purpose. Our shepherds of the last few decades have echoed the Holy Father’s missionary invitation through their preaching, and they have modeled it for us:
Archbishop (now Cardinal) Stafford came from Maryland to Denver for a purpose.
Archbishop Chaput came from Kansas to Denver for a purpose.
Archbishop Aquila came from California to Denver for a purpose.
Archbishop Golka came from Nebraska to Denver for a purpose.
When they first said “yes” to the Lord, these men did not know what the Lord would do through their ministry. But the Lord knew. He had a clear purpose to unite our hearts to his, and he has done so thanks to the guidance of our bishops, the fidelity of our clergy and religious, the zeal of our apostolates and the devotion of the People of God.
Looking back at the history of the Church in Colorado, we can see that when individuals cooperate with God’s plan, he does great things. We do not need to be the most educated, most impressive or most skilled person in the room; we only need to say “yes” to him working through us.
The story of the Church in Colorado is not merely a history, a thing of the past. It is still being written by those who believe that God has given each of us a role in his kingdom. Jesus has called each of us to be here for a purpose.
