our history
100 Years of Prayer
When Father Louis Hagus said the first Mass for St. Louis Parish on July 11, 1911, the city of Englewood, the State of Colorado and even the world was a much different place. Broadway and the surrounding streets were still unpaved and there were no traffic lights to be found anywhere in the U.S. The city of Denver was founded just 53 years earlier and Colorado had only been a state for 35 years. The area surrounding our present day church was originally part of the old Orchard Place settlement and was named Englewood, “wooded nook,” when a few early settlements officially incorporated as a city in 1903.
The most visible aspect of St. Louis Parish is our church at 3310 S. Sherman Street. Begun within a year of the founding of the parish, the church is more than bricks and mortar. It holds the hopes and dreams and sorrows of thousands of parishioners who have passed through its doors, provided funds for its construction and improvement over the years, and volunteered to hammer, paint and clean, plant and decorate for a century of celebrations.
Learn more about St. Louis through the memories of our parishioners
about our Parish
Our Patron Saint - St. LouisAlthough a medieval figure, St. Louis is a remarkably contemporary example of what it means to be Catholic. He ruled during the so-called "golden century of Saint Louis," when the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. His passion was for justice and his avocation charity. He built many hospitals, among them the hospital known as "Quinze-vingt" ("Fifteen-Twenty") -- a hospital for the blind and whose name comes from the fact that it could care for 300 patients. He built homes for reformed prostitutes and every day, he met with the poor personally and saw to it that they were fed, inviting them to dine with him, and washing their feet in imitation of Christ at the Last Supper.
In his pursuit of justice, he eliminated the feudal method of conflict resolution through combat, replacing it with arbitration and judicial process. St. Louis was a great patron of learning, the arts, and architecture, and under his patronage, the Sorbonne - the historic University of Paris, was founded; abbeys built; the choir, apse, and nave of St. Denis Basilica -- which contains the tombs of almost all French Kings -- were refurbished, etc. He went on two crusades, in his mid-30s in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then again in his mid-50s in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). On his second Crusade, worn with toil, illness, and austerities, King Louis died near Tunis on August 25, 1270. The man who was "every inch a king" became a saint of the Church in 1297, twenty-seven years after his death. More about St. Louis
Father Robert Reycraft, PastorFather Robert J. Reycraft, our current pastor, joined St. Louis in 1999 and we hope will be with us many more years. A native of Chicago, Father Reycraft originally came to Colorado as a member of the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Lowrey for three years. During that time he completed a year of college at CU, but found his real interest was in the priesthood. He attended St. Thomas Seminary and theology school earning a Master’s degree in Theology. Ordained May 31, 1975, he has served at numerous parishes throughout the archdiocese including St. Joseph in Ft.Collins; Holy Ghost, Holy Family and Guardian Angels parishes in Denver, as well as St. Anthony’s Parish in Sterling. Among his many accomplishments on behalf of the St. Louis parish are the Pro-Life memorial, the refurbished church interior with its new altarpiece, the stained glass windows, and expanded parish involvement from the Knights of Columbus Council to the Croatian mission, Corpus Christi procession, Totus Tuus program and many facilities enhancements at St. Louis School. Father Reycraft’s pilgrimage tours to historic churches throughout Colorado and to the Holy Land have left a lasting impact on many members of the St. Louis community. -
Parish Organizations St. Louis is home to several Catholic organizations within our parish family. We invite you to learn more about these groups and to take full advantages of the benefits they offer participants.