Denver Catholic

9 DENVER CATHOLIC | AUGUST 24-SEPTEMBER 14, 2019 about you because of your faith in Jesus Christ and your trust in him." St. Francis is a mission of St. Helena Church in Fort Morgan (Our Lady of Lourdes in Wiggins is also a mission of St. Helena). Prior to St. Francis being built, the Catholics of the area were served by a priest traveling by train from Brighton. Father Bernard Froegel took care of 18 mission congregations in northeast Colorado. He cele- brated the fi rst Mass in Weldona in 1911 in Schafer's Hall. With the permission of Bishop J. Henry Tihen, Father Froegel urged the people to erect a permanent church. Fundraising began and the Theodora and Henry Arnold family donated the lot on which the present-day church sits. Vivianne Lorenzini, a con- vert to Catholicism, has worshiped at the church for as long as she has been married, 39 years. It was the faith of her husband Rick's family. Their two now-adult children made their sacra- ments there. "My husband's family, both sides of his family, are among the founding members of the church," Lorenzini told the Denver Catholic. "We now have the sixth generation attending. There's a lot of other families in the valley like that here." Father Reyes agreed. "The same families who founded the community are the ones who continue to sustain it. They see the church as something that binds them together," he told the Denver Catholic. "They're mostly farmers who live a simple life. They are very hardworking and rely on God's providence for their crops. They know how much they depend on God. They have a deep connection with God and the earth." Over the years, the congre- gation of 100-150 families has made improvements to their beloved church, which o¨ ers a 7 a.m. Sunday Mass. In 1961, the Union Pacifi c Railroad donated a frame depot, which the congregation moved to a site adjacent to the church and turned into a three-room parish hall. The church interior has been reno- vated and the original stained glass win- dows refurbished. New steps and a ramp were installed. Parishioners memori- alized the church's 90th anniversary by installing an outdoor bench. For the centennial anniversary, they added a statue of St. Francis and planted trees. St. Francis, the 13th century Italian founder of the Franciscan orders of friars and patron of Colorado, of ani- mals and of the environment, is a fi t- ting patron for the rural church. For the anniversary celebration, parishioners were given a book of the history of St. Francis Church and the Weldon Valley, a bookmark with the prayer of St. Francis, and a used Eucharistic candle fi lled with grain from various farms in the valley. Last year, Vivianne Lorenzini's family went on pilgrimage to Rome. "We all went — me, my husband and children," she said. "We visited the Vati- can and all the [main pilgrim] churches. They were beautiful, but I feel closest to God in this church. It's home and I feel closer to God here." Learn, love, and share your faith! DENVER CATHOLIC CATECHETICAL SCHOOL ST. J O H N V I A N N E Y T H E O LO G I C A L S E M I N A RY L AY D I V I S I O N Classes begin September 9 th , register now! Join us for a fun and free information session to learn all about these classes. For a full list of info sessions by program and location, please call 303.715.3195, or visit www.sjvlaydivision.org "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." St. Jerome PARISH SPOTLIGHT Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila poses with members of St. Francis of Assisi in Weldona, which is a mission of St. Helena Parish in Fort Morgan. July 20 marked the 100th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi, and Archbishop Aquila presided over a special Mass celebrating the centenery. PHOTO PROVIDED

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