10:00AM Sunday Mass
Despite being a last minute choice for this week's Church, Our Lady of the Pines in Conifer did not disappoint ... in fact, we liked it so much that it's taken over the #1 spot amongst the 13 Churches we've been to so far. The beautiful sunny, crisp 8,200' mountain air and spectacular views certainly didn't hurt. I first espied the church back in mid-October when headed to Colorado's newest state park - Staunton in very nearby Pine, CO. (That was the day and the place Sydney Sillygoat passed away, Staunton State Park, that is ... Oct 13, 2013.)
There was nothing ostentatious about the simple but beautiful church. Plentiful smallish, unadorned windows lined the sides of the church through which one could look out on the beautiful pine trees. Had the windows been any larger, it'd have been impossible to turn one's attention towards the altar.
The homily was very homey, simple, to the point but without any harsh edges, laced with corny humor, references to the great outdoors, and ... short.
The small choir (probably no more than a dozen members) was fronted by a piano and a flutist, a bassoonist, and a French Hornist! In keeping with the simple, non-ostentatious surroundings and services, the hymns were very well done - the best we've had so far. It's truly amazing how the horn and the bassoon "rounded" out the voices, the piano, and the flute.
As the services progressed, the Church moved up in rank and by the time the Mass was over and we were back out in the glorious Colorado sunshine, breathing in that crisp clean mountain air, Our Lady of the Pines was our new #1. Could the high altitude have had anything to do with that decision??
From the Our Lady of the Pines website (http://www.olpines.org/):
Our Lady of the Pines is a small mountain parish in Conifer.
We recently built a new worship space to allow for more space in the older
building for religious education, meetings, and social events. The dedication
of our new church was in July of 2006, and the space is beautiful. For more
information or to contribute to the building fund, please contact the parish
office at 303-838-0338.
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