|
La Veta is nestled at the base of the Spanish Peaks,
seventeen miles southeast of Walsenburg. The parish serves the town of La Veta,
as well as Cuchara, Navajo and Paradise Acres. The area experiences a large
tourist population during the summer.
In 1943, spurred by the increase in attendance at Sunday
mass, Fr. H.L. Delaney was instructed to search for a more adequate location for
church services. Before then, La Veta Catholic services had been held on
Saturday, in Stranger Hall, which was rented for $3.00. When no building could
be found, it was decided a church would have to be built, and the process of
obtaining six lots on the corner of Main and Virginia Streets was begun. The
former owners of the property had lost the land due to failure to pay property
taxes, and were persuaded to sign Quit Claim Deeds, thus allowing the land to be
obtained for the future site of Christ the King Church. Construction began in
late spring 1945, and by the next fall, the adobe church was complete, thanks to
the diligent work of the pastor and parishioners who donated their skills. The
parish currently has a congregation of sixty-five families.
|
