Church rankings after 24 churches

Here are the top 5 ranked Churches after 24 churches of The Chow's Colorado Catholic Church Tour:  (no change in rankings)

1. St Daniel's Catholic Church - 614 5th St, Ouray, CO 81427 (Church 17; 297 miles)
2. St Theresa's Catholic Church - 502 Walnut St, Frederick, CO 80530 (Church 19; 43.5 miles)
3. Most Precious Blood Catholic Church - 2250 S Harrison St, Denver, CO 80210 (Church 18; 18.7 miles)
4. Our Lady of the Pines - 9444 Eagle Cliff Road, Conifer, CO 80433 (Week 13; 26.2 miles)
5. Ten Thirty Catholic Community - 1100 Fillmore St, Denver, CO 80206 (Week 10; 22.8 miles)

Other rankings, metrics, etc:

• Farthest Church - St Daniel's Catholic Church, Ouray, CO - Church 17, 297 miles
• Nearest Church - St Mary's Catholic Church, Littleton, CO - Week 1, 5.3 miles
• Farthest Same Day Church - Our Lady of Victory, Limon, CO - Church 21, 101 miles
• Total distance to-date (one way, per Google Maps) -  1093.42 miles
• Average distance to-date (one way) - 45.55miles
• Earliest Mass - St Elizabeth of Hungary Church - Denver, CO - Week 7; 9:00AM Sunday Mass;  Our Lady of Mt Carmel - Littleton, CO - Church 24; 9:00AM Sunday Mass
  St Daniel's Catholic Church - Ouray, CO - Church 17; 9:00AM Sunday mass
• Latest Mass - St Mary's Catholic Church, Littleton, CO - Week 1; 11:30AM Sunday Mass;  St Mary's Catholic Cathedral, Colorado Springs, CO - Church 23; 11:30AM Sunday Mass
• Best Homily - Ten Thirty Catholic Community - Denver, CO - Week 10; 11AM Sunday Mass
• Worst Homily - St Francis of Assisi - Castle Rock, CO - Week 11; 9:30AM Sunday Mass (displaces Denver Cathedral from Week 4)

Church #24 - Our Lady of Mt Carmel - 5612 S Hickory Cir, Littleton, CO 80120

July 27, 2014
9:00AM Sunday Mass
6.8 Miles

My first Latin, old style Mass since I was in the first or second grade!   Our Lady of Mt Carmel was established in 2009 to cater to Catholic who wanted to celebrate Mass using the pre-1962 liturgy and services.  Not really sure why anyone would want that but to each their own!

The first thing that struck me as we entered the Church were the veil covered heads (of women) ... and shortly after, I occurred to me that I was the only man in shorts.   The altar area seemed a lot more ornate that most of the regular Parish Churches in Colorado and the stern looks of men, women, and children seemed a lot less welcoming as well.  I guess they were all dreading the Latin mumbo jumbo hour ahead of them and had their "game" faces on!

The priest came in from a room adjacent to the altar area ... unlike the typical procession down the aisle that has been in practice since Vatican II (or so I think.)   The priest had his back to the congregation for most of the Mass, as was the practice pre-Vatican II.   The tepid, almost imperceptible responses from the congregation to the various "Dominus Vobiscum"s and even the Kyrie and Christi Eleisons, was a let down.  The veils and stern demeanors didn't actually translate to vigorous "Et cum spiritu tuo"s!  

The priest's shiny bald pate was made all the more eye catching by his habit of scratching the right top side, leading me to silently christen him "Padre Kamot" (kamot meaning "scratch" in Filipino.) 

There was an incredible amount of kneeling ... probably 3/4th of the Mass had us on our knees.   Amazingly even little kids knelt without the typical fidgeting that the post-Vatican II children Mass goers engage in while on the pews.  

For Communion, we all trooped to the front of the Church and knelt on the long row fronting the Altar ... just like in old days!  The Priest went down the line dishing out Communion, signing the Cross with the Host while whispering a Latin phrase (which I assumed was more than just Corpus Christi or the Body of Christ.)   The Altar boy followed along with a paten, an implement that I hadn't seen in a Church in decades.

The only Latin prayer the Congregation participated in fully was the Agnus Dei prior to Communion.  I'd have thought that the Pater Noster would have been the one prayer that'd have had significant audience participation but it turned out that the priest was the only one saying the prayer --- while the congregation continued to be on their knees.

After the final blessing, the priest went through 3 Hail Marys, and a few other prayers in English before leaving the Altar area.

Pretty interesting overall.  Finally got to attend a Latin service.

Church Web Site - http://www.olmcfssp.org/cms/
About Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church (OLMC)
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is a personal parish of the Archdiocese of Denver, erected in July 2009 to provide spiritual and pastoral care to those Catholics who desire to worship using the liturgical books in force in 1962.

History of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - Latin Mass Community (OLMC)

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Latin Mass Community was established on July 16, 1996 by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.
Devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel dates back to the 13th Century when according to Carmelite tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock and gave him the Brown Scapular. The Brown Scapular is worn by many Catholic faithful as a sign of love and devotion for the Mother of God.

"Most worthy Queen of the World, Mary ever Virgin, pray for our peace and safety; thou who didst bring forth Christ the Lord and Saviour of all mankind."

About the FSSP

Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri (FSSP) is the Latin Name of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. The FSSP is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right founded with the approval of His Holiness Pope John Paul II in 1988. The Fraternity was established for the formation and sanctification of priests in the framework of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite (Tridentine Latin Mass) and their pastoral deployment in the service of the Church. The FSSP functions under the auspices of and in complete union with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

Church #23 - St Mary's Catholic Cathedral - 22 W Kiowa St Colorado Springs, CO 80903

July 20, 2014
11:30AM Sunday Mass
61.5 Miles

Yet another gorgeous sunny summer Colorado morning saw us headed down to Colorado Springs for the second weekend in a row ... this time to St Mary's Catholic Cathedral, the home parish of the Archbishop of Colorado Springs ... the See that covers a pretty wide swatch of Colorado south of Denver ... including Douglas County (where our "home" parish of Pax Christi is ensconced.)

As with last week, I25 traffic moved at the posted 75mph speed till 2 miles before the Larkspur exit where the Renaissance Festival is in season ... backing traffic up for miles as Medieval fans braved the long lines and high temperatures forecast for today.

St Mary's Cathedral was a lot smaller than we'd expected ... much smaller than the unexpectedly small Denver Cathedral.  The 11:30AM Sunday Mass was lightly attended.  The celebrant was of indeterminate background (possibly Polish or Argentinan) with rudimentary English speaking skills ... making the readings and the Homily a pretty labored exercise!   That said, I think the Homily was non-dogmatic (or if it was, I wasn't paying enough attention to have it rub me the wrong way!)

The organist was highly enthusiastic, playing at an incredibly loud volume, drowning out the "cantor".  Despite the cantor and the organist being immediately beside each other, they were amazingly out of step, leading the music to be amusingly disjointed.   I suppose that's part of the overall charm of the Mass.

The interior of the Cathedral was very nicely done as far as places of Worship go ... not overly ostentatious ... and pretty well maintained.   The cantor, who chatted me up a while after Mass was over, said the place was "recently renovated ... in 2003" ... dating his presence on God's Earth!

Overall it was not a bad visit.   I had qualms about what the Mass would be like given Archibishop Sheridan's rightist positions.   I guess one should never pre-judge a Cathedral by the Archibishop!

Church website - http://www.stmaryscathedral.org/

Church Rankings after 23 churches

Here are the top 5 ranked Churches after 23 churches of The Chow's Colorado Catholic Church Tour:  (no change in rankings)

1. St Daniel's Catholic Church - 614 5th St, Ouray, CO 81427 (Church 17; 297 miles)
2. St Theresa's Catholic Church - 502 Walnut St, Frederick, CO 80530 (Church 19; 43.5 miles)
3. Most Precious Blood Catholic Church - 2250 S Harrison St, Denver, CO 80210 (Church 18; 18.7 miles)
4. Our Lady of the Pines - 9444 Eagle Cliff Road, Conifer, CO 80433 (Week 13; 26.2 miles)
5. Ten Thirty Catholic Community - 1100 Fillmore St, Denver, CO 80206 (Week 10; 22.8 miles)

Other rankings, metrics, etc:

• Farthest Church - St Daniel's Catholic Church, Ouray, CO - Church 17, 297 miles
• Nearest Church - St Mary's Catholic Church, Littleton, CO - Week 1, 5.3 miles
• Farthest Same Day Church - Our Lady of Victory, Limon, CO - Church 21, 101 miles
• Total distance to-date (one way, per Google Maps) -  1086.6.1 miles
• Average distance to-date (one way) - 47.23 miles
• Earliest Mass - St Elizabeth of Hungary Church - Denver, CO - Week 7; 9:00AM Sunday Mass;
  St Daniel's Catholic Church - Ouray, CO - Church 17; 9:00AM Sunday mass
• Latest Mass - St Mary's Catholic Church, Littleton, CO - Week 1; 11:30AM Sunday Mass;  St Mary's Catholic Cathedral, Colorado Springs, CO - Church 23; 11:30AM Sunday Mass
• Best Homily - Ten Thirty Catholic Community - Denver, CO - Week 10; 11AM Sunday Mass
• Worst Homily - St Francis of Assisi - Castle Rock, CO - Week 11; 9:30AM Sunday Mass (displaces Denver Cathedral from Week 4)

Church rankings after 22 churches

Here are the top 5 ranked Churches after 22 churches of The Chow's Colorado Catholic Church Tour:  (no change in rankings)

1. St Daniel's Catholic Church - 614 5th St, Ouray, CO 81427 (Church 17; 297 miles)
2. St Theresa's Catholic Church - 502 Walnut St, Frederick, CO 80530 (Church 19; 43.5 miles)
3. Most Precious Blood Catholic Church - 2250 S Harrison St, Denver, CO 80210 (Church 18; 18.7 miles)
4. Our Lady of the Pines - 9444 Eagle Cliff Road, Conifer, CO 80433 (Week 13; 26.2 miles)
5. Ten Thirty Catholic Community - 1100 Fillmore St, Denver, CO 80206 (Week 10; 22.8 miles)

Other rankings, metrics, etc:

• Farthest Church - St Daniel's Catholic Church, Ouray, CO - Church 17, 297 miles
• Nearest Church - St Mary's Catholic Church, Littleton, CO - Week 1, 5.3 miles
• Farthest Same Day Church - Our Lady of Victory, Limon, CO - Church 21, 101 miles
• Total distance to-date (one way, per Google Maps) -  1025.1 miles
• Average distance to-date (one way) - 46.59 miles
• Earliest Mass - St Elizabeth of Hungary Church - Denver, CO - Week 7; 9:00AM Sunday Mass;
  St Daniel's Catholic Church - Ouray, CO - Church 17; 9:00AM Sunday mass
• Latest Mass - St Mary's Catholic Church, Littleton, CO - Week 1; 11:30AM Sunday Mass
• Best Homily - Ten Thirty Catholic Community - Denver, CO - Week 10; 11AM Sunday Mass
• Worst Homily - St Francis of Assisi - Castle Rock, CO - Week 11; 9:30AM Sunday Mass (displaces Denver Cathedral from Week 4)

Church #22 - St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church - 2650 Parish View, Colorado Springs, CO 80919

July 13, 2014
10:30AM Sunday Mass
58.1 Miles

World Cup Finals Day dawned bright and early in Highlands Ranch, CO, a good 5,864 miles to the Estadio Do Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro and 5,082 miles to Knaackstrasse, Berlin where Kevin landed a few hours ago and is staying with Aimee for a few days.   Game time 1PM MDT.  Germany is the overwhelming favorites against the less that impressive Argentina squad.   So, what does any of these have to do with Church #22?

After having gone Eastern Colorado for Church #21, it was time we went South ... and Colorado Springs seems to be chockful of Catholic Churches.   A quick pull of Google Maps and the first church that caught my eyes was St Francis of Assisi.   Hmmmm ... knowing that Pope Francis picked his Papal name for St Francis seemed like an omen that perhaps the World Cup Finals might be a lot more competitive than one might expect ... which it was ... but the better team won!

We got in our usual 10 minutes late and on our way in espied a picture of the Pastor ... who turned out to be Fr Ken, formerly of Pax Christi in Lone Tree - the Parish we went to for ~14 or so years.   Fr Ken was reassigned several years ago, so it was a surprise to see him here, another church with a circular worship area just like Pax Christi is.

The Mass had another Priest assisting ...the guy had a little backpack with a small oxygen tank.   I assumed/hoped that that meant a short Homily and it was to be!   Another unmemorable Homily ... which is far better than a dogmatic one.  

When Mass let out it was pouring outside .. which scuttled plans to walk around the grounds which had what looked like a cemetery of sorts for whom I'd assumed were Franciscans.   There were also directions to a retreat area.   The entire area looked like a great place to come for quiet meditation and reflection.

From the Church website - http://stfranciscs.org/#/about-us

A Narrative about St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Colorado Springs -

When one enters the grounds of Mt. St. Francis, they realize that they are in a special place, peaceful and beautiful. The area, home to the Province of St. Joseph of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, is also the location of St. Francis of Assisi Parish. After a group of families from the area started to attend Mass in the Sister's chapel that was built in 1963, Bishop Hanifen, the first bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs, gave mission status to what is now called St. Francis of Assisi Parish. It was made a parish in 1987. In 1989 the Diocese of Colorado Springs and the Sisters signed a fifty year agreement that allows St. Francis of Assisi parish to remain in this special place with the Sisters.

St. Francis continued to grow and, with the permission of the Sisters, renovated the church to accommodate more people and also built an addition to provide meeting/classroom facilities and a parish hall. The community continues to use and enjoy the facilities.

Having been blessed by God and our association with the Sisters, the community goes forth from the mountain to all parts of the Colorado Springs community and the world. The parish believes and acts upon the call of the Spirit to love as Jesus loves by supporting the diocese and the local community through various activities. For example, the church family serves at the Marian House, the Catholic Charities soup kitchen, once a month. A partnership with local churches allowed the parish to build several Habitat for Humanity houses. Many other service oriented activities are part of the core of St. Francis of Assisi Parish.

St. Francis of Assisi continues to strive to be a Eucharistic community, blessed by God, called by the Spirit, and sent to love as Jesus loves.

Church #21 - Our Lady of Victory - 425 H Ave, Limon, CO 80828

 July 06, 2014
11:00AM Sunday Mass
101 miles

Forecasts called for a sunny hot day and both were delivered as promised!    The forecast plus the expected light traffic towards eastern Colorado influenced our choice of Church #21 - Our Lady of Victory in Limon on the eastern plains ... a good 101 miles from the house.   I suspect that somehow my subconscious cynicism had something to do with the choice as well ... today being (as with a surprising number of friends and family) George W's birthday.   The connection, however tenuous it might seem:  W's famous "mission accomplish" boast ... and the church's name.

The miles to and from Limon flew by ... almost literally, as we found ourselves occasionally hovering around 120 mph as we tagged along a few speedsters.   As a result we got to the church almost half hour earlier than planned ... giving us time to drive around a few Limon neighborhoods.   Per Google, Limon has a population of 1,800 and a 3.6% unemployment rate, the largest employer being the Correctional Facility in the area (we must have missed it as we meandered around town.)

Fr Fagan, the pastor met us as we strolled in ... far earlier than we normally get to church.  He gave us a hearty welcome and was intrigued by our Catholic Church touring.   It didn't occur to me that his Parish was the furthest same day church we've been to so far.  The furthest to date is St Daniels in Ouray ... but we were in Ouray when we dropped in for Mass there.

The little congregation had a fairly good mix of elderly folks, middle aged families, and young families with little kids.    And as expected, the rear of the church was where the young families with squirmy kids congregated.

Fr Fagan started out his Homily full steam (which unfortunately I have no recollection of what it was about) and then as it came towards what would have been the climax, he abruptly ended ... a nice truncated short Homily!

All in all, it was a pleasant Church and service.

Church rankings after 21 churches

Here are the top 5 ranked Churches after 21 churches of The Chow's Colorado Catholic Church Tour:  (no change in rankings)

1. St Daniel's Catholic Church - 614 5th St, Ouray, CO 81427 (Church 17; 297 miles)
2. St Theresa's Catholic Church - 502 Walnut St, Frederick, CO 80530 (Church 19; 43.5 miles)
3. Most Precious Blood Catholic Church - 2250 S Harrison St, Denver, CO 80210 (Church 18; 18.7 miles)
4. Our Lady of the Pines - 9444 Eagle Cliff Road, Conifer, CO 80433 (Week 13; 26.2 miles)
5. Ten Thirty Catholic Community - 1100 Fillmore St, Denver, CO 80206 (Week 10; 22.8 miles)

Other rankings, metrics, etc:

• Farthest Church - St Daniel's Catholic Church, Ouray, CO - Church 17, 297 miles
• Nearest Church - St Mary's Catholic Church, Littleton, CO - Week 1, 5.3 miles
• Total distance to-date (one way, per Google Maps) -  967 miles
• Average distance to-date (one way) - 46.04 miles
• Earliest Mass - St Elizabeth of Hungary Church - Denver, CO - Week 7; 9:00AM Sunday Mass;
  St Daniel's Catholic Church - Ouray, CO - Church 17; 9:00AM Sunday mass
• Latest Mass - St Mary's Catholic Church, Littleton, CO - Week 1; 11:30AM Sunday Mass
• Best Homily - Ten Thirty Catholic Community - Denver, CO - Week 10; 11AM Sunday Mass
• Worst Homily - St Francis of Assisi - Castle Rock, CO - Week 11; 9:30AM Sunday Mass (displaces Denver Cathedral from Week 4)