Mother Cabrini Shrine

Mother Cabrini Shrine
Sacred Heart of Jesus statue at the Mother Cabrini Shrine.
Basic information
Location	20189 Cabrini Boulevard Golden, Colorado 80401
Geographic coordinates	39°42′21″N 105°13′52″W / 39.705772°N 105.231099°W / 39.705772; -105.231099Coordinates: 39°42′21″N 105°13′52″W / 39.705772°N 105.231099°W / 39.705772; -105.231099
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Website	http://www.mothercabrinishrine.org/
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Added to NRHP:	January 14, 2000
NRHP Reference#:	99001666

Mother Cabrini Shrine is a shrine to Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, known as Mother Cabrini, located in Golden, Colorado, United States.^[1]

The shrine site includes the Stone House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Queen of Heaven Orphanage Summer Camp, a 22 feet (6.7 m) statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus designed by Maurice Loriaux, and a convent of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the order founded by Mother Cabrini.

History

Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini found the property, which had two barns and a springhouse but no reliable source of water, on the side of Lookout Mountain in 1902. She negotiated the purchase of the property in 1910 to use as a summer camp for Queen of Heaven Orphanage.^[2] A small farming operation was established and operated by Sisters of the Sacred Heart and during the summer, the camp saw groups of girls from the orphanage to enjoy the outdoors and perform farm chores.

Water was hauled up to the camp from the stream in Mount Vernon Canyon until 1912, when Mother Cabrini discovered a spring on the property. A replica of the grotto of Lourdes was built over the spring in 1929, then demolished and replaced by the current sandstone grotto in 1959. The Stone House, designed as a dormitory for the summer camp, began construction in 1912 and was completed in 1914.

The property became a pilgrimage site in 1938 following Mother Cabrini's beatification. The property was established as a shrine in 1946, the year she was canonized. In 1954, a 22 feet (6.7 m) statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus^[3], designed by Maurice Loriaux and mounted on an 11 feet (3.4 m) base^[4] was erected at the highest point of the site. A 373-step stairway was placed, following the path Mother Cabrini took to the top of the mountain, and is taken by pilgrims today.

The summer camp closed in 1967 and the Stone House was used as a convent until a permanent convent building was completed in 1970. Today, the convent contains a chapel, meeting rooms, a gift shop, housing for the resident Sisters, and overnight accommodations for visitors.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Colorado

References

1. ^ "Cabrini Shrine, Golden, Colorado". The American Folklife Center: Local Legacies. Library of Congress. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/CO/200002783.html. Retrieved 18 January 2010. 
2. ^ Shulgold, Marc (2002-07-15). "Cabrini Shrine a century old". Rocky Mountain News. "But Mother Cabrini did something else during her visit, an act that has made her a high-profile presence in Colorado: She bought land west of Denver to be used as a summer home for those girls, most of whom were orphans of Italian miners." 
3. ^ Ramirez, Rosa (2007-05-21). "Bolt strikes Cabrini Shrine Sacred Heart statue armless". Rocky Mountain News. "Lightning Saturday afternoon sheared both arms from the 22-foot-high statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden." 
4. ^ Fong, Tillie (2007-10-09). "A stronger base for Cabrini Shrine". Rocky Mountain News. "The statue in Golden was struck by lightning on May 19, taking off both arms. The bolt also apparently weakened the 11-foot base of the statue." 

External links

• Mother Cabrini Shrine, Golden CO