Frances Xavier Cabrini first came to Denver in the early 1900’s. It is only in Colorado that she is affectionately known as “Mother Cabrini” for her compassion and care of children in our city. Her life and legacy are honored at the Mother Cabrini Shrine, located on the land outside Golden she purchased to establish the Queen of Heaven Orphanage. It is in this place she purchased that pilgrims are invited to follow in the footsteps of Mother Cabrini.

A columbarium is a sacred place. Communities have had places for burial near places of worship for centuries. A cemetery located on the same property as a place of worship is not uncommon in older cities or rural communities. Crypts, cemeteries, or a columbarium provided the living regular reminders of those who had gone before them.

The Denver Botanic Gardens land began as wild prairie grasslands, became a graveyard for a new and growing city, then a botanic garden for education and enjoyment. It is a place to admire the artistry and diversity of plants. It is a place to ponder the beautiful mystery of death to life. The Denver Botanic Gardens is a sacred place.

Sacred Heart Retreat House is a peaceful place to be silent and still. It is a place to go away and learn to listen. It is a place set apart from the pace and pressure of everyday life. Sacred Heart is a sacred place.

The prayer chapel at the Downing House is a place set apart to enter stillness and silence. It is a place to be with God. The prayer chapel is a sacred place.

Find a cemetery near you. Take a slow walk through it. Read the names and dates. Be reminded of the brevity and beauty of your own life. The cemetery is a sacred place.

The garden center provides a place to reengage the earth, cultivate life, and live in a closer relationship to creation. It is a place where we are reminded of our first vocation as gardeners, grateful for the goodness that grows around us. The garden center is a sacred place.