Holy Rosary Church

Office Hours:  Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Holy Rosary is situated in an area known as Hyde Park, which is on the west side of the city, just east of Pueblo Boulevard, between the Arkansas River and Highway 50.

In the early 1950s, many of the Pueblo parishes were served by several priests. In order to better serve the needs of the community, Bishop Joseph Willging chose to increase the number of parishes, but to make them smaller and thus increase the intimacy within the parish. With that he established Holy Rosary and St. Pius X from the west and north territory of Sacred Heart Cathedral. Holy Rosary was established on June 18, 1954, with a congregation of approximately 265 families. The first pastor was Fr. John Sierra, S.F. He served the parish for fifteen years.

In order to save on expenses, the parish purchased a former Air Base Chapel, cut it into seven sections and moved the structure to its present location at 2400 W. 22^nd Street.

The purchase was made possible by a donation from the Catholic Church Extension Society of Chicago.

Tragedy occurred on May 15, 1976, when a fire blazed through the interior of the church, destroying most of it.  Undaunted and undeterred from celebrating the Eucharist in their church, parishioners gathered for daily and Sunday masses in the basement of the parish hall for over eighteen months while the church was rebuilt. Once again, the Catholic Extension Society offered a grant, and many parishes responded by taking up special collections for the cause, while the community at large also responded with contributions.

The rebuilt church was rededicated on June 18, 1978, the anniversary date of its founding. The next year the parish celebrated the 25^th anniversary of its establishment.

In July 1985, Fr. David Ricken was appointed to serve as administrator of the parish; and served in that capacity for two years. During that period, the parish hall, inclusive of a kitchen and classrooms, was constructed.

Two decades after its second dedication, tragedy struck again. On a Sunday afternoon in late August, a second fire destroyed over half of the church. It took over a year to rebuild, and in December 1999 Bishop Tafoya officiated at its third dedication.

Today Holy Rosary Parish thrives as it has developed a remarkable system of lay leadership and ministry that depends a good deal on cooperation between the clergy and volunteers. Through sacrifice, faith and generosity, Holy Rosary remains a small congregation of worshipers dedicated to living their faith.