GOLDEN, Colo. — Coloradans observed the third Cabrini Day, the first state holiday named after a woman, on Monday as the shrine prepares for a multi-million-dollar upgrade.
Cabrini Day, which celebrates Frances Xavier Cabrini, is celebrated on the first Monday of October. The community gathered at the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden to honor and remember her.
Mother Cabrini was an Italian Catholic nun who came to the United States and founded 67 missionary institutes to serve the sick and poor all across the country — including Denver and Golden.
This year, the Cabrini Day mass was dedicated to Michael Kulbacki's late wife, Anna.
Kulbacki is someone who frequently visits the shrine.
"It means a lot," Kulbacki said. "It's my wife's birthday. She passed a year ago."
The shrine holds a lot of meaning for people in the community, like Kulbacki. Now, it's getting a $5.2 million upgrade.
"We recognize the growth over the decades and so we're, you know, seeing the masses more crowded, and conference rooms more crowded," said Jeff Lewis, who is the executive director for the Mother Cabrini Shrine.
Phase 1, which is complete, included a new conference room, new bathrooms and an expanded gift shop. Phase 2 will include upgrading the chapel and making renovations to the outdoor landscaping. The renovations are expected to be complete by May 2023.
"You don't have to be Catholic to come in and appreciate the Mother Cabrini Shrine," Lewis said. "We serve a lot of different churches, different faiths. People don't even have a relationship with God, you know, but they come here and they find peace, they find healing. They connect with their families here. So it's just a wonderful place for people to enjoy."
Kulbacki added that every time he leaves the shrine, he goes away "with something special in my heart and my soul."
