St. Francis Xavier Cabrini

For dh's birthday, we made a pilgrimage to the Francis Cabrini Shrine in Golden, CO. Seems that the good lady came to Denver area in 1902 at the behest of the Bishop Nickolas Matz to spread the gospel and provide a peaceful summer atmosphere for orphan children in the midst of the burgeoning "wild west" town.

The Shrine has a 373-step climb to the summit. (Here the kids are smiling -- they haven't started the climb yet!) Along the way, Stations of the Cross, mysteries of the rosary and the ten commandments allow for pilgrims to pray and meditate while making the ascent.


Once at the top, a beautiful white statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus blesses all who come near. The view from the top of Denver (sorry, dh's birthday was a bit overcast) is spectacular and makes you realize 1, just what a bowl Denver sits in and 2, just how high you are (as Denver is at 5280!).

Below the mountain is a miraculous spring. Seems Mother Cabrini and her nuns could not find water on the donated land. She struck a rock with her staff (which is on display in the small museum) and water came forth -- this spring still flows today.

For a great kids' read-aloud, try out Joan Stromberg's The Orphans Find A Home -- it's a wonderful historical fiction about St. Francis Cabrini's work in New York (and I wrote a knitting book that uses this one and another of Stromberg's stories, so you have a whole unit right there!)