More Than a Building: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Fort Collins Celebrates Sixth Anniversary of Church Dedication
- Guest Contributor
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Six years after the new church was dedicated, Archbishop Golka reminded parishioners that God’s work continues.
By Karsen Flies
“This is a beautiful church,” Denver Archbishop James Golka told parishioners gathered at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church (SEAS).
“And the building is okay too,” he added with a smile.
The distinction drew laughter, but it also captured the heart of Archbishop Golka’s homily as he joined Father Joseph Toledo, the parish’s pastor, and parishioners on August 9 to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the dedication of the parish’s church.
The building itself is beautiful. Surrounded by sacred art and stained glass, the archbishop turned the congregation’s attention toward what truly makes it a church: the people gathered within it and the encounter with Christ that takes place there.
“The beauty of our Church is Catholics, Christians gathering together to practice our faith … to celebrate the sacraments, to receive our Lord in Holy Communion. There’s nothing more beautiful than that,” he said.
The six-year anniversary offered an opportunity not simply to look back at the construction of a church, but to reflect on what God has built within the people who now call it home.
A House Set Apart for God
In his homily, Archbishop Golka reflected on what it means to dedicate a church. The building is blessed with holy water, its walls and altar are anointed with Sacred Chrism, and the altar is consecrated and “set aside for our Lord Jesus.”
The building is set apart because of what will happen within it.
Archbishop Golka explained that the dedicated church, known around town as the “Church on the Hill,” stands as a visible sign of Christ’s presence.
He then connected the sacred space to the Gospel account of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10, the tax collector who desired to see Jesus as he passed through Jericho. That desire, Golka told parishioners, was not accidental. In much the same way, their own presence at Mass began with God stirring something within them.
“When you came here tonight, Jesus put a desire within you, and you are here for a reason,” he said. “Listen to those desires. That is God’s work.”
Like Zacchaeus climbing a sycamore tree above the crowd, the archbishop encouraged parishioners to elevate themselves above their worries and sin, approaching Christ with the desire to see and hear him.
“He speaks here. He feeds you here. He comes into your life here,” Archbishop Golka said.
Christ does not simply want to be seen from a distance, he explained. He desires to enter into a person’s life and transform it, just as his encounter with Zacchaeus led him to proclaim, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9).
‘A sign of the fidelity of God’
For Father Toledo, who shepherded SEAS through the construction and dedication of the church, this anniversary was an opportunity to recognize God's same work in the life of the parish.
“It’s a sign of the fidelity of God,” he said.
Building the church was a massive and complicated undertaking, he explained, with many obstacles along the way.
“There are a lot of noes before there are yeses,” he said. “And the most beautiful thing is just seeing God, from the start, do the work.”
During the Mass, Father Toledo described the building as a memorial to God's power and thanked those whose sacrifices helped make it possible.
“I just want to take a moment and recognize the miracle that God has done and is doing,” Father Toledo told parishioners during Mass.
That ongoing work is evident in the parish community that has continued to grow, particularly among young families. He believes the church itself helps foster that encounter.
“When you have a place where there is beauty … that brings the heart into the beauty of God,” he said.
Larry Van Dyke, who attended the parish before the current building was constructed, said he has experienced that personally.
“The atmosphere, everything about it, just helps you be closer to God … your prayer life and everything,” he said.
For young parents like Ted Goll, the parish’s growth is sometimes audible. Children and babies fill the pews on Sundays, something he sees as a sign of a community where families are encouraged to practice their faith together.
“We’ve got families around us who are in very similar positions, very serious about our faith,” he said. “We’re striving for holiness.”
Building Something Within
For Jim Hale, who has been part of the parish for two years, the work taking place inside those walls has become deeply personal.
Inspired by the faith of his 87-year-old mother, Hale has become involved in men's groups, Scripture study, prayer, service and evangelization at the parish.
“This church means everything to me now,” he said. “This church is a foundation of my soul.”
His words echo the distinction at the heart of Archbishop Golka’s homily: A church building exists ultimately to help build something within the people who enter it.
The archbishop’s presence also reminded parishioners that their parish’s life is connected to the wider Church.
“The apostles, they confirm us in the faith,” Father Joe said. “And we need him to come … to confirm us, to say, ‘Keep going on the path to holiness.’”
At the conclusion of his homily, Archbishop Golka brought the congregation back to the altar at the center of the church and to the encounter for which the building was constructed. There, he explained, Christ once again comes to his people.
For six years, parishioners have approached that altar through ordinary Sundays and extraordinary moments: Baptisms, marriages, funerals, Confirmations, crying children and growing families.
The construction of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s church may have ended six years ago, but the work it was built for continues.
“Today,” Archbishop Golka reminded them, “salvation has come to this house.”
