ST. SCHOLASTICA
CATHOLIC CHURCH
WITH PURCHASE OF LAND,
AN EXCITING
BEGINS FOR ST. SCHOLASTICA
O
ur parishioners received joyous news this summer when St. Scholastica Church closed on a 10-acre piece of land off of Highway 52. The purchase brings our parish one step closer to fulfilling a long-held dream of expansion. “The hopes and dreams for the last 20 years of parishioners at St. Scholastica were to expand our church,” Fr. Rob says. “Many people throughout those years have made serious contributions on true faith, knowing that someday God would fulfill this dream.” In addition to the beautiful landscape and sweeping views, the new land includes a house, garage, print shop, pole barn, and surface water drainage. The parish is already looking at ways the existing buildings may be used in the short term, including the possibility of converting the large garage into a chapel and creating an outdoor space where Mass can be celebrated during the pandemic. Currently, our Boy Scouts are working on the installation of a beautiful outdoor Stations of the Cross on the new property. The work of our parish Development Committee was fundamental to the purchase of the land. This group of 16 dedicated parishioners formed in 2017 to locate a suitable site for a new church campus. In the last two years, they have performed extensive research, visited roughly 15 potential sites, and put bids on four different properties. Committee members are thrilled that their hard work has now paid off! Collaborating on this project has been a great experience for all involved.
“It’s been very positive working as a committee,” says committee chair Mike Crader. “People have a wide range of experiences and backgrounds, and we needed those views to make this successful. And Fr. Rob has been really good to work with — he was very supportive and there was good communication back and forth.” Fr. Rob shares Mike’s gratitude for the wonderful teamwork that allowed for our faith community to take this step forward. “I couldn’t have done this without the incredible support of the parish,” Fr. Rob says. “Literally hundreds of people have in some way — whether it’s through prayer or their professional business confidence — brought about God bringing us this gift. And this is just beginning.” Another truly remarkable way our parishioners showed support for this project was in the generous sharing of their treasure. “As we were going to closing, we had $600,000 from the capital campaign years ago, $55,269.19 from the internally designated Looking for Moriah collections, $329,031 of setaside annual surplus funds in the fund for the purchase of land,” reports Parish Business Manager Kristin Stegmueller. “We spent $641,305.93 for purchase of the land, as well as $23,057.38 for due diligence testing before closing from this fund, and we took a loan from the Archdiocese of Denver for $631,305.92.” Moving forward on our new land on Highway 52, the continued on page 5
“A lot of people are really excited, especially our longtime parishioners who have been around 20 years to see this growth. I think everybody is really happy with the property and can see the vision of a property and facilities that will provide for the community for the next 100 to 150 years. We’ll be able to grow into it, increase our missions, and support the community.” — Mike Crader 4
