Holy Rosary Homecoming, October 7th 2023

We've had such a wonderful time at our previous Homecoming gatherings that we're having it again. Were your grandparents married at Holy Rosary? Was anyone in your family baptized here? Did any of your family attend school or church at the parish? Sing in the choir? Act in a school play? Attend religious education classes? What teachers do you remember? Were you called to the principle's office (horrors!) Did you sneak out of Mass during the bi-lingual sermons?  Do you remember Mass in Latin? Can you sing the Tantum Ergo? Did you go to the church bazaar? Enjoy our monthly pancake breakfasts?

Join us on Saturday, October 7th for Homecoming!

We'll begin with Mass at 10:00 am, and meet afterward in the cafeteria to share coffee, pastry and memories. Bring your photos, scrapbooks, notebooks, recipes, posters, and stories. (You might even discover a distant relative).

There will be a video set up in the small classroom near the cafeteria where you can share a memory of your family, a favorite teacher or what Holy Rosary meant to you.

RSVP maryloudesign@comcast.net

Let us know by October 1st, so we can have enough food!

Johnny Popovich managed the bar in the Slovenian home for years.

After WSA sold the site to McDonalds, he served as an usher 
for the 8:00 am Mass and attended the monthly pancake breakfasts.
A class act!

Bingo was a big money maker for the church

Guitar Mass during the 1970s

Father John Canjar grew up in the parish
and served as pastor from 1959 to 1969

Orthodox Food Festival and Old Globeville Days

It's finally here! The granddaddy of church festivals: the Orthodox Food Festival and Old Globeville Days will be held on Saturday, September 9th, from 11:00 am until 7:00 pm. There will be an abundance of ethnic food, drinks and desserts from Greece, Romania, Russia, Eritrea, Mexico, Serbia, Italy and Ukraine. You'll enjoy music and dance performances, soft drinks, craft beers and Eastern European brandies and vodkas. Crafts, Pysanky, Ukranian folk art, iconography, books and games for the children keep everyone entertained.

Take a tour of historic Holy Transfiguration of Christ Orthodox Cathedral, built in 1898, and aligned with Orthodoxy since 1903. This exquisite temple glows with icons, candles, symbolism and 120 years of stories.

The festival is one day only and admission is FREE - don't miss it.

https:www.facebook.com/orthodoxfoodfestival

349 East 47th Avenue  •   303-294-0938

Obituaries

Lucille Korsich and Louis Vuksinich 

I read the obituaries every chance I get. Online, and always, the big edition in the Sunday newspaper. It's a family pastime.

My mom would call my brothers, Bill or Joe, or my sister Susan, or me, and if the purpose of the call was to notify someone of an obituary, there would be no small talk. Mom would start right in. "Lucille Vuksinich died." Then there would be pause while she collected her "data." And I would make myself comfortable and wait for the litany of facts: who the person was, where their family came from in the old country, where they live in Globeville, who they married, how many children they had and what our family connection might be.

Mom continued, "Lucille was a Korsich and we're related somehow. Her father was Leopold, 'Polde' they called him, and he and grandpa and Anton 'Tony' Kumar all came over together from the same town in the old country and settled in Globeville and worked for the Globe Smelter. And Polde married Teresa Gerbic - they'd known each other in the old country but they got married in Globeville.

"And they had five children, two boys - Leo and John, and three girls - Mary, Rose and Lucille, and Lucille was the youngest.

"Now Lucille was older - she was 36 - when she married Louis Vuksinich. And they probably met at St. Jacob's Croatian Hall or the Slovenian Home. And they just had the one son, Larry.

"Lucille went back to the old country, all by herself. It was after Louis had died and it was Yugoslavia then. And she stayed for three weeks with the Korsich family. And then they kept in touch."

When mom had related all the pertinent background information, she would finally get to the purpose of the call, which was to say when and where the Rosary and funeral Mass would be held. And we would attend, of course. Because we're related somehow.

A week or so ago, my sister Susan called. "Did you see the listing for Priselac?" "I did," I replied. Susan continued. "Eighty eight years old, graduated from Annunciation High School and was real proud of his Slovenian and Croatian heritage. Weren't there some Priselacs at Holy Rosary?"

I wished I could call mom.

June Jackson Egan 

Summer at Birdseed Collective

"Mom, I'm bored." No kid in Globeville can complain that there is nothing to do in the summer. The Globeville Recreation Center has something for everyone. In 2018, Globeville native Anthony Garcia and Birdseed Collective were awarded the contract to run the Globeville Recreation Center at 4496 Grant Street. The impact on the neighborhood has been astonishing: Concerts, events, services, classes, food distribution and community empowerment. 

Mondays: Free Food Distribution, 1 pm - 4 pm
                    Graffiti Class, 5.30 pm - 7.30 pm

Tuesdays: Globeville Crafting Circle, 11 am - 3 pm

Wednesdays: Beats by Girlz Workshop: Summer Learn to DJ, 4 pm - 6 pm

Thursdays: Self-Sufficiency and Nutrition Class for Kids, Grades 3 - 6) 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Fridays: Model Car Class, 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Don't miss the FREE concerts with six local bands and vendors.

http://www.birdseedcollective.org

Thanks for the Memories - Homecoming March 25, 2023

Today there are lots of ways to connect with people - web pages, blogs, Facebook, Instagram and many other platforms that will have morphed into something else by the time this entry is posted. But there is nothing like reminiscing with folks you haven't seen in a long time. Holy Rosary Parish contains 100 years of history, and it's amazing how many experiences are the same through different generations: First Communion, May Crowning, Confession, Lent, Holy Week and Easter. And there were priests and teachers who were fondly remembered: Father Kestel, Monsignor Judnic, Sister Mary Magdalene, Sister Mary Bernard and Mrs. Nancy Jackson.

Memories from March 25 have been recorded and can be heard on our YouTube Channel:

https://youtu.be/e3DaYSHHjwU

Holy Rosary students went on to successful lives and credit their experience in the parish as a factor.

Don't miss our next Homecoming on Saturday, October 7th, 2023 (start looking through those old photos)

Herman Brozovich and John Snyder are identified in this photo from the 1940s

Longtime Globeville activist, John Zapien

First Communion for cousins John and Abraham Velasquez with Father Kestel 

Mary Coxsey, Gloria Friedrich, John Velasquez and his son

  

Memorial Day 2023

When Riverside Cemetery opened in 1876, Denver was a young city hoping to appear civilized by dedicating a park-like setting to remember its dead. In 1876, Decoration Day was also a relatively new observance, created to honor soldiers killed during the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday included American military personnel from all wars and gradually was referred to as Memorial Day.

Today, Riverside Cemetery is home to over 1,200 Civil War veterans, both Union and Confederate, who came to Colorado after the war to seek their fortunes in the gold fields, homestead, ranch or farm. Others found work on the railroads, as storekeepers, tradesmen, lawmen, politicians and preachers. Block 27, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Block, is the location of the majority of Union soldiers buried at Riverside. 

By the time Globeville was incorporated in 1891, its citizens were familiar with death and dying. Men lost their lives in accidents in the area's smelters, foundries, and railroads; children succumbed to diphtheria, typhoid, measles and women died in childbirth. Families would gather on Memorial Day to plant flowers, clean the graves, have a picnic lunch and share stories of their relatives buried there. Services at Riverside Cemetery might also include military bands, religious ceremonies and speeches.

Lydia Gerhardt Heck was born in 1906 and fondly recalled, "Years ago when we were kids, on Memorial Day (which we called Decoration Day), we'd take our lunch and go over to Riverside Cemetery. A lot of our family - my folks and my husband's folks - are buried there. We young folks would hear stories about our relatives - it was like a family reunion."

Memorial Day has come to mean the official start of summer with backyard barbeques, outdoor activities and three days off from school or work. But before heading into a busy season, families might want to schedule an outing to honor and celebrate those who came before us.

There will be a FREE history tour of Riverside Cemetery on Sunday, May 21st, from 10:00 am
to 11:30 am. Historian Ray Thal will be your guide with entertaining stories.
5210 Brighton Boulevard  •  Denver, CO 80216
https://fairmountfuneralhome.com/riverside-cemetery/

Veterans stand together at Riverside Cemetery

New entrance to Riverside Cemetery

The Easter Monday Ball

There was a time that the Lenten period of repentance and austerity seemed to last forever. The cold, dark days of February and March were filled with penance and fasting. Holy Week featured lengthy solemn ceremonies with incense, candles and litanies. Easter Sunday was the culmination with church services, family gatherings and feasting. Then there was the Easter Monday Ball, which satisfied a pent-up desire to let loose. 

The April 8th, 1895 edition of the Pueblo Chieftain, advertises an Easter Monday Ball at the Mineral Palace, sponsored by the Germania Lodge, Knights of Honor, Silver Star Lodge, and Ladies of Honor. Schriebers Orchestra provided the music and "refreshments of all kinds could be had a regular prices." The cost of admission was 50¢ for Gents and 25¢ for Ladies. Street car service was available until 2:00 am. 

The April 10, 1914 edition of the Aspen Democrat-Times reported:
"The ladies of St Mary's Catholic Church have completed all the arrangements for their grand annual Easter Monday Ball to be given in Fraternal Hall next Monday, April 18th. The McHugh Orchestra will furnish the music, and this, kind reader, is your invitation to be present at one of the biggest social events of the season. Coffee and sandwiches, ice cream and cake will be served during the evening. Don't miss it! Tickets are $1.00 per couple and 50¢ for an individual."

Usually these celebrations were fund raisers organized to benefit churches, schools or hospitals. The Knights of Columbus, Knights of St. John, Ladies Sodality, or Altar and Rosary Society sold tickets, hired an orchestra, and provided substantial food for the occasion. There were other groups who sponsored Easter Monday dances and dinners, including the Pythian Sisters in Crested Butte, or the Ladies of the Maccabees in Ouray.

The Easter Monday Balls remained a staple until after World War II and gradually seemed to have faded in popularity.

Ads for Easter and Easter Monday finery

Holy Rosary Homecoming Saturday, March 25th, 2023

Since its dedication on July 4, 1920 Holy Rosary has nurtured its congregation and the Globeville neighborhood, generating lots of connections, memories and stories. Did you attend Holy Rosary Church? Or the school? Were your parents or grandparents married at Holy Rosary? Do you remember the sisters, priests or lay teachers who taught you? Are you a member of one of those families with eight or nine children who were connected to Holy Rosary? Or to those large numbers of cousins who called the parish home? Are you a current parishioner? Did your children attend religious education at Holy Rosary? Did you enjoy the many pancake breakfasts and visiting with folks? 

Those who attended the Holy Rosary Homecoming on October 2022 had a marvelous time and there will be another such event on Saturday, March 25th. 

We'll begin with Mass at 10:00 am in our historic church. The same statues, stations of the cross and the lighted rosary that inspired generations will bring back memories. Our exquisite stained glass windows cast reflections in the granite floor. After Mass, we'll gather in the school for refreshments (including Potica and pizzelles) and visiting with folks you haven't seen in awhile.

Gather those memories and photos and join us.
RSVP  maryloudesign@comcast.net
so we can have enough food!

the parish website  -  https://holyrosarydenver.com

our facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/HolyRosaryChurchDenver

The church has an accessible ramp in the front and the school has one on the south side.

A Globeville Historic District?

There is no other place like Globeville. Like layers in an archeological site, the prospectors, homesteaders, immigrants, industries, ethnic groups, taverns, lodges, churches and schools, left evidence of their presence. A treasure with generations of stories.

Diversity and cooperation have defined Globeville and its residents are fiercely protective of their neighborhood. They've had to be.

The division of the neighborhood by Interstates 25 and 70 inflicted serious wounds, yet Globeville survived. A move by the City Planning Board of Denver to turn Globeville into an industrial region (1966 - 1977) was battled by residents and the Globeville Civic Association. Again Globeville prevailed. Checkerboard zoning and absentee landlords have allowed industry encroachment and blight in the community. There is the constant struggle with odors and highway exhaust. A more insidious and recent threat comes from gentrification. 

Could a historic district improve Globeville's future? Learn more about it:
Monday, January 9th, 5 to 7 pm
at Birdseed Collective, 4496 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80216

Birdseed Collective
4496 Grant Street