The Rose - Shrine of St. Therese

Shrine of St. ThereseReaching out to inspireFirst Quarter 2009 • Volume 10 • Number 1a sense of communityShrine Celebrates 60 YearsThe vision of The Most Reverend Joseph Willging, France, and a copy of the news item from the SouthernBishop of Pueblo, to build and dedicate a shrine Colorado Register, (the diocesan newspaper) were placedto St. Therese of Lisieux, the principal patronessin the cornerstone.of the Diocese of Pueblo, became a reality in 1948 The Rev. Joseph F. Warnat was named pastor of thewhen the Shrine of St. Therese was established. new church. He personally supervised the constructionIn response to the growingwork, and contributed hisCatholic population in south-artistic talents in designing thewest Pueblo, Bishop Willgingpurchased a plot of land in the300 block of Goodnight Avenuein 1946. However, constructionof the new churchdid not begin for two moreyears, and was finally completedin June 1949.The new church was to benamed the Shrine of St.Therese in honor of the principalpatroness of the Dioceseof Pueblo.There was an estimated135 families that lived withinthe new parish boundariesthat were set at that time.Most of the families living in the boundary area wereparishioners of St. Patrick’s Church.Cost of the new church was estimated to be$150,000.00. A Denver architect drew the plans for asemi-basement building that included four school classroomsand the church proper that could seat 400 persons.The front entrance was above ground with thevestibule graded to the floor level of the church.The structure was only temporary, although it appearedto be a completed building. The foundation andfooting were massive enough to support a much largerbuilding—if and when that expansion ever took place.Cornerstone Laid January 2, 1949“I will spend my heaven in doing good upon earth”was the inscription on the cornerstone which was laidJanuary 2, 1949. More than 400 persons braved cold,snowy weather to witness the ceremony. Names of parishioners,relics of St. Therese obtained from Lisieux,Serving the Lord Jesusand His peopleShrine of St. Therese60 years a Catholic Communityaltar, windows and interior decor.A rectory was built and anapartment building next to thechurch property was purchasedand renovated to serve as a conventfor the Sisters of Charity,who staffed the new school thatopened in September 1949. Sixtystudents were enrolled but by1956 the school enrolled over 300students. The school closed in1971 when most schools in thediocese closed. The presentschool located on the grounds ofthe parish is a diocesan elementaryschool.In 1955 the growth in the number of parishionersjustified the building of a 14,000 square foot all purposebuilding that had a capacity for 500 persons and fourmore classrooms. The building was located on the cornerof Prairie and Goodnight, and Msgr. Warnat againserved as architect and contractor.By 1994 the vision of Bishop Willging was finallyfulfilled: the original Shrine of St. Therese was razedand the current building was created. Rev. JosephMcGuinness and members of the ecclesiastical committeetraveled to Lisieux, France to study the home andCarmelite convent of St. Therese in order to incorporatethose aspects of her life in the new church.The new building was dedicated January, 1995 byBishop Arthur Tafoya.Today, the Shrine of St. Therese serves 748 families.There have been eleven pastors since 1949; Father William(Liam) Courtney, the current pastor, has served theparish since July 2003.

Page 2 THE ROSEIn the Beginning . . .First Quarter 2009Bishop Joseph Willging blesses the cornerstone ofthe Shrine of St. Therese, January 2, 1949. He is assistedat the ceremony by other members of the clergyfrom the Pueblo Diocese.Msgr. Joseph Warnat, the Shrine’s first pastor, andBishop Willging discuss some of the plans for thenew parish , 1948.60 yearsFathers Joseph J. Walsh (left) and Francis Bottler areshown with Bishop Willging at the Shrine dedication,January 1949.

First Quarter 2009 THE ROSEPage 3Our First Church . . .Mass celebrated by Father Joseph McGuinness, July 1988The Shrine of St. Therese, 1988 The Shrine of St. Therese, 2008The entrance of the rectory is shown above on the left. It was constructed at the same time that the church wasbuilt, and was the home for four priests in the 1970’s. The newly-remodeled rectory on the right is currentlyused as the pastor’s office and parish staff. A maintenace building and garage are attached in the rear of thebuilding.

Pastors of the Shrine . . .Msgr. Joseph Warnat1948-1973Msgr. George Holland1974-1981Msgr. Peter F. Maas1972-1984Rev. Louis Stovik1975-1983Rev. Paul Mendrek1981-1984Rev. Joseph McGuinness1983-1992Rev. Leo Bonfadini1984-1987Rev. Edward G. Pettit1987-1989Rev. Vincente Paz enla Casa, 1992-2003NOTE: Rev. Frederick Dean served as pastor at the Shrine from 1973-1974 There is no picture available.During the 1970’s and 80’s, some of the above priests were designated as co-pastors.They Taught the Children . . .Shrine of St. ThereseParish School, 1949-71The Shrine School opened in 1949 with an enrollmentof 60 students, grades 1-8. The first teacherswere the Sisters of Charity from Cincinnati, Ohio.The four classrooms were located in the new buildingbehind the sanctuary of the church.In 1955 a drive started to build an all-purposebuilding at the corner of Goodnight and Prairie toinclude four more classrooms, and a hall with a500 person seating capacity. By that time theschool had 300 students enrolled, and there were700 families registered in the parish.The school continued to operate without interruptionuntil 1971, when most of the schools in theDiocese closed.The St. Therese Catholic Elementary School locatedon the grounds, today operates independentlyfrom the parish by the Pueblo Diocese. Rev. William (Liam)Courtney, 2003-present

First Quarter 2009 THE ROSEPage 5Shrine Childrens’ Christmas Pageant• Photos by Angie Duran •

Page 6 THE ROSEFirst Quarter 2009Memorials and Building FundThanks to all who contributed to the Shrine of St. Therese Memorial and Building Fund.The list includes the months from September 2008 thru January 15, 2009Sam AlfonsoMiss Shirley ParrJoe AriasM/M. Richard BassiYolanda CardinaleM/M Vincent GentileFamilyM/M James PaganoMargaret ClarkM/M Christofer MehessMargaret Ames ClarkM/M Dennis MicheliEdith CrusichMiss Dorris GronquistDad & MomM/M John ConsoneroFred & Vera DalioMike & Angelina DalioMrs. Angelina KrupkaMelody DennisMrs. Mytle SpitzerJack DeSalvoMrs. Regina DeSalvoAnn Dominguez, Mark M.DominguezMs. Michele Prado-LandrethEleanor & Marie EckMrs. Mary EckJerry EllisChuck/Mary Lou HaeringM/M Jarrett SweckardJack FiskMrs. Magdalena FiskLouise FormicoDrs. Thomas/JosefinaFitzgeraldMr. Anthony GaroneMrs. Eleanor FillerJune HealyMr. Jack Selway &Sherry KoskiCon JeffriesM/M Richard CharestMs. LaVonne L. MortonBernardine JohnsonMrs. Magdalena FiskMary KrasieskiMrs. Angelina KrupkaJulia & Alex Krupka, Sr.John KrupkaMrs. Angelina KrupkaVirginia LacerteM/M Richard CharestMrs. Mary EckKathleen MarohnShrine of St. ThereseKnights of Columbus #12720Mae LauricelloMr. Roy LauricelloIda B. LozinskyMrs. Mary EckMrs. Eleanor FillerRon Maldonado Jr.M/M Dennis MicheliM/M Christofer MehessCatherine Rose MarcenMrs. Shirley MarcenAlice “Diddy” MartinezMichael Duane MartinezM/M Michael J. DietzIrene MartinezM/M Michael J. DietzAdrian & Jessie MartinezM/M John ConsoneroSam & Carmella MartinoMrs. Angelina KrupkaSam F. Menor Sr. & Sam F.Menor Jr.M/M Michael L. MenorDuBois MorenoMr. Nash MorenoKay MravichMrs. Eleanor FillerHymns of Praise!Saturday evening or Sunday morning, wecome together as a community of believers togive God an hour of our week. The openingentrance hymn is meant to be one of praise.As the procession with the crucifix and theGospel book are carried down the aisle, weshould reach out with joyful song. Singing is prayingtwice! Whether you have a good voice or not, SINGOUT! The Lord is listening. We thank God for thepast week and prepare for another. Good and badevents are ahead, but the Lord is always beside us. Asa community, we support and pray for each other.CLERGY HIERARCHY TURNOVER IN ‘09More than 27 U.S. bishops, including three cardinalscould retire this year. There are 16 active bishops,including three cardinals, who have already turned 75.Eleven more will celebrate their 75th birthday this year.At age 75 bishops are requested to submit their resignationto the pope. Anna McGillMr. James McGillFrank & Steve PershinMrs. Patricia PershinBeth PichonMrs. Myrtle SpitzerBobbi McMullen PriceM/M Dennis MicheliEdwin E. PopeMrs. Dorothy PopeAnton and Maria SnepergerMs. Shirley MarcenHarold StoddardMrs. Margaret StoddardSister SuzanneMrs. Myrtle SpitzerFrank TaulliDr. & Mrs. Donald CreagerShrine of St. ThereseKnights of Columbus #12720Tony & Ellen TodaroM/M Frank PantleoNick UhernikMr. Dennis UhernikFred, Gary, Terri UrsickMrs. Mary Ann UrsickJoseph VaccaroPhyllis ClementsCarl ValentishM/M Charles ValentishRussell J. VenezioM/M Gerald BarberaLloyd VillersMrs. Helen VillersJean Pantleo WadeM/M Pete MonteraJames G. WardM/M Raymond BalchuckMiss Susan Ward

First Quarter 2009 THE ROSE Page 7St. Therese MedallionAwarded George Beauvais“I was surprised, but honored and humbled,” saidGeorge Beauvais recalling when Father Liam informedhim that he was to receive the St. Therese Medallion forhis dedicationand service inthe parish.BishopArthur Tafoyapresented theAnnual ServiceAward toGeorge on thefirst Sunday ofAdvent alongwith 30 othernominees fromthe diocese.The ceremonywas held at SacredHeart Cathedral.George,and his wife, Mary Ann, have been parishioners for over50 years. Their children were babies when they movedto Sunset Park and joined the Shrine parish. Their oldestson, Dave, attended the Shrine of St. Therese school.When their daughters were of school age, the schoolhad closed along with other schools in the city. Theirdaughters are Sue Gibbons and Colleen.George grew up in Pueblo and attended St. FrancisXavier grade school and Pueblo Catholic High school.His wife is from St. Mary’s parish, where they weremarried.Both have been parish volunteers for many years.They are Eucharistic Ministers, do home service to shutinsby bringing Communion weekly to about 12 individuals.They develop a close bond with many of theseparishioners.He transports Msgr. George Holland to 6:45 a.m.Mass daily, and then assists at Mass. He also serves atfuneral Masses, as needed, and says the Rosary serviceusually the night before the funeral. He ushers at Mass,and both he and Mary Ann sell grocery gift cards atSunday Masses. She does many of the flower arrangementsfor the church and the altar.We thank George and congratulate him on being therecipient of the service award. We appreciate the manyyears of ministry he has given to our parish. —Sally StriccaShrine Cantor Celebrates50 Years of Church SingingDo you wonder who that professional singer is thatleads the congregation at some Sunday Masses?He, of course, is Jack Selway. Jack,who has been a cantor at the Shrinefor several years, began his solo careerat an Episcopal private school inWisconsin in 1959. Since then he hassung for churches in Montana, Californiaand Pueblo.The mayor of San Francisco proclaimedJack Selway that city’s officialsinger in 1991. He has performedfor actors in Hollywood with the NBCorchestra, sung with each military service band, performedfor conventions in San Francisco, Portland, OR,Mexico City, New York, Phoenix, Honolulu. Washington,DC, and Florence, Italy.He has been a soloist for military leaders, the Medalof Honor Society convention in Pueblo, and the nationalmeeting of Crime Stoppers held in Pueblo. He has alsosung the national anthem for professional baseballgames.He maintains the Shrine website, and since joiningthe parish, he sings exclusively for Masses. ASH WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25Lent starts Ash Wednesday, February 25. ThisLent season, the parish will host a Lenten Missionbeginning March 7 thru March 12.The Mission will be conducted by a new, smallreligious congregation with headquarters in Houston,TX. The Companions of the Cross is a communityof priests founded in 1985 in Ottawa,Canada, and officially given Vatican recognitionin 2003.The group is young in age and they are especiallycommitted to evangelization. “Always embracingthe cross of Christ, the power and wisdomof God, we serve local parishes, youth, thepoor and those alienated from the CatholicChurch,” is their creed.This should be an interesting and different approachfor the Shrine Parish. It is hoped manyparishioners will take advantage of this missionand the information and message to be given.Come and hear!

First Quarter 2009 THE ROSEPage 8Msgr. Delaney Turns 97In December, Msgr. Howard Delaney celebrated his97th birthday with a small party with the Pueblo SerraClub. He served in the PuebloDiocese for 68 years. He remembershis ordination inDenver and his first assignmentin Walsenburg, CO as anassistant pastor. This eventuallyled to his being the pastorfor many years.He remembers our firstBishop Willging and all themany changes in the diocese.He is known as the Catholichistorian for Southern Coloradoand is consulted fromtime to time. He has also co-authored a couple of bookson southern Colorado.When needed, he occasionally drives to some parishto help with a Mass celebration.He is certainly a remarkable and dedicated priestfor our diocese.—Sally StriccaA publication of the Catholic community of the Shrine ofSt. Therese, 300 Goodnight Avenue, Pueblo, CO 81004.—OUR MISSION—The Shrine of St. Therese newsletter is to reachout and inspire a sense of community and familyby means of a regular and timely publication.Spiritual AdviserFather Liam CourtneyEditorSally StriccaContributors:Jan Alfonso, Bill HrutkyPhotographs: Angie Duran and othersThe Rose is published three times a year. Parishioners are encouragedto submit articles for publication to the editor.Visit the Shrine website at:www.puebloshrine.orgDiocesan web: www.dioceseofpueblo.comParish Knights of Columbus 12720:www.kofc12720.orgNON-PROFIT ORGAN.U.S. POSTAGEP A I DPUEBLO, COLORADOPERMIT NO. 57The Shrine of St. Therese300 Goodnight AvenuePueblo, CO 81004Phone (719) 542-1788