| St.
Phillip’s is located on the Western Slope of Colorado, in Cedaredge, a town
located on the southern base of Grand Mesa, the largest flat top mountain in the
nation. The parish serves the Surface Creek Valley, which includes the towns of
Cedaredge, Eckert, Austin, and Cory. There are approximately 600 square miles in
St. Phillip’s area. The rural landscape is dotted with fields of alfalfa,
fruit orchards, and grazing cattle. In addition to the agriculture industry, the
area enjoys quite a bit of tourism, with hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, and
snow-mobiling attracting many outdoor enthusiasts.
The first
Catholic families settled in Cedaredge in the 1880s when the Surface Creek
Valley was sparsely populated, life was rough and the roads where little better
than trails. During those years mass was celebrated once or twice a year. All
the families would gather in one home to attend the mass which was celebrated by
missionary priests who traveled great distances. Later, the priests traveled by
horse and buggy from the monastery in Delta, and in 1906, the pastor from
Montrose began to make biannual visits to the Catholic families in Cedaredge. In
1911 St. Michael’s was built in Delta and began to serve Cedaredge as a
mission. Although there was still no church structure, families met in homes,
the schoolhouse and the IOOF hall. Then on May 1, 1913, land was deeded to the
Bishop of Denver from one of the first Catholic settlers in the area. It is the
first physical evidence of a Catholic church in Cedaredge, and remains the site
where the church now stands.
The new
church was named St. Ann. The small congregation of about fifteen families
celebrated mass once a month. But by the 1960s, mass was offered every Sunday,
By now the little white church was overcrowded and serious effort to build a new
church began. The congregation of about thirty-five families began the earnest
and ambitious task of raising money for the project. Together they served at
farm sales, catered dinners and started their famous, annual “Smorgasbord.”
At last, on September 22, 1968, Bishop Buswell dedicated the new church, St.
Phillip Benizi. The name was changed from St. Ann to St. Phillip to honor the
wish of an anonymous donor who donated $12,000 towards construction through the
Catholic Extension Society. The statue of St. Ann, the crucifix and the
tabernacle were saved from the old church and remain in St. Phillip’s today.
As the
community grew, an addition was built and dedicated in 1984. It is referred to
fondly as St. Ann’s Hall. In 1996, the property next door was purchased with
the grand vision of becoming a rectory. As St. Phillip’s continues to grow
there are more thoughts of expansion. From a handful of Catholics at the turn of
the century, to about 165 families, St. Phillip’s is assured of a dynamic
future in the new millennium.
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