Holy Rosary Chapel (Part of Sacred Heart Parish)

Welcome to Holy Rosary Chapel

Tucked into the Pikes Peak foothills at 7,391 feet, Holy Rosary Chapel is a charming Romanesque stone church built in 1930 that resembles a medieval chapel sitting atop a European village. Dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, the chapel features a newly restored Lourdes grotto, beautiful stained-glass windows designed in Germany depicting the mysteries of the rosary, and a new outdoor Rosary Walk on the grounds that is open to visitors year-round. With a full kitchen and updated meeting space, it is becoming a popular place for small day retreats within the Diocese of Colorado Springs. The Saturday vigil Mass is celebrated at 4 pm, and all visitors — especially summer travelers exploring the Colorado mountains — are warmly welcomed.

History of Holy Rosary Chapel

The chapel was built by the Cusack family and donated to the Catholic Diocese as a memorial to Thomas and Mary Green Cusack. Archbishop Urban J. Vehr of Denver blessed the chapel on July 31, 1931 and presided over the first High Mass that day. The building was designed in pure Romanesque style by Colorado Springs architect Charles E. Thomas, who considered it his best and most satisfying work; it subsequently won the top national award for church architecture. The chapel was cared for by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate until 1984, when pastoral care was assumed by the Congregation of Holy Cross, and in 1996 it was placed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties. The history above was written by Lisa Sanborn Haight, a third-generation member whose grandfather, Nicholas Sanborn, helped in the construction and landscaping of the chapel.

• Built 1930; dedicated July 31, 1931 by Archbishop Urban J. Vehr
• Memorial to Thomas and Mary Green Cusack, built and donated by the Cusack family
• Architect: Charles E. Thomas of Colorado Springs (national church-architecture award winner)
• Stones from Pyramid Mountain and a Ute Pass quarry
• Cared for by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate until 1984
• Assumed by the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1984
• Added to the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties in 1996

Architecture & Art

The chapel's Romanesque architecture and devotional interior are exceptional. The hilltop structure is built of native lichen-covered red rock from Pyramid Mountain in the Rampart Range and rimmed with red cut stone from a quarry above Manitou Springs. Inside, a near life-size rosewood crucifix of Christ the King — a sculpture from the studio of Anton Lang of the Passion Play of Oberammergau — dominates the simple white plaster walls. The white Carrera marble altar is enhanced by a hand-carved Last Supper replica by Lualdi of Florence and flanked by Italian carved wood statuettes of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph with the Christ Child. Fourteen Stations of the Cross by Franz Mayer of Munich, in vibrant semi-mosaic glass on bronze, surround the nave.

• Stained-glass windows: 14th-century style, made in Germany, depicting the fifteen Rosary mysteries
• Rose/wheel window with St. Cecilia and seven patron saints (St. Francis of Assisi, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Joseph, St. Jane Frances de Chantal, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Anne, St. Thomas the Apostle)
• Mosaic of St. Dominic receiving the Holy Rosary from the Blessed Mother (Franz Mayer, Munich)
• Two-manual Kilgen pipe organ, custom designed for the chapel's acoustics
• Circular stairway to choir loft and to the Lourdes grotto

Sacred Heart Parish — Our Three Churches

Holy Rosary Chapel is one of three churches in Sacred Heart Parish, which is an apostolate of the Congregation of Holy Cross (C.S.C.), based in South Bend, Indiana. The parish family consists of Sacred Heart Church in Old Colorado City (Colorado Springs), Holy Rosary Chapel in Cascade, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel in Manitou Springs. Holy Cross priests and brothers serve in 13 parishes in the United States and in 16 countries around the world.

• Sacred Heart Church — Old Colorado City, Colorado Springs
• Holy Rosary Chapel — Cascade, Colorado
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel — Manitou Springs, Colorado
• Pastoral care by the Congregation of Holy Cross since 1984

Clergy & Staff

Holy Rosary Chapel is served by the priests and deacons of Sacred Heart Parish, with a dedicated Music Director for the two mountain mission chapels.

• Rev. Jarrod M. Waugh, C.S.C. — Pastor
• Rev. Vincent Nguyen, C.S.C. — Associate Pastor
• Deacon Mark Thuli
• Deacon Dave Illingworth
• Deacon Wally Sandoval
• Deacon Robert Elliott
• David Norris — Music Director for Holy Rosary Chapel & Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel

The Congregation of Holy Cross

In 1984, Bishop Richard Hanifen — first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Colorado Springs — requested assistance from the Congregation of Holy Cross for pastoral duties at Sacred Heart Church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and Holy Rosary Chapel. That spring, Fr. LeRoy E. Clementich, C.S.C. was appointed Pastor and Fr. Ronald P. Raab, C.S.C. as Associate Pastor; Holy Cross priests and brothers have served the parish family ever since. Each year Sacred Heart Parish also welcomes a new class of Holy Cross Novices, who spend a year in prayer and discernment at the Holy Cross Novitiate in Cascade, participating in parish life as they continue on the journey toward vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience.

• Pastoral care by the Congregation of Holy Cross since 1984
• First Holy Cross Pastor: Fr. LeRoy E. Clementich, C.S.C. (1984)
• First Holy Cross Associate Pastor: Fr. Ronald P. Raab, C.S.C. (1984)
• Holy Cross Novitiate located in Cascade, CO

Ministries & Volunteer Opportunities

Across the parish family, parishioners serve in liturgical, sacramental, formation, fellowship, prayer and outreach ministries, many of which support or take place at Holy Rosary Chapel. The parish encourages anyone — whether a long-time attendee or new arrival — to share their time and talent.

• Liturgical: Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, Altar Server, Sacristan, Altar Linen Care, Music Ministry
• Formation: Children's Faith Formation (K–7), Confirmation Prep (8th grade), Youth Ministry, OCIA, Baptism Prep, Marriage Prep
• Pastoral Care: Communion to the sick and homebound, Caregiver Support Group (2nd Tuesday, 2:30 pm)
• Prayer: Prayer Chain Ministry
• Outreach: Food Pantry (Mon/Thu), Shower Ministry (Tue/Thu 11:30 am–1:30 pm at The Sanctuary), Meals of Compassion, Church Cleaning, Annual Sacred Heart Picnic

Day Retreats & Facility Rental

Holy Rosary Chapel is now accepting reservations from Catholic churches and groups within the Diocese of Colorado Springs for day retreats, staff meetings, special Masses, music concerts, and classes/lectures. The Romanesque stone chapel seats up to 80, features a pipe organ, keyboard, sound system, choir loft, sacristy, confessional, and a small downstairs grotto. The adjacent meeting space includes a community room (seats 15 comfortably), a full modern kitchen, two handicap-accessible bathrooms, a small downstairs meeting room, Wi-Fi, DVD players, large monitors, closed-circuit viewing of the chapel, air conditioning, and a piano. The 2.5-acre wooded grounds offer an outdoor Rosary Walk, plenty of parking in two lots, and access to nearby hiking trails — with restaurants within walking distance. Available Sunday through Friday, and on Saturdays before 3 pm or after 6 pm. Weddings and baptisms are planned separately.

• Seats up to 80 in the chapel
• Community room, full kitchen, two handicap-accessible bathrooms
• 2.5 wooded acres with Rosary Walk and two parking lots
• Available Sunday–Friday and Saturday before 3 pm / after 6 pm

Visit, Location & Contact

Holy Rosary Chapel is located off Ute Pass (U.S. Route 24) at the turnoff to Pikes Peak Highway and Santa's Workshop, midway between Old Colorado City and Woodland Park. Take westbound Cimarron Street (Hwy 24) to the Pikes Peak Highway exit (about 9.5 miles from US 25); turn left at the light onto Fountain Avenue, then immediately left onto Emporia; the chapel signs will be on your right. The Parish Office can be reached at 719-633-8711, and the chapel's own email is [email protected].

• Address: 4435 Holiday Trail, Cascade, Colorado 80809
• Phone: 719-633-8711 (Parish Office)
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.sacredheartcos.org/holy-rosary-info-page