Chapel On The Rock near Estes Park, CO.
The founder of Camp St. Malo, Monsignor Joseph Bosetti, had long entertained the idea of building a chapel on this site. In 1916, he and two friends observed a falling meteor during the night, and in his search for the remnants the next morning, he came across a large rock. The beauty of the land inspired the priest, and he remembered Jesus’ words to Peter: “Upon this rock, I will build my Church.” (Matt 16:18).
Vowing one day to build a chapel here, Msgr. Bosetti prayed for nearly 20 years to acquire the funds. Over time, he found himself in a constant battle with the Colorado Highway Department, which had plans to dynamite the enormous piece of granite to both widen and straighten the road curve.
Eventually, Msgr. Bosetti won the battle, and years later, when the chapel became a reality, it was reported that a group of engineers who laid out the road came to the dedication and thanked him for his perseverance.
The chapel was designed by noted Denver architect Jacques Benedict. The contractors were the Coulihan Brothers and Charlie Miller of the nearby town of Allenspark, who had native stone hauled in by mule carts from the surrounding area to use as building material.
The land on which Camp St. Malo is built was given to the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver by Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Malo, who purchased the 160 acres from the William McPhee estate in 1935.
The Malos donated the funds for the building of the chapel and paid for its maintenance for decades. The chapel was dedicated by Archbishop Urban Vehr in 1936 to the honor of Saint Catherine of Siena and in memory of Mrs. Malo’s mother, Catherine Smith Mullen.
In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the chapel during his trip to Denver for World Youth Day and bestowed his personal blessing upon it.
Well written and research blog post, my friend. I had forgotten some of its history and glad you refreshed my memory. And, you made a wonderful image of the chapel.
Thank you, Monte. It’s a beautiful chapel with an interesting history and the centerpiece of an uplifting human story.
I can’t imagine persisting for 20 years but wow, what a location and building.
Yeah, I can’t imagine persisting for that long either. Perhaps we’ve all been conditioned by today’s society to expect more immediate gratification. Thanks, Mark!