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

Stories from Holy Rosary Homecoming

Any parish that's been around for more than a century has stories to tell and the folks who attended the Homecoming event at Holy Rosary on October told them in abundance.

We began with Mass, of course. Joann Birsa sang "Kraljica venca rožnega" in Slovenian and the congregation followed with the same hymn "O Queen of the Holy Rosary" in English. In his homily, Father Frank Garcia paid tribute to the faith and perseverance of the Slovenian and Croatian founders, the teachers and pastors and the current Spanish parishioners who sustain the parish. The Mass concluded with the singing of "Tantum Ergo" and "Holy God We Praise Thy Name." We then retired to the school cafeteria for coffee, Potica, sandwiches and sharing photos and memories.

Joann Birsa has documented Slovenian songs and hymns. 

Their Croatian heritage is important to the Kalcevic family,
who has been farming in Colorado since 1898. 

Jeff Kalcevic, Mac, Bronwyn and Bo
https://kalcevicfarmsinc.business.site

Jim Peketz' family were among those who established Holy Rosary,

 as well as the Western Slavonic Association.
The family sponsored two stained glass windows in the church.

Magali Martinez, Nicki Gonzales, PhD (Vice Provost for Diversity

and Inclusion, and Professor of History at Regis University)

and Martha Del Real share a laugh.

Frank Okoren and his 98-year-old father, Rudy. Rudy entertained his granddaughter Karina by reciting escapades from his childhood.

It wasn't all hymns and history. There were tales of church founders arrested for bootlegging. Rudy Okoren recalled the Mass being said in Latin, with a sermon in Slovenian and a sermon in English. He smiled when confessing to skipping the second homily to steal a smoke. There were memories of altar servers, choirs, the terror of receiving your report card and a Christmas pageant with the Baby Jesus going airborne. We had such a great time, we'll do it again Saturday, March 25th, 2023.

View those entertaining stories on our YouTube Channel

https://youtu.be/GAMeDnK2kZc