Denver Catholic

8 SEPTEMBER 14-27, 2019 | DENVER CATHOLIC Parish Spotlight Disclosure *APR (Annual Percentage Rate). The Annual Percentage Rate is the advertised rate. Borrowers credit score must be 680 and above to receive the 3.99% interest rate. Terms not to exceed 60 months; debt to income ratio not to exceed 45%; loan to value not to exceed 125% of NADA value. **Oer not valid for existing Credit Union loans, or renances of recreational vehicles or vehicles used for business purposes; some vehicles may not apply based on age or condition; not valid on indirect loans.Oer only good on new, pre-owned and renanced vehicles Sept. 1-30, 2019. Call: 303.424.5037 Click: Fideliscu.org or Come by today Uniting Your Faith and Finances NEW | USED | REFINANCED ** 60 Months 3.99 % APR * Find the right car for you, and let us help with the rest! 3.99 Auto Rates starting at B L D B DIAPER DRIVE SUPPORT GABRIEL HOUSE PROJECT ccdenver.org/diaper-drive ONE IN THREE U.S. FAMILIES STRUGGLES TO PROVIDE ENOUGH DIAPERS TO KEEP A BABY OR TODDLER CLEAN, DRY, AND HEALTHY. Gabriel House Project is kicking off their Fall Diaper Drive 9/23 - 10/31 NATIONAL DIAPER AWARENESS WEEK 9/23 to 9/30 Community-rooted St. Theresa's breaks ground for long-awaited new church C armine DeSantis was six years old when St. Theresa's Parish in Frederick was being constructed. Having just immigrated from Italy with his family, he didn't speak a lick of English. This was in 1936, just after World War II had broken out in Europe. He's been in Frederick ever since, and St. Theresa's has been an instrumental part of his life. Founded in 1923, construction for the church was completed in 1938, and still stands today. However, with an ever-growing population and as the main parish for residents of Frederick, Fires- tone, Dacono and the surrounding areas, they've long needed a bigger church.¬ This dream became a reality Sept. 6, when after nearly 10 years, the St. Theresa's Parish community broke ground for a new church building. The nine-and-a-half-acre plot of land at the corner of Bobcat and Bella Rosa Park- way in Frederick was donated by a local resident o f the area in 2009. "We have been waiting for this moment," Father Hernan Florez, pastor of St. Theresa's for 11 years, told the Denver Catholic. With a modest population of about 13,000, Frederick is not a big town. How- ever, it is a community that has been around for many years, and St. Theresa's has deep roots in it. The original building was built by the coal miners who pop- ulated the Frederick area in the 1930s, made up mostly of Italian immigrants. "They've done a good job at building the building," DeSantis said. "Of course, each person did what they could do. There was no spec- ifi ed electrician or anything, but if you could do a little bit of electrical work, you did the job. We had a lot of good hustlers." Today, DeSantis remains one of the original founding members of the parish, along with two others. "They call us the 'Three Musketeers,'" DeSantis joked. For many years, St. Theresa's also ran a K-12 school, and after serving in the army during the Korean War, DeSan- tis became a teacher. He taught at St. Theresa's for 32 years, where, among several roles, he served as a hall monitor and taught driver's ed. He looks back on those years fondly. "It was wonderful," he said. "It was just like a big family. We got lucky." Blanca Rodriguez has been a part of the parish for 40 years, and she taught alongside DeSantis for part of that time. She is also an integral part of the Hispanic ministry e£ orts of the parish. As with BY AARON LAMBERT aaron.lambert@archden.org Carmine DeSantis (pictured, center), has been a part of St. Theresa's Parish since 1936. PHOTOS BY AARON LAMBERT PARISH SPOTLIGHT

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