AURORA, Colo. — Colorado's largest Catholic church will break ground on a new parish community center this weekend.
Queen of Peace Catholic Parish will hold a groundbreaking ceremony and lay a foundation stone with Archbishop Samuel Aquila on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 12:45 p.m.
The parish said the new $12.5-million community center will replace the parish’s deteriorating facilities and provide much-needed space for its growing pace of activity.
“Through these works of charity, we are going out with gratitude to bring the love of Christ and give witness to all that he has done for us,” said Father Felix Medina, Queen of Peace pastor. “But we could not continue doing these things in our old buildings. They were falling apart, they had asbestos, they would have been condemned soon. This is an urgent need.”
The parish said plans for the new center began in 2015 and parishioners began a capital campaign in 2017, with the goal of raising $5 million. The remainder of the cost will come from a parish building fund, parish savings, a loan from the Archdiocese of Denver and outside sources, said the church.
New Queen of Peace community center
"The Lord is calling us to serve him and his Church today! We cannot wait until after the pandemic. This project is happening today, because in front of all the suffering and confusion in the world, it is more necessary than ever,” said Father Medina. “The Lord calls us to build a parish center to help us strengthen hundreds of marriages. The Lord calls us to build a parish center where thousands of youth can learn the truth about the meaning of their lives. This is a place that will help rebuild a society that has been ravaged by a pandemic and the forces of secularization and polarization.”
Located at 13130 East Kentucky Avenue, west of Interstate 225 on East Mississippi Avenue in Aurora, Queen of Peace was established in 1968. Parish officials said its congregation is made up largely of immigrants from Mexico, South America, Africa, the Pacific Islands and the Philippines.
Before the pandemic, Queen of Peace said it had a weekly attendance of 6,000. Queen of Peace said its hot soup kitchen serves more than 1,000 hot meals every week.
For more information, visit queenofpeace.net.
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