Our parish communities are the heart of our Church - and within the valley, it is our responsibility to ensure they are vibrant, thriving in their mission experience, and announcing God’s love to the valley. St. Clare’s and St. Mary’s new church buildings present an essential opportunity for these parish communities to grow as one body in Christ, to live the Faith, and share it with others. While we have been grateful for the gymnasium at St. Clare’s to celebrate Mass, there will be an extraordinary transformation within the community when the Blessed Sacrament can be presented in a church. For St. Mary’s, just having a pew for all in the community will allow parishioners to focus on the service without discomfort or distraction. Church buildings that mirror the beauty of the surrounding landscape have always been part of the plan and vision for the Parishes of the Valley, but they have never been needed more than they are today. Population in the valley will only continue to expand, and it is essential that we have in place the facilities necessary to serve and care for our growing Catholic Community.

When my wife and I moved our family to Vail Valley 18 months ago, we did so because we felt called to do so by the Holy Spirit and the first thing we felt called to do is build community.  My wife’s parents helped build their church years ago and my wife always reminded me of how close that community was as a result of that experience.  When we were moving up here, we joked about how great it would be if this kind of opportunity presented itself in our new home community and then we found out – shortly thereafter that this community wanted to build two new Catholic Churches.  We both agreed quickly this was not coincidental but rather serendipitous and a call from the Holy Spirit to get involved and support this effort.  As newer members of the Catholic Churches of the Valley,  we see some division and some separation and many that may have left the church during or even before COVID.  We see this campaign to build two new churches as a great opportunity to bring this community together as one close

Since moving to the beautiful Rocky Mountains 15 years ago, we have longed for a church at St. Clare in Edwards, Colorado.  Along with our fellow parishioners, and students of St. Clare Catholic School, we have faithfully celebrated mass and our Catholic sacraments in the school gymnasium.  Each week attempting to convert the gym to a sacred place by adding folding chairs, a podium, and a makeshift altar, over a rug, with a few flower bouquets.  While it is true that we can experience God anywhere, including a gym, we believe that we will grow stronger as a community if we experience our sacraments, and the receiving of the Holy Eucharist, in a beautiful space dedicated to the worship of our Savior.  It is difficult to put your mind in a spiritual place while kneeling on a gym floor after receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord.  A beautiful church will let us encounter Jesus Christ at a deeper spiritual level and draw us closer not only to God, but to each other, as a parish community. Please join us in making this dream a reality by donating your time, talent and treasure.   A church is where we come together to grow as a community in our faith and is evidence that God is working in our community here in the mountains. 

“Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give”. (Mt 10: 8)

Without cost, we have received so much from God and our ancestors; now, it is the proper time for us to give to the younger generation without cost.