Last Sunday, October 29, Queen of Peace Parish in Aurora blessed and inaugurated their new parish center.
The ceremony was marked by the presence of members and leaders of the parish, many of whom supported the project from the beginning of a capital campaign in 2020, as well as Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, who presided over the blessing and dedication.
Archbishop Samuel Aquila during the new Parish Center Inauguration and Blessing, October 28, 2023. Photo: Neil McDonough.
Even though the new parish center’s construction had to overcome various obstacles, Fr. Félix Medina, the pastor of Queen of Peace, said the challenges were proof of the unity of the parish community.
“Queen of Peace is a parish of many different groups, languages, countries and traditions. But this was an experience of faith that is the same faith of all, the same Jesus, the same Church, the same Holy Spirit, that is the same baptism, that is the same hope that all of us have together. This unified everyone: knowing that this was our project, all of us, that it was not only for those who have been here for many years, not only for those who have just arrived, not only for immigrants or natives… The project was for all of us. That created something more than just a building. It created a unity, a communion, a fraternity that everyone enjoyed. This was the basis for moving forward,” Fr. Medina told the Denver Catholic.
Parish Center at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on October 17, 2023, in Aurora, Colorado. (Photo by Daniel Petty)
The idea to build a new parish center arose in 2005 because of the poor conditions of the previous building. The parish intended to begin a capital campaign to raise funds for the project, but various obstacles – among them, the economic crisis in 2008 – halted the project. It wasn’t until 2014, when Fr. Medina arrived at Queen of Peace, that the community resumed the conversations to build a new parish center.
After years of planning, construction began in June of 2020. Even though the parish had already raised enough to begin the project, the future of the parish center remained uncertain. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and many other challenges, the project continued.
“The pandemic was a huge challenge: collecting funds while the church was empty. There was only one priest and one camera at Mass. We didn’t know what was going to happen next; we knew God was going to help us, but we didn’t know how. We didn’t know if people were going to continue giving as they did before, if our people were going to continue contributing,” said Fr. Medina.
However, the Queen of Peace community didn’t throw in the towel. They kept contributing so that the construction of the new parish center would continue.
“Everyone remained involved, even though no one could come to Mass. Of course, we always kept the church open; we never closed,” shared Fr. Medina, recalling the parish’s efforts to continue offering the sacraments even with all the restrictions and limitations.
Because of the many challenges and difficulties, the construction that was meant only to last 14 months lasted 3 years until finally becoming a reality. “There were many difficulties that led to an increase in this community’s faith, and which led us to see that God acts in these moments too, especially in the most difficult times,” Fr. Medina added.
Parish Center at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on October 17, 2023, in Aurora, Colorado. (Photo by Daniel Petty)
The parish center is not just a building, but more so a place of evangelization that Fr. Medina hopes will become a destination for many of the faithful, for many people who desire to grow their faith. Every corner and each element of the building holds a deep Christian symbolism.
“This new parish center has a great beauty that the old building did not have. It has a lot of light; that element is very important because Christ is the light, Christ is the light of the world. The building has fountains, which helps us recall our baptism; there are rooms that have icons written by hand, works of art, Christian art that will help make us icons of Christ, that will help us be a reflection of Christ. There’s also a lot of glass, because we want to overcome all barriers that divide us, all the walls that separate us. This new parish center speaks of the Christian faith, of Christ. All these elements are sacramental signs,” Fr. Medina told the Denver Catholic.
Without a doubt, the new parish center is the result of a labor of love and union of the diverse community from Queen of Peace. Yet, the most important thing is that the new building is a place where people can feel welcomed and return to the house of the Lord.
“My hope is that this will be a center for the New Evangelization, that it makes us missionaries, that it might be a place of apostolic formation, of evangelization of our families, our marriages, of our youth, that it might be a care center for our seniors, a shelter for those who are currently away from the Church. I hope that we can offer all this here at Queen of Peace, which is a place where so many come from far away that we might have a heart for them,” Fr. Medina added.
Father Felix Median during the new Parish Center Inauguration and Blessing, October 28, 2023. Photo: Neil McDonough.
The fruits of this construction project are evident not only in the building of the new parish center, but also in the heart and unity of the community of Queen of Peace.
“I am very happy because the project has unified, has continued this journey of unity of the Church, of a ‘catholic’ church, which means universal and that it goes to all, reaches all and at the same time remains one,” concluded Fr. Medina.