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March 18, 2007 is an historic day in Colorado. Bishop Robert Shaheen dedicated and consecrated the first Maronite church in the Centennial State. At the end of the liturgical celebration, he surprised the congregation by elevating St. Rafka Maronite Church to the status of a church and parish under the name of St. Rafka Maronite Church. What an honor and a privilege for a community of no more than 50 families!
The story of the Rocky Mountain Maronites goes back to the 70s. Fr. Paul Mouawad was the first Maronite priest who came to Denver to celebrate the Divine Liturgy for the few Maronite families in town. The Maronite presence in Colorado dates back to late nineteenth century, however. We know of at least Mr. Joseph, a Maronite Lebanese immigrant, who came to Colorado because he was told the mountains resemble those of Lebanon. He settled in Walsenburg, a small town about two and a half hours south of Denver, where he opened a general store to accommodate the needs of miners. He was known to have been an honest and trustworthy man.
Fathers W. Jonathan Decker, Anthony Spinosa, Jibran BouMerhi, Georges El-Khalli, and others continued what Fr. Mouawad started. They intermittently visited and celebrated the Divine Liturgy with the community at various churches and schools. They kept our hearts burning for Him. They gave us hope that one day God would answer our prayers and our petitions. We had been longing to have a resident priest and a permanent spiritual home.
Father Nabil Mouannes of St. Ephrem Maronite Church in San Diego invigorated the Maronite community in Denver. Despite his apprehension of flying, Fr. Mouannes flew monthly from San Diego to Denver to celebrate the Divine Liturgy with our community. Meanwhile, he was also instrumental in energizing at least two other Maronite communities in Phoenix, AZ and Las Vegas, NV. Bishop Shaheen appointed him as the first Administrator of the Maronite Community in Denver, Colorado.
On June 10, 2001, Pope John Paul II declared blessed Rafka, a Maronite nun, a saint. Soon after her canonization, Father Nabil and the Maronite Community of Denver, who longed for a resident priest, petitioned Bishop Shaheen, the ordinary of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, to elevate the community from its canonical status as the “Maronite Community of Denver, Colorado” to a mission under the patroness of the newly canonized saint. On November 30, 2001, Bishop Shaheen established St. Rafka Maronite Mission. Our brothers and sisters in Greenville, South Carolina and we jokingly debate on who was the first to have chosen her as the patroness of their community. We chose her as a patroness about the same time they did. We are not sure who is first. However, that is not an issue for it is a blessing and a joy to have many churches whose patroness saint is Rafka!
Less than four months after establishing the mission, Bishop Shaheen sent Father Jean Jabbour, OLM to Denver. In March of 2002, the parishioners of St. Rafka Maronite Mission welcomed him as their first resident priest. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Father Jabbour was only able to minister to our community for a short period of time. Fortunately, the continuity was not broken, for Bishop Shaheen then assigned Father Shane Wasinger, a Roman Catholic priest with bi-ritual faculties in the Roman Catholic and Maronite Churches, to serve as the mission’s second resident priest. His assignment started in August 2002. Under his guidance, we formed societies for the laity and developed into a more organized mission. After two years of service to the mission, Father Wasinger was called back by his ordinary to return to his duties in the Twin Cities, MN effective August 2004.
Bishop Shaheen fulfilled his promise not to leave the fledgling mission without a priest. He assigned Fr. Armando Elkhoury as the mission’s third resident priest. On August 1, 2004, Fr. Elkhoury and the community of St. Rafka celebrated their first Divine Liturgy together. During his tenure, Father Armando led the community faithfully and courageously, implementing new programs for the laity organizations, establishing regular choir practices to introduce new music to the Divine Liturgy, and guiding and inspiring the parishioners to live fully as disciples of Christ.
Bishop Charles Chaput, the Archbishop of Denver, supported our endeavors and provided us with a temporary home. The community of All Souls Roman Catholic Church and its pastors, Msgr. Tom Fryer, the late Fr. Phil Meredith, and Fr. Bob Fisher, welcomed our families. They supported us for at least five years by offering a house for the priest and a worship space for the community at not cost! In fact, they provided us with the stability that is vital in newly established missions and communities.
In Mid 2006, the parish council and Fr. Elkhoury started actively looking for a church. They came upon a Seven Day Baptist Church for sale in the city of Lakewood. With Bishop Shaheen’s permission, the community celebrated its Sunday’s Divine Liturgy at the Baptist Church on November 19, 2006. While burning incense, the fire alarm went off. Unbeknownst to the priest and the congregation, the fire alarm system was sensitive to smoke. The Divine Liturgy was interrupted. The fire department showed up in no time. Needless to say, it was an opportunity for the community to meet the firemen who have since then visited St. Rafka several times for the same reason. After the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Elkhoury gave a presentation on why we should buy the Baptist church and what will our financial commitment be. In five days, this community with a few families responded by a unanimous yes to purchasing the property and financially committed to the endeavor.
On February 28, 2007, the Maronite Eparchy of our Lady of Lebanon became the new owner of a property in Lakewood, CO. On March 18, 2007, Bishop Shaheen dedicated and consecrated the newly purchased church and elevated St. Rafka Maronite Mission to the status of a church and parish and assigned Fr. Elkhoury as its first pastor.
In October 2007, Fr. Elkhoury was named Administrator of St. Maron Maronite Church in Detroit and Fr. Jibran Boumerhi was named Pastor of St. Rafka Maronite Church. Fr. Boumerhi built upon the strength of the community and kept the community together.
In September 2008, Bishop Shaheen transferred Fr. Elkhoury back to Lakewood and Fr. Boumerhi to St. Louis where he serves now as the rector of St. Raymond Maronite Cathedral. On April 16, 2009, Fr. Jibran was ordained into the Order of Periodeut with the title of Monsignor.
In a short period of time, we have achieved a lot. However, our work is far from being over. Our hope is to foster a living relationship with God the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. We also hope to continue growing as a community of faith, centered on the living Word of God. This is a lifetime process that requires us to discern our vocations as individuals and as a community. As believers we are called to be Disciples of Christ by following his commandment to love God and love our neighbor, to pick up our crosses and follow Him.
With God’s grace, we have grown from a handful of families to more than 50 families, and our future depends on Him. We continue to be dedicated to loving our Lord, and our neighbor. We thank God for bringing us together to establish a Maronite Church in Colorado, so that we can worship and grow in faith according to the traditions of the Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church following in the footsteps of Saint Maron and his disciples and so that we can share our Maronite theology, spirituality, traditions and love with the people of Colorado.
If we continue building our community on these foundations, then we will flourish in the midst of the Denverites and be true to our Maronite roots walking in the footsteps of our patroness saint, Rafka.
Come worship with us on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. We know you'll love it!
2301 Wadsworth Blvd. • Lakewood, CO 80214 • Tel: 720.833.0354 • Fax: 720.833.0390
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Our History