A Case for Support 1 Dear Catholic Faithful, I was a 25-year-old seminarian when Pope John Paul II came to Colorado for World Youth Day in 1993. On the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1993, while standing among my fellow seminarians in excited anticipation of the open-air Mass at Cherry Creek State Park, the Pope passed by and uttered to me, “Rocco! You will hold the Gospel for me today!” While I was humbled beyond words to stand in front of the Holy Father and prop open the Gospel, it was the overarching theme of his visit to Colorado that has remained with me: I came that they might have life and have it to the full. (Jn 10:10) As Pastor at Saint John XXIII Church, in conjunction with Father Joe Grady and the church staff, we strive to provide an avenue for God’s grace to be fully present among Catholic college students, in order that they can indeed experience life to the fullest while attending Colorado State University. It is through the Ram Catholic ministry that we reach out to Catholic students in the spirit of Saint John Paul II’s 1993 World Youth Day exhortation: “ This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the time to preach it from the rooftops. Do not be afraid to break out of comfortable and routine modes of living in order to take up the challenge of making Christ known in the modern metropolis.” As you look to the top of this page at the branding image for this capital campaign, I invite you to see the rooftop of the New Evangelization. The beautiful church, that we are going to build together, will be an outpost of the Kingdom of Heaven; a place where, at this critical moment in the history of the Church and the World, God will make Himself undeniably present; a place where the Sacraments will gush forth to feed, forgive, heal, and transform lives; a place that will walk with countless souls in their pilgrim journey to Heaven. Through the formation of a fruitful association between the Archdiocese of Denver and Blackbird Investments (which you will learn more about in the following pages), God will use Saint John XXIII Church to establish a healthy community for Catholic students attending Colorado State University. A holy space to grow in faith, grow in friendship, experience legitimate fellowship, and live in a faith-filled environment— all in one Campus West location. Thank you for enthusiastically joining me in this endeavor of the New Evangelization. With Saint Michael the Archangel as our guide and protector, let us recognize that God has formed us as the church militant and let us move forward courageously to finish what we have begun with this campaign. Then, in the fullness of time, may we hear our Lord say, well done my good and faithful servant, now enter into your eternal joy. Grace and Peace, If all we did was what we thought was possible, we would take the credit for ourselves. So let us set out to do what only God can accomplish. Then, when the beautiful church is complete, we will praise Him for making the impossible, possible. Very Rev. Rocco Porter, V.F. “ Pastor, St. John XXIII 2 3 2 OUR VISION Beginning in the 1960’s, the Fort Collins Catholic community recognized the necessity for campus ministry to serve the spiritual needs of Catholic students at Colorado State University. By the gracious gift of Tom and Ginnie Gleason and other church founders, the community acquired a significant plot of highly valuable and desirable land on the west side of the campus, and the Saint John XXIII University Center came to fruition in 1969. Since then, due to the vision of dedicated pastors and parishioners, the University Center has expanded its facilities with an enlarged narthex, additional meeting space, expanded offices, the acquisition of an auxiliary (event center) building, and the acquirement and remodeling of an unattached rectory. Each of these spaces have supported the growth of Campus Ministry, to a point that today, Saint John XXIII is once again short of space. By building a beautiful new church where the gas station once existed, Saint John XXIII Church possesses the ability to create an undeniable presence on the campus of Colorado State University. The substantial redevelopment of St. John XXIII campus facilities is envisioned to be centered on the construction of a new beautiful Catholic Church connected to a soaring bell tower. The church will be constructed in traditional Romanesque-style, built on a cruciform plan with a proper narthex, nave, apse and transepts. The interior will include a main altar dedicated to the Roman Rite, with side chapels designed for the Byzantine Rite, and the Tridentine Mass. The exterior of the church will open into a broad piazza with a bronze statue of Saint Michael the Archangel magnificently placed in a central water fountain. The western edge of the piazza will spill into a welcoming and active Newman Center and parish offices which will be wrapped into a multi-level parking structure. West of the parking structure to the end of the church’s property line at City Park Drive, a 600 bed Catholic student housing complex is envisioned to be built by Blackbird Investments. When I first came to CSU, faith was not a priority in my life. I was struggling to belong, and that resulted in me tying my identity Combining all these projects together on our church property, we endeavor to develop a to things that I thought could do that for me, such as the cheer team or joining a sorority. After an encounter with someone from the campus ministry, I was introduced to the parish community and began to meet people who would quickly become some of my flourishing Catholic community for future students attending Colorado State University. best friends. I felt that I was being lead closer to Jesus and was learning more about His Church through these authentic friendships. These students will be gifted with a sacred location containing God’s undeniable Shortly thereafter, I signed up for RCIA and entered the Church at the Easter vigil Mass this past spring. After encouraging a group presence and will hopefully become for them a location of encounter between the of women in my sorority to come to St. John XXIII with me for the candlelight Mass each week, they have each also had powerful Lord and His people, where they will also find their place within the Body of Christ. ““ encounters with Christ. 4 5 TAYLOR ZENNO OUR CURRENT CAMPUS MINISTRY SITUATION Since 2012, Saint John XXIII has experienced a significant increase in Campus Ministry, growing from 150 involved students to over 1,400 today. Student participation is expected to grow exponentially as there are an estimated 6,000 Catholic students currently on campus. In the spirit of our founders, it is the objective of the Catholic community at St. John XXIII to embrace them in some form of Campus Ministry. The increase of student participation has created a situation in which Saint John XXIII currently lacks the physical space to evangelize Colorado State University students in programs such as Bible studies, prayer groups, and large group gatherings. I was baptized and confirmed Catholic, but only attended Mass with family on Christmas and Easter. I thought God’s plan for me involved a boring life with strict rules that nobody wanted to follow. During the first week of school, I met the campus ministry team, who invited me to Mass on the grass, and then into a freshman bible study. By the grace of God, I attended both mass and bible study, which turned into a weekly commitment. This was a very pivotal time in my life because I was joining a fraternity and discovering my faith. The St. John XXIII community is alive and welcoming, a place that makes you want to come back. The availability of sacraments made it possible for me to surrender my life to Jesus Christ. “ 6 7 JOSH FRENETTE OUR CURRENT OPPORTUNITY Saint John XXIII Church and its additional property is uniquely positioned across Shields Avenue on the western edge of the Colorado State University Campus. However, until recently, its visibility had been obstructed by a retail convenience store and full-service gas station. On May 11, 2018, after the gas station owner removed the buildings and cleaned the site of any remnant contamination, Saint John the XXIII Church took advantage of the very rare opportunity to purchase the gas station property for $1.6 million dollars. To pay for the property, the church obtained a loan through the Archdiocese of Denver. The church intends to enter into a 99-year lease of the property (at year 100, the church re-acquires it for $1 dollar) that includes the current church, the rectory, and the open space between them (approximately 2.8 acres), for $10 million dollars. Blackbird Investments, the devoutly Catholic developer leasing the property, plans to raze the current church and rectory to construct the Lombardy Catholic Student Housing consisting of 600 beds. At Blackbird’s expense, a $4.6 million dollar, 450-stall parking structure, designed to service the church and the occupants of the Catholic student housing will be constructed. Included in the architecture of the parking structure, the developer will offer space for staff offices, a Newman Center, and parish offices. For the first time in the history of the Denver Archdiocese, Blackbird Investments is offering Catholic investors an opportunity to buy in to the student housing project as a means of generating a financial return on their investment.