Holy Rosary Homecoming - October 8, 2022

There will be no floats, no royalty, no football game or parades. There WILL be Mass at 10:00 am on Saturday, followed by refreshments (coffee, donuts, Potica Mexican pastries) and memories in the school cafeteria.

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? Did any of your family attend school or church at Holy Rosary? Sing in the choir? Act in a school play? Attend the church bazaar? What teachers do you remember? 

Join us! Bring your photos, scrapbooks, notebooks, recipes, posters, and stories. (You might even discover a distant relative). Look for updates and information on the Holy Rosary website and Facebook page

www.holyrosarydenver.com

http://www.facebook.com/HolyRosaryChurchDenver

Students returning to school after Mass

Cinderella school play

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

Treasures from the Pandemic

Seems like a lifetime of lockdowns, brief respites, and resurgence during the pandemic. Like many folks, we read, baked, binged watched movies and worked on our home. And we cleaned up clutter, went through files, scrapbooks, cookbooks, greeting cards and photos. Some treasures have been discovered!

Dave Tracy is the son of Jim Tracy, (who was active in the Holy Rosary choir and served on the church committee). Dave was going through boxes his mother saved and found this poster advertising the 1949 Carnival for Holy Rosary Church. FOUR DAYS of rides, games and thrills AND a chance to win a new 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline Special! Oh my!

This was quite a prize! It took awhile for factories to switch from war to domestic production and new cars were still hard to come by in 1949. Like most auto dealers of that era, Capital Chevrolet was located on Broadway.

In the lower right hand of the poster is a Union Label - Label 5, of the Egan Printing Company. Does anyone today know the significance of a Union Label?

So many stories in one poster. Have you uncovered any treasures?

1949 poster

Capital Chevrolet

1949 Fleetliner, courtesy of Wiki Commons

Globeville, Elyria, Swansea and RiNo get a newspaper!

During the late 19th and early 20th century, several small newspapers kept the citizens of the independent towns of Globeville, Elyria, and Swansea informed. During 1891 - 1892, The Rocky Mountain and Globeville Chronicle was published weekly, as well as the Elyria Journal and Globeville News from an office at 1749 Champa Street. C. H. Pierce produced a newspaper called the Elyria Post in 1899, and Halsey M. Rhoads published the Globeville Chronicle in 1900. It would be fascinating to read any of these publications but no copies seem to exist.

During the 1970s, a monthly publication, El Vecino, served the Globeville, Elyria, Swansea, Highlands, Jefferson Park, Westside and Sunnyside neighborhoods. Currently, La Voz and El Semanario offer bi-lingual reporting of the greater metropolitan area. Since then, these neighborhoods have not had a publication that reports on issues relevant to their communities. Until now.

For the past two years, David Sabados has published The Denver North Star, a monthly newspaper that serves the Denver neighborhoods west of I-25 and north of Colfax. The nearby neighborhoods of Globeville, Elyria, Swansea and RiNo now have a similar publication in the G. E. S. Gazette. Each month, the Gazette will be spotlighting businesses and organizations, as well as reporting on city council meetings and schools. There will be information on codes and zoning changes and development. And there will be stories about concerts, events, festivals and shows in this vibrant area. The Gazette is published in both English and Spanish, so grab a copy and discover new places in your neighborhood.

This free publication is available at:
Bomaretos Market, 5500 Washington,
Tattered Cover, 2526 E Colfax,
Tattered Cover, Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop,
Valdez-Perry Library, 4690 Vine Street,
Broadway Rec Center, 5090 Broadway,
Johnson Rec Center, 4809 Race Street,
Swansea Rec Center, 2650 E. 49th Avenue,
and Tighe Brothers Distillery, 4200 Milwaukee.
 

Also available online at:
G.E.S. Gazette

The inaugural issue of the G.E.S. Gazette

Día de los Muertos

Elaborate altars (ofrendas) are a part of the multi-day Día de los Muertos holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and parts of Latin America. The observance draws on the Christian tradition of honoring saints on November 1, All Saints Day. November 2, All Souls Day is set aside to remember anyone who has died. Rather than being a time of sadness, it's a time of celebration and connection. The shrines are a joyous tribute to loved ones, and contain mementos to help souls return home to visit for one day a year.

Some items that can be found in the ofrendas include:

Photos of family members, friends or special people who have passed. Snapshots of happy family gatherings and triumphs, or of the person enjoying a favorite team or vacation.

Flowers of the Dead, (flor de muerto). Marigolds are intended to attract souls to the altar. Used since ancient times for medicinal purposes, marigold's fragrance and bright orange color bring joy and peace.

Perforated Paper, (papel picado). Intricately-cut tissue paper allows souls to travel through and visit. The delicate nature of the paper is symbolic of the fragility of life.

Bread of the Dead, (pan de muerto). The bread is soft, sweet and tasty and sometimes baked into distinct shapes. Also on the altar are foods that the person liked when they were alive. A bottle of water is placed on the altar because the person will be thirsty when they arrive.

Salt to purify souls. Candles to light the way. Levels. Three levels are common, symbolizing heaven, earth and hell. 

Ofrenda at Sacred Heart Church in Denver

Annie Bolden, December 8, 1934 - September 27, 2021

Annie Bolden wasn't born in Globeville, nor did she live in the neighborhood, but she influenced all who knew her at Globeville's Broadway (formerly Stapleton) Recreation Center. Born and raised in Waco, Texas in 1934, Bolden attended schools there and completed her college education at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, earning a B.S. degree in Physical Education. She was an accomplished and competitive athlete, playing semi-pro fast-pitch softball as a pitcher for over 20 years.

After college, she moved to Denver for better opportunities and to join her older sister Mae Kyle. 

Bolden got her first position with Denver Parks and Recreation at the Glenarm Center in Denver's Five Points and Curtis Park Neighborhoods, creating outreach and recreation programs. She was then named a supervisor at the St. Charles Recreation Center, a heavily Hispanic area where Bolden was well liked and respected. When Joe Cianco, head of the Parks and Recreation department abruptly transferred her to Globeville's Stapleton Center, Bolden was flummoxed. "You'll do fine" Cianco said. And she did.

Many of the people who used the center were from the nearby Stapleton Public Housing Projects and were a very diverse group. Bolden could relate to them all. Shannon Kanan remembers, "Any child, any parent, any need, she was an advocate for each one. She was fearless.

She didn't get along with everyone and she didn't bite her tongue. She was a leader at the center and in the community. 

 

Bolden created volleyball, softball, basketball and cheerleading classes, but also food programs, educational assistance, summer and full-time jobs, adult activities and outings. Roberta Mollock Sanders smiles as she describes them. "During the War on Poverty, on Fridays, we had these bus trips. We would go to Idaho Springs, to Estes Park, Chautauqua, and Tiny Town. It was fun."

Bolden retired in 2000 and was living in Houston, Texas at the time of her passing.

Balloons were released at the Broadway Recreation Center on Sunday, October 10th and family, friends and all those who were fortunate to know her celebrated her. A movement has been started to replace the nondescript name "Broadway Center" with that of the "Annie Bolden Recreation Center" to honor a woman who had such an impact on the Globeville Community.

John Zapien remembers Annie Bolden

Shannon Kanan urges folks to write their memories
on the website

Debbie Powell hopes to gather some momentum to name 
the center in honor of Annie Bolden

Annie Bolden Obituary
https://www.troybsmith.com/obituary/annie-bolden

Another COVID Casualty

The Orthodox Food Festival and Old Globeville Days scheduled for Saturday, September 11th at Holy Transfiguration of Christ Orthodox Cathedral at 349 E. 47th Avenue has been cancelled for this year. Citing Covid considerations, the parish decided that caution was in order. Mark the third weekend in July 2022 - the festival's food, entertainment, and tours of the historic cathedral are worth waiting for.

https://www.facebook.com/orthodoxfoodfestival