Denver Catholic

14 DECEMBER 23, 2017-JANUARY 26, 2018 | DENVER CATHOLIC Around the Archdiocese S E E I N G I S B E L I E V I N G Visit our beautiful 200-acre campus in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to discover the transformative power of our time-tested, authentic Catholic liberal arts education and find out why Pope St. John Paul II said that "Christendom is doing a great work for the Church." There's no better way to believe in our unique educational experience than to see it for yourself. christendom.edu/visit > F R O N T R O YA L , V I R G I N I A SPECIAL OFFER Any high school senior, who has never visited campus before and visits this year, can choose between a $100 travel reimbursement check or a $500 scholarship. After 100 years of service to the Archdiocese of Denver, our Cathedral is in need of some vital repairs. Reinforce steeples to prevent crumbling Increase security on access points Repair, paint, clean interior Thank you for your generosity! Visit denvercathedral.org or call us at 303-831-7010 for more information A RESTORATION FOR THE AGES All donations are tax deductible $4.4 million $3.3 million $2.2 million $1.1 million $1,061,159 $795,795 $530,530 $265,265 INTERIOR EXTERIOR "Our historic and iconic Cathedral Basilica needs your help." Father Ron Cattany Pastor and Rector COLLECTED $293,894.25 COLLECTED $56,159.00 St. Francis Cabrini's unknown legacy, 100 years after her death BY VLADIMIR MAURICIO-PEREZ T he State of Colorado has o¯ cially declared Dec. 22 "St. Francis Cabrini Day," commemorating the 100th anniversary of her death. Though most Coloradans think of the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, Colo. when con- sidering the saint's infl uence, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church (OLMC) in Denver is also a historical jewel of her work. It was in Denver that she became a close companion of Father Mariano Felice Lepore, a young priest determined to build a church for the Italian immigrants. Mother Cabrini considered that in building Denver and the West, "the hardest work [was] reserved for the Italian worker," so she had come to Col- orado to bring "the holy joys" to the poor immigrants. The Italian community and church that Mother Cabrini would help unite has kept its lively Italian identity since it was founded in 1891 as the Mount Carmel Society. "We are a national parish within the archdiocese for all Italians, no matter where they live," said Father Hugh Guent- ner, current pastor of OLMC Parish in Denver. "We receive around 200 attend- ees at our monthly Italian Mass and many new parishioners are able to return to their Italian roots." The fi rst OLMC Church was built by Father Lepore and the Italian immigrants that came to North Denver in the 19th cen- tury. In the neighborhood that would later be known as "Little Italy," a modest church was dedicated in 1894. After the church was destroyed by fi re in 1898, the commu- nity worked hard to rebuild a more solid, fi re-proof and plaster church, whi ch was dedicated in 1904, and still stands today. Mother Cabrini, along with the new pastor, Father Moreschini, and Frank Damascio, a parishioner and Denver contractor, led the project for making the new Church a beautiful house for God. Italian frescoes were painted, marble statues were brought from Italy and the exterior was transformed in the style of the churches of the Old World. The brick church, featuring twin copper domes and a 1000-pound bell "Maria del Carmelina," is "a fi ne exam- ple of the Romanesque Revival style" and "exhibits long-standing and ongoing St. Frances Cabrini helped to establish Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Denver. FILE PHOTO The saint's role in the foundation of Denver's fi rst Italian-immigrant church

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