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 

Holy Rosary Homecoming - October 8, 2022

You don't have to be a current parishioner (although you are always welcome) - you just have to love Holy Rosary. Were your grandparents married here? Was anyone in your family baptized here? Did any of your family attend school or church at Holy Rosary? Sing in the choir? Act in a school play? Attend religious education classes? What teachers do you remember? Did you go to the church bazaar? Enjoy our monthly pancake breakfasts?

Join us on Saturday, October 8th for Homecoming!

We'll begin with Mass at 10:00 am, and then convene 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

So we can have enough food!

Row 1: Irene Horvat, Anna Mae Canjar, Mary Jane Grande, Monsignor Judnic, Fernand Cain,
Dorothy Gilmour, Dorothy Meyer, Margaret Kucler.
Row 2: Lucille Franks, Joseph Pavlakovich, Albert Angerer, Harold Nothaft,
Stephen Shinall, Joseph Yelenick, Steffie Okoren. 

Teacher Mrs. Nancy Jackson and husband Bob Jackson

Dennis Gallagher - an Advocate for Globeville

Dennis Gallagher died on Friday April 22, 2022. He served as a Representative in the Colorado House from 1970-1974, State Senate 1974-1995, Denver City Councilman from 1995-2003, and Denver City Auditor from 2003-2015. Dennis was known for his involvement in local politics and in Colorado’s Irish community. 

His love of Globeville was another aspect of his personality. In a February 15, 2022 article in Denver's North Star newspaper
https://www.denvernorthstar.com/transfiguration-church-in-globeville-an-oral-history/
Dennis talks about discovering his "inner Slav" by taking classes in the Slovenian language under Father Leopold Mihelich at Holy Rosary Church. Then he attended Easter services at Holy Transfiguration Cathedral with his friend Ivan Ambrose that inspired a lifelong love of the neighborhood and its rich history.

Dennis would lead tours of Globeville, always spotlighting its churches. He also could be found at Holy Rosary pancake breakfasts, the Polish Food Festival and the Orthodox Food Festival and Old Globeville Days. His enthusiasm was genuine and contagious. Globeville will miss him.

Dennis Gallagher with Father Kyrill at Holy Transfiguration
Door Open Denver 2015

Dennis Gallagher and Father Marek Ciesla at St. Joseph's Polish Church
Doors Open Denver 2015

Dennis Gallagher and Monsignor de los Santos at Holy Rosary Church

Doors Open Denver 2015

Remembering Lent

The short, dark days in February and March were the perfect setting for Lent. There were the weekly rituals of stations of the cross, recitation of the rosary, benediction and confession. Before Vatican II, everything was in Latin and people of a certain age know all the words to Pange Lingua Gloriosi (Praise We Christ's Immortal Body) and Stabat Mater (for the stations of the cross). 
Adults were required to observe a complicated set of rules for fasting (not eating between meals) and abstinence from meat, while youngsters under the age of fourteen were granted a little more leeway. (I looked forward to Friday dinners with Mac 'n Cheese, potato pancakes and Mrs. Paul's Fishsticks). Everyone was urged to “give up” something like soda, candy, gum or TV.
By Holy Week, the days were getting longer and brighter, and the preparation more intense. More church visits, more rosaries, longer choir practice, baking Potica, apple strudel and painstakingly coloring pysanky eggs (every eastern European celebration seems to be time consuming).
Lent is about transformation - darkness to light, from distraction to contemplation, from busyness to solitude. Christ is risen, indeed He is risen from the dead. 
Customs that used to annoy me, now comfort and reassure me. I enjoy the symbolism of ashes, incense, the washing of feet, lighting the new fire and blessing of oils. Ash Wednesday is next week and I'm rehearsing Latin hymns.

  

Stations of the Cross at Holy Rosary Church

Potica or Povitica

Pysanky eggs - ours never looked this good

 

With Our Men in Service

Volume II, Number 14. The weekly bulletin from Holy Rosary Parish was packed with information about the upcoming carnival, a Sunday ham dinner and bingo event, and notices of Men’s Sodality and Ladies Altar Society meetings. But during World War II, the news most appreciated was from those in the armed services. Tidbits were gleaned from letters home and shared among parishioners.
Members of the First German Congregational Church formed the Blue Star Letter Writing Committee to keep the congregation’s 175 service members informed about church activities, and a newsletter called “The Minister's Mailbag” to keep the men in contact with each other as well.
The students at Garden Place School collected scrap and saved their pennies for bond drives, while the young women of Holy Rosary Young Ladies’ Sodality volunteered at the Catholic USO at 16th and Logan. The Polish Harmony Club, a young-people’s group affiliated with the Polish National Alliance, entertained servicemen at Fitzsimons Army Hospital and sponsored weekly dances at the Polish Hall for military personnel.
Mary Canjar joined the Red Cross and attended classes to become an air raid warden. She was issued a uniform with a shirt, pants, helmet and armband, and made sure that windows were covered and lights turned off during blackout periods. Canjar won an award for persuading every family on Logan Street to purchase War Bonds.
Victory gardens, meatless meals, grease collection and scrap drives all supported the war effort. Women filled vacancies in factories when men left for the service. Carol Christensen worked on aircraft (including Eleanor Roosevelt’s plane) at McClellan Field near Sacramento.
On both V-E and V-J Day, church bells, factory whistles and car horns sounded. Twelve young men from Globeville lost their lives in the war; the nation and the neighborhood were forever changed by the conflict. Globeville honored its veterans from World Wars I and II with a memorial in Argo Park, dedicated August 25, 1948. Joseph Zalar, a casualty of the Korean War, would be added later.

 

The memorial in Argo Park honors veterans

from World War I, World War II and Korea.

Photo ® Mary Lou Egan

Globeville - Doors Open Denver 2015

Doors Open Denver, presented by the Denver Architectural Foundation, is the premier event showcasing Denver's unique urban fabric. 

http://doorsopendenver.com/tours

Denver Auditor and Globeville advocate, Dennis Gallagher, will be leading a tour on Sunday Sunday, April 26th, Old Slavic North Denver - the Globeville Neighborhood, which is already sold out. But you could hang around St Joseph's Polish Catholic Church at 46th and Pennsylvania about 3:00 pm and join the throng who signed up for the Gallagher tour. 

The tour begins here at St. Joseph's Polish Catholic Church, which was constructed in 1902 (by many of the people who had attended Transfiguration, built in 1898, as well as by many Slovenians and Croatians). The parish struggled as Poles moved away from Globeville after the construction of I-25 and I-70, but enjoyed increase membership after the fall of Communism in 1989, and the papacy of John Paul II brought newcomers from Poland. St. Joseph's is proud of its "Polishness" with ethnic food events, lessons in the Polish language and performances by the Krakowiacy Polish dancers. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic properties (1983 - 5DV.782).

http://www.swietyjozef.org/

The oldest of Globeville's three Slavic churches is Holy Transfiguration of Christ Cathedral, founded in 1898 by immigrants from the Carpatho-Russian region of Eastern Europe. Working 12 hours a day, six days a week in Globeville's smelters, these families mortgaged their homes to purchase lots and build their temple. The church glows with icons and has a rich, complicated history, which Dennis Gallagher will enthusiastically recite. Holy Transfiguration received state historic designation in 1997 - 5DV.782, and today enjoys a diverse and active congregation.

http://www.transfigcathedral.org/

Holy Rosary Parish was built by Slovenian and Croatian immigrants, who attended St. Joseph's Church even while they were saving money to build their own parish (leading to some hard feelings when Slovenians and Croatians didn't contribute to the parish - Dennis will enlighten attendees) Ground was broken in March 1919 and the church was dedicated on July 4, 1920. Today's parish consists of the descendants of the Slavic founders, as well as a robust Hispanic congregation. Holy Rosary received state historic designation in March 1999 - 5DV.349. 

http://holyrosarydenver.com

Info: Dennis Gallagher, 303-477-7089or dgallagh@regis.edu

Father John A. Canjar

Humble circumstances, an immigrant community and a faith-filled family provided the environment that nurtured Father John Canjar. Born June 24, 1921 in Globeville, the sixth of 10 children of a Croatian immigrant, Frank Canjar and his wife Mary (Boytz) Canjar, John Canjar attended Holy Rosary Grade School, Annunciation High School, and St. Thomas Seminary in Denver. Father Canjar was ordained on June 4, 1949 and served at Holy Ghost, Holy Family, St. John's in Stoneham, Sacred Heart in Cheyenne Wells, Holy Rosary, Cure d' Ars, St. Vincent de Paul and St. Mark's parishes.

Father Canjar would succeed Monsignor Judnic at Holy Rosary in 1959, a time of turmoil in both the church and in the neighborhood. January 1959 signaled the beginning of the Second Vatican Council, which introduced sweeping changes in liturgy, lay participation, interaction with other Christian denominations, and involvement in social issues. In a parish where the Mass had been said in Latin, and the homily delivered in both Slovenian and English, the changes were viewed as monumental.

There were also big changes in the neighborhood. The Stapleton Public Housing brought "outsiders," Mexicans and Blacks, into the tightly-knit community - they were not welcome. But Father Canjar reached out to the newcomers, regardless of their ethnic or religious background. ”Father Canjar felt that when people asked for help, we needed to respond,” said Jerry and Janet Wagner. The Wagners owned a small grocery, and, with cash donated by Father Canjar, began making up food baskets for Christmas. “Depending on the size of the family, there would be a couple of chickens, potatoes, beans or a sack of flour, enough to make a meal.” Father Canjar was also active in anti-poverty programs and was elected to the North Denver Action Center, a part of the Model Cities program.

The construction of I-25 and I-70 during the 1950s and 60s displaced many parishioners and businesses and demoralized the neighborhood. Another blow to the community was the record-breaking Platte River Flood of 1965, but Father Canjar worked tirelessly to clean and repair the parish buildings afterward.

Father Canjar retired from active ministry June 9, 1996 after 47 years of service. He moved to the Gardens at St. Elizabeth's where his sister Mary also lived, and then to Mullen Home, facing many physical challenges with courage and grace.  Father Canjar passed away November 20, 2014 and is buried at Mt. Olivet. He is survived by sister Lucille (James) Stanaway, sister-in-law Mary (Leo) Canjar and numerous nieces and nephews, and was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Frank, Ray and Leo; sisters Helen, Mary, Catherine, Florence and Margaret.

John Canjar is the tallest young man (with glasses) in the back row.

1937 graduating class from Holy Rosary

Father John Canjar, 1969

Father John Obituary 

Church ladies

In the Old Country, women deferred to men in the home, in government, money matters and even in worship services. But women arriving in America experienced some different treatment right away, hearing "Ladies first" when exiting from the ship and being served before men. Those who traveled to Colorado after 1893 would be astonished to learn that men had passed legislation giving women the vote in state and local elections, 27 years before the rest of the nation. Immigrant women were quick to take advantage.

In Volga-German villages, women were to keep silent in prayer meetings, were not allowed to teach or exercise authority and sat on one side of the church while men sat on the other. But the ladies of Globeville's German churches formed Ladies Aid Societies, and visited the sick, helped maintain the church buildings and raised money for items such as hymnals and baptismal fonts. In St. Joseph's Polish Church, Holy Rosary and Transfiguration Orthodox Church, women organized the Ladies Choir, Sodality and the Altar Society. Branches of the ethnic fraternals appeared too, such as the Queen of the Holy Rosary Lodge No. 7 of the WSA, St. Anna's Lodge 143 of the Croatian Fraternal Union and the women-only Slovenian Women's Union.

The ladies quickly gained respect for their skills in organizing and fund raising. Bake and craft sales, raffles, concerts and plays, church picnics, carnivals and bazaars all raised money and built community. The tradition continues with the Orthodox Food Festival, Argo Park at 47th and Logan, Saturday and Sunday, July 20 and 21st; The Polish Food Festival Sunday, August 25th in the parking lot of St. Joseph's Polish Catholic Church and the Holy Rosary Bazaar, at 4688 Pearl Street, Saturday and Sunday, September 7th and 8th.
Today's women have many more opportunities to exercise authority and express creativity but churches and the community benefit when they chose to focus their efforts on Globeville.

Ladies Society from Holy Transfiguration about 1905

photo used with written permission from Steve Klimoski

Ladies Aid Society, First German Congregational Church, 1944

photo used with written permission from Janet Wagner

Ladies from Holy Transfiguration selling food and crafts

photo ® Mary Lou Egan

Orthodox Food Festival

Polish Food Festival

Holy Rosary Parish Bazaar