719-992-0122 | Sangre de Cristo Parish Website | admin@sdcparish.org

GoFundMe Campaign to Restore and Revitalize the Stations of the Cross Shrine
in San Luis, Colorado

Benefiting the Sangre de Cristo Parish and Missions and the the community and people of the San Luis Valley

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Capilla de Todos Los Santos (Chapel of All Saints) in the Oldest Town in Colorado ADD The Shrine is accessible by car using the Stations of the Cross Road, in addition to being able to walk the stations up to the chapel Largest Tourist Attraction in the oldest town in Colorado: San Luis' Shrine of the Stations of the Cross Our shrine is owned by the Sangre de Cristo Parish and Misssions in San Luis, Colorado and is open year-round to people of all faiths from all over the world The shrine has the most gorgeous views of the San Luis Valley front its vantage point atop the San Pedro Mesa Interior of the Chapel In addition to the chapel, there are other supporting buildings: this is the observatory that overlooks the town of San Luis and the San Luis Valley from its vantage point atop the San Pedro Mesa

Who
This GoFundMe campaign and restoration project will fund and benefit the community and people of the oldest town in Colorado: San Luis.

The town of San Luis is where the great state of Colorado began and bears the distinction of being the Oldest Town in Colorado and includes its 9 historic villages. This small, rural, agricultural area is truly one of the last unspoiled places in our state. The town and villages have struggled in recent times because of the privatization and closing off of access to Culebra Peak and mountain, known locally as "La Sierra", climate change, and the increasing age of our population.

Our goal is to revitalize our community not gentrify it. Talk to locals and they you will often here them say, "we do not want to be the next Taos", referring to the artist enclave in nearby Taos, New Mexico. Our goal is to support and continue to promote the unique history and culture of the valley and its inhabitants including families that go back 5, 10, and more generations. The restoration and update of our biggest tourist attraction, the shrine, would go a long way toward that goal by providing local employment opportunities and boosting local pride.

While the area is primarily Catholic, there are also people of all faiths including Protestant, Presbyterian,Jehovah’s Witness, Latter Day Saints, among others. It goes without saying that those of all faiths are welcome to visit our shrine and community.

In the mid-1990s the local priest, Father Pat Valdez, commissioned local artist, the world-renowned sculptor, Huberto Maestas, to create 15 dramatic bronze sculptures making up the Stations of the Cross Shrine. The shrine travels up the side of San Pedro Mesa and at the top is the Shrine Church: the Chapel of All Saints (La Capilla de Todos Los Santos) that gives visitors a spectacular view of the majestic San Luis Valley.

The Shrine includes:

  • The Stations of the Way of the Cross
  • The Chapel of All Saints
  • An Observation Point Building Promontory
  • A maintenance building including ADA accessible public restrooms
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe Grotto
  • A Theatine Saints Remembrance Garden
  • Way of the Mexican Martyrs ending in an outdoor altar
  • A Meditation Labyrinth
  • A Cement Pad that could be used to host outdoor events

The Chapel and Shrine was consecrated in 1996 and it is owned and maintained by the Sangre de Cristo Parish in the town of San Luis and is maintained by the parish and community members of all faiths. It is the largest tourist attraction in the town of San Luis and gets visitors from all over the world who come to share in the serenity and beauty that is found here all year round.

What
We need help funding ongoing maintenance and updates. Currently there are no funds earmarked for or available to the maintenance of the shrine, church, and appurtenant buildings and areas. We are beginning to see structural problems to both the interior and exterior of all our structures that need immediate attention. If we do not act now, already costly fixes and maintenance that need to be done will become millions of dollars in repairs. Things like crumbling stucco, damage from pests, landscaping that has been allowed to grow wild, outdated and non-working security measures, and inadequate lighting.

When
Our funding needs are critical: we have no money what-so-ever to maintain the shrine and church. We are eking by on intermittent volunteer help. While the church and shrine are relatively new, after 30 years it's starting to show its age. Our Phase One goal is to stop the deterioration of the shrine and its facilities while it is still manageable and affordable and then turn our attentions to maintaining and improving the shrine complex for future generations.

Phase One: Emergency Maintenance and general upkeep

  • To all essential buildings:
    • Chapel
      • Stucco repair inside and out.
      • Replacement or repair of marble holy water fonts that have been damaged by vandals
      • Deep cleaning of the interior
      • Purchase and installation of solar-powered motion-sensitive lighting and cameras.
      • Purchase and installation of internet access for each structure to enable security cameras.
      • ADA compliance review and report including safety/accessibility improvements that can be or need to be made
      • Maintenance and repair work to heating.
    • Restrooms
      • Deep cleaning of the interior which has seen various kinds of vandalism and is currently in an unusable state.
      • Repairing or replacing non-working fixtures and plumbing using a licensed plumber.
      • ADA compliance review and report including safety/accessibility improvements that can be or need to be made
    • Observatory
      • The observatory seems to be a magnet for vandalism. Large panoramic windows overlooking the valley have been destroyed and replaced several times. Currently every window in the observatory is broken. The interior is covered in broken glass.
        • Clean up of interior
        • Boarding up of windows to protect the structure from snow and rain (this has been done)
      • This building lacks electricity and we'd like to investigate what it would cost to install it.
      • Adding solar motion-sensitive lighting and cameras for added security
      • ADA compliance review and report including safety/accessibility improvements that can be or need to be made
  • Grounds:
    • Clean up, landscaping, and maintenance of all grounds, including trails along the stations and the Mexican martyrs.
    • Installing Solar-powered motion-sensitive lighting to prevent vandalism and theft and make the area safer after dark.
    • ADA compliance review and report including safety/accessibility improvements that can be or need to be made.
    • Update planters on the grounds.
    • Tree trimming and landscaping
  • We are missing a statue at the 14th Station: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb!
  • Other currently unknown emergency maintenance items as they are identified.
  • Updated signage, shrine brochure and map and some advertising efforts to get the word out there about our shrine.
  • Collect, centralize, and digitize all documentation, both historical and structural.
  • Fund work toward additional fundraising efforts.
There are many adobe walls needing repair throughout the property. Here you see one of the most concerning spots: stucco pulling away from the main corner wall. While much of the damage may seem small and easy to repair, there are many spots that need attention and the longer we wait the harder it will become to make these fixes. Another example of damage to an exterior adobe wall. Damage near a supporting beam in the chapel courtyard. There are many areas inside the chapel that need attention as well, such as this pillar capital. A vandalized holy water font. There are two in the rear of the chapel and both have been damaged and neither will hold water. The central dome inside the chapel shows many signs of wear at almost all the joints. In addition to the chapel, there are other supporting buildings: this is the observatory that overlooks the town of San Luis and the San Luis Valley from its vantage point atop the San Pedro Mesa Nearly every window has been broken by vandals in the observatory. Money will go to the repair as well as installing motion-sensitive lighting and security cameras to help prevent future attempts at vandalism. Closeup showing a broken window in the observatory: you can see some buildings in the town of San Luis A view of a broken observatory window from the outside of the building. Our bathroom facilities are in need of an almost complete overhaul inside. They are currently not in working condition at all which is not great for our many visitors. The Way of the Cross trail allows you to walk the stations from the bottom of the mesa and needs constant maintenance to keep it safe for our guests.

719-992-0122 | Sangre de Cristo Parish Website | admin@sdcparish.org

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