|
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel
218 Ruxton Ave., Manitou Springs, CO 80829
Parking pass is needed to park on Sundays. Available inside the church.
Mass Time: Sundays at 5 pm.
Reservations are no longer required to attend Mass at OLPH.
Masks are recommended, but optional for those who have been vaccinated.
218 Ruxton Ave., Manitou Springs, CO 80829
Parking pass is needed to park on Sundays. Available inside the church.
Mass Time: Sundays at 5 pm.
Reservations are no longer required to attend Mass at OLPH.
Masks are recommended, but optional for those who have been vaccinated.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Fundraiser
OLPH, the historic chapel on Ruxton Avenue in Manitou Springs and a mission church of Sacred Heart Parish, is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the Diocese of Colorado Springs. So many in the Manitou Springs community recall memories centered at this pretty little chapel: weddings, baptisms, children dressed in their finest to receive their First Holy Communion. And who can forget the simple joy of kids climbing on the big rock in our front yard while their parents have coffee with neighbors and friends after Mass?
OLPH has survived fires and many other challenges in its over 125-year history. We now face a new challenge. We are asking for your help in making our historic buildings handicap accessible to everyone. We do not to want to turn people away when they are not able to manage the front steps of our old buildings.
The addition of a new ramp and deck will finally enable all parishioners and visitors to enter both the chapel and our community building, the Fr. Schultz House. Using built-up earth, concrete, and local green stone will both minimize maintenance expenses and preserve our traditional appearance, as required by the Historic Preservation Commission of Manitou Springs. (See computer generated rendering below). Additionally, an updated restroom to accommodate A.D.A. (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards will be added to the Fr. Schultz House.
This is a big undertaking for our small church. Building the deck, creating a new entrance into the chapel, and remodeling the bathroom to meet ADA standards will cost our little community about $190,000. But with your help, we hope to be able to welcome everyone into our church community.
On March 21, 2021 OLPH had its first Community Meeting since COVID began a year ago. Everyone was brought up to date, and the group unanimously supported moving ahead with our badly needed handicap access project. Thanks to the generosity of so many, OLPH has currently collected $93,000 toward phase 1 of our present goal: to build an access ramp and deck that will connect the church with the Fr. Schultz House. Included in this exterior work is a restoration of the grotto and the repair of the front steps of the church. Phase 1 will cost $143,000, so we need to raise up to $50,000 more.
OLPH recently received a matching grant from Catholic Extension (from whom we order our parish calendars) for $45,000, which will now enable us to get closer to paying for Phase 1 and will also allow us to complete phase 2 of our proposal, making the bathroom ADA accessible as well, a $43,000 expense. We have started a pledge drive among OLPH parishioners, and inviting members of the other two church communities as well, to take advantage of the matching grant in order to finish both phases of our project. We have received official approval from the diocese, and plan to complete construction in time for the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on June 27. Contributions can be made out to “Sacred Heart Parish,” with “OLPH Building Fund” in the subject line, directly online or by participating in our GoFundMe at https://gf.me/u/yzsjcm.
If you aren’t able to participate in the fundraiser, please pray that Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, may assist us with this building project.
OLPH, the historic chapel on Ruxton Avenue in Manitou Springs and a mission church of Sacred Heart Parish, is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the Diocese of Colorado Springs. So many in the Manitou Springs community recall memories centered at this pretty little chapel: weddings, baptisms, children dressed in their finest to receive their First Holy Communion. And who can forget the simple joy of kids climbing on the big rock in our front yard while their parents have coffee with neighbors and friends after Mass?
OLPH has survived fires and many other challenges in its over 125-year history. We now face a new challenge. We are asking for your help in making our historic buildings handicap accessible to everyone. We do not to want to turn people away when they are not able to manage the front steps of our old buildings.
The addition of a new ramp and deck will finally enable all parishioners and visitors to enter both the chapel and our community building, the Fr. Schultz House. Using built-up earth, concrete, and local green stone will both minimize maintenance expenses and preserve our traditional appearance, as required by the Historic Preservation Commission of Manitou Springs. (See computer generated rendering below). Additionally, an updated restroom to accommodate A.D.A. (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards will be added to the Fr. Schultz House.
This is a big undertaking for our small church. Building the deck, creating a new entrance into the chapel, and remodeling the bathroom to meet ADA standards will cost our little community about $190,000. But with your help, we hope to be able to welcome everyone into our church community.
On March 21, 2021 OLPH had its first Community Meeting since COVID began a year ago. Everyone was brought up to date, and the group unanimously supported moving ahead with our badly needed handicap access project. Thanks to the generosity of so many, OLPH has currently collected $93,000 toward phase 1 of our present goal: to build an access ramp and deck that will connect the church with the Fr. Schultz House. Included in this exterior work is a restoration of the grotto and the repair of the front steps of the church. Phase 1 will cost $143,000, so we need to raise up to $50,000 more.
OLPH recently received a matching grant from Catholic Extension (from whom we order our parish calendars) for $45,000, which will now enable us to get closer to paying for Phase 1 and will also allow us to complete phase 2 of our proposal, making the bathroom ADA accessible as well, a $43,000 expense. We have started a pledge drive among OLPH parishioners, and inviting members of the other two church communities as well, to take advantage of the matching grant in order to finish both phases of our project. We have received official approval from the diocese, and plan to complete construction in time for the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on June 27. Contributions can be made out to “Sacred Heart Parish,” with “OLPH Building Fund” in the subject line, directly online or by participating in our GoFundMe at https://gf.me/u/yzsjcm.
If you aren’t able to participate in the fundraiser, please pray that Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, may assist us with this building project.
Welcome from our Associate Pastor Fr. Randy Rentner, CSC
Pictured Above: An architectural drawing of what OLPH and the Fr. Schultz House will look like once the handicap accessible ramp project is complete.
|
Welcome to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel in Manitou Springs, one of two mission churches that are part of Sacred Heart Parish in Old Colorado City. OLPH is the oldest Catholic Church in the Diocese of Colorado Springs, although ironically, Sacred Heart Church started out as a mission church of OLPH!
OLPH celebrates Mass on Sundays at 5 pm in our quaint chapel which is now well over a hundred years old. We have many long-time parishioners from the nearby area, but some people drive in from as far away as Woodland Park and beyond to worship with us. We are a small-knit family of faithful, but we enjoy visitors, especially those who vacation in Manitou Springs each summer. Our Father Schultz House is where we share coffee and baked goods each Sunday after Mass, except in good weather when we’re out on the lawn in front of Ruxton Creek, whose babbling waters border our property. We are currently in the process of raising funds to build a ramp and deck that will connect our two buildings together and allow handicap access for everyone to join us for both at Mass and at our social gatherings afterward. We’re also refinishing our bathroom to be ADA compliant. If you have any history with our chapel or if you are new to our area, we invite you to consider assisting us in our efforts by contributing to our Building Fund. |
History of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Our Lady of Perpetual Help was founded in Colorado City in 1860 to minister to the first settlers in the area. On July 30, 1882, Bishop Joseph Machebeuf dedicated a Catholic Church in Manitou Springs. The new church, built by the Gillis brothers at 218 Ruxton Ave., was dedicated on August 1, 1889, with Fr. Frederick Bender as pastor. A small rectory was built that same year. Four years later, Fr. J.B. Francolon became the pastor and built Miramont Castle. On August 3, 1903, the original church was destroyed by fire. A new structure was built and dedicated by the following October. Two years later, Fr. Michael P. Callanan added the Lourdes Grotto on the property.
In 1926, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate took charge of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, serving it as a mission from the expanded and now renamed Sacred Heart Parish in Old Colorado City. The Congregation of Holy Cross assumed pastoral leadership in 1984.
In 1926, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate took charge of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, serving it as a mission from the expanded and now renamed Sacred Heart Parish in Old Colorado City. The Congregation of Holy Cross assumed pastoral leadership in 1984.
