Nuns Seek Quiet in Move
In 1988, north Denver may have seemed like a great place for a quiet group of nuns seeking a contemplative lifestyle. But times certainly have changed.
Now the Capuchin Poor Clares, an order of Catholic sisters who have called St. Patrick’s Catholic Church at 33rd Avenue and Pecos home for the past 26 years, are seeking to move to a quieter area.
The sisters are a contemplative order, meaning they spend most of the day in quiet and prayer. The buildout around the church in the lower Highland neighborhood has meant that the quiet part of their lifestyle has taken a big hit.
“This facility doesn’t really work very well for a monastery,” said Sister Maria De Cristo, who was one of 10 sisters who came to Denver with the order from Mexico. “We would like to be in something more simple and functional for our way of life.”
With that in mind, the sisters have worked out a deal for land in Watkins, east of Aurora, but still need more than $1 million for repairs and upgrades to the existing building on the site before they can move.
Sister Maria said the order has been looking for something outside of Denver for the past five or 10 years, and they still have a ways to go before they have the necessary funds.
Currently the group has about $200,000 saved but needs a total of $1.5 million.
“It’s kind of sad. Most of us have lived here many years. Some of our sisters died here,” said Sister Teresa Angeles, the abbess or superior for the order. “It’s been a good experience, we love this place and love St. Patrick’s, but at the same time, it’s something we need to do to improve our way of life.”
The sisters are selling raffle tickets for a Broncos game in December and they always bake and sell cookies, which are especially popular around Christmas, to support themselves. They want to make sure people know they will be around this Christmas and probably the next one to sell the cookies. The sisters are also accepting donations on their website.
St. Patrick’s is not a traditional parish with regular members, and since the building is designated historic, it’s also been difficult to make changes to the sisters’ living area and the small chapel where they pray. As some of the sisters have aged, it’s been difficult for them to get around.
Father Charles Polifka is a Capuchin Friar with the Capuchin Province of Mid America and was a board member of the group that helped bring the sisters to Denver originally. He said his group has supported the sisters with the move and purchased the land for them.
“When we brought them here, there was a lot to be developed,” Polifka said. “It’s been developed, and it’s infringing on their life.”
St. Patrick’s has Sunday mass and the sisters hold an adoration on Thursdays for anyone who wants to participate. An adoration is a time for people to pray in front of the blessed sacrament.
Joann DeLaCruz has been attending the church for the past 58 years and said the sisters have been instrumental in the community and she’s very sad to see them go, but she understands the reasoning.
“We didn’t realize that north Denver was going to explode the way it did,” DeLaCruz said. “It just wasn’t meant to be.”
The church building is owned by the Archdiocese of Denver, and it’s unclear what will happen once the sisters move. There is no deadline for a move, and the sisters can remain until they raise the money.
A representative of the archdiocese referred questions to the Capuchin Poor Clares.
DeLaCruz said she hopes the church will remain open and another order of sisters will move in.
“We’re a pretty close community — most of us have been there a long, long time,” she said. “We’re praying along with the sisters that they find somebody for us.”
- Article originally appeared Denver Post, November 18, 2014 by By JOE VACCARELLI
