After beginning as a parish community in 2018, St. Gianna Beretta Molla parish in Green Valley Ranch has met in a charter school, a Holiday Inn, different homes, and currently, a former dance studio.
Now five years later, they have started a capital campaign to break ground on their own church building. They’ve raised $1.5 million so far, exceeding their $1 million goal. St. Gianna’s is one of the two new parish communities in the Archdiocese of Denver, St. John Paul II parish in Thornton being the other.
A hub for different cultures, the parish is home to African, Hispanic and Vietnamese communities.
“We were able to do the Triduum liturgies in three languages,” said Father Jason Wunsch, pastor of the parish.
“You really get a flavor of the universal Church,” said Deacon John Ferraro, who has been at the parish since July 2019.
Both Deacon Ferraro and Father Wunsch are bilingual in Spanish and English. Deacon Ferraro was appointed to St. Gianna’s after his diaconate ordination almost four years ago. He assists with the Masses as well as helps with RCIA and sacramental preparation.
“None of us is going to say things perfectly,” Deacon Ferraro said. “It’s about being real and vulnerable. It’s in our vulnerability that we see the beauty of each other as children of God.”
Father Wunsch had a part-time business manager as the only other paid employee of the parish, until this spring when Father Vincent Bui was appointed parochial vicar.
“Jesus sent the apostles out two by two, it would be nice to have a second person,” Father Wunsch said as he recalled appealing to Archbishop Aquila for a second priest.
With Father Bui’s help, the parish was able to start a Vietnamese Mass this Lent, and this Mass even has a 20-30 person choir, Father Wunsch said.
The parish does five weekend Masses in three languages, and is also responsible for a Mass at Denver International Airport, which was recently named as one of the busiest airports in the nation.
The installation Mass of Father Jason Wunsch, pastor of St. Gianna Beretta Molla Parish, was celebrated by Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila Sept. 16, 2018. Since then, the parish has experienced significant growth and is working toward raising money to build a permanent church home. (Photo by Brandon Young)
While being a small community, there’s a lot of involvement, Father Wunsch said. They are sending 30 people to the Steubenville of the Rockies conference this summer. They also have a number of adults being baptized and receiving their sacraments.
One youth of the parish went on to be a catechist for them, and is now in seminary. Another parishioner, a Rwandan refugee, is studying in seminary as well.
While a dance studio might be an unlikely home for the parish, Father Wunsch loves the perks of high ceilings and lots of natural light. The parish is about to acquire the neighboring storefront, giving them space to add 150 seats, a confessional and an office for Father Bui.
Despite there being 40,000 people who live in Green Valley Ranch, there is not a single Christian structure, Father Wunsch said. “We will be the closest church to 150,000 people.”
The last parish in the archdiocese that was built from the ground up was Our Lady of Loreto in Foxfield, founded in 1998. It is a special and unique opportunity for St. Gianna’s to be building a brand-new parish community.
“We haven’t done this in over two decades,” Father Wunsch said.“This doesn’t happen very often,” he said.
“I think it would be a beacon of hope and light for our area,” Deacon Ferraro added.
Not only is St. Gianna’s pioneering the building of a new church, they’re also taking a fresh approach to catechesis.
The parish has an experientially-based sacramental preparation program, which includes a visit to the Cathedral to talk about architecture and a visit to the cemetery to speak about saints and a holy death. The parents also need to be involved, as they are the primary catechists, Father Wunsch said.
“It’s led a lot of the parents to want to get married in the church,” Father Wunsch said.
With so many Spanish-speaking families, Father Wunsch finds it important to include catechesis for the kids in English, as well as a bilingual Mass.
“They [the kids] speak English,” Father Wunsch said. “They associate the faith with something from Mexico.”
When he begins to speak to them in English, their ears perk up, he says. “Oh you’re speaking my language.”
“They have never learned how to connect to God in English,” he said.
Father Wunsch hopes that having experiences in the faith in both English and Spanish will help his parishioners keep the faith as they grow up. If they don’t feel comfortable going to Mass in English, they are more likely to fall away from the faith in college, where Spanish Mass and campus ministry might not be available, he said.
St. Gianna’s plans to rent their current space for the next two years, after which they are hopeful about moving into their permanent home.
“God’s provided for us along the way,” Deacon Ferraro said. “At each juncture we’ve had to trust.”