​December 27, 2025

DEAR FRIENDS,

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As usually at the end of the year, let's take a look back and gratefully celebrate this year's achievements: please click here or on the photo to read and see more.
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  • First and foremost, deepest Thank You to Our Lord and His Blessed Mother for all the graces and blessings received at the Hermitage during this 50th year since the foundation of the Brothers of Saint John (not the least of which was the first CSJ novice returning to the RCH for his summer desert after a 7 years' break!) - and Thank You to all the generous donors and volunteers continuously helping the RCH to achieve its goals.
  • Marking this CSJ 50th anniversary, and crowning the RCH trails on the Rock of Resurrection, a white marble statue of the Risen Christ - Divine Mercy was erected. This feat would not have been possible without the Catholic Foundation's support - many thanks to its President Deacon Steve Stemper!
  • Half of the road leading to the Hermitage was repaired and upgraded.
  • The Site Development Plan is still in process: we're almost ready for the 2nd (and hopefully the last) referral submittal.
  • The fire-mitigation on the main campus completed.
  • The Tools Shed was moved to its new place and restained, as well as the outdoor Chapel and the "Mater Misericordiae" cabin: Now all the structures destined to remain are of the same style and color.
  • The Rosary Loop got new steps (boy scouts' Eagle Project!).
  • The retaining rock walls down from the Dome House, behind the garage and behind the "Mater Misericordiae" cabin were fully completed.

​Many heartfelt thanks to all those who contributed so much to the implementation of all these projects, especially to Paul Glaser and his team, Jay Pierce, Chad Frederick, and Tony Knepp. I'm also very grateful to Paul Lucci, the generous neighbor of the Hermitage, for having substantially contributed to the road repair financing. Special thanks to the architect Dan Muldoon, who is working so hard on the Site Development Plan approval - and again pro bono, and even covering the fees that the County imposes for it! Another special thank you goes to Susan Guzman (who also recently became my volunteer assistant) for organizing the 1st ever Silent Auction to the RCH benefit, during the Annual Hog Roast Fundraiser, and to Al Kuslikis, my American born Lithuanian compatriote, who as the RCH volunteer Fundraising Manager tirelessly works from the East Coast to find this huge amount of money needed for the road repair and upgrade.

I'd like also to thank all those who attended the Spring and the Fall Volunteer Work and Prayer Days (Especially Tom Kaiser for organizing them), which helped greatly to advance some of these projects.
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​​Next year’s projects:
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  • Finish repairing and upgrading the dirt road leading to the Hermitage and inside it - which is the condition to get the Jefferson County SDP approval and permits for the new individual prayer cabins.
  • Obtain the approval of the Site Development Plan.
  • Continue the fire mitigation in the Good Mother's Path area, where future individual prayer cabins will be build.
  • Tear down the "Faithfulness" cabin, in order to make place for the first new individual prayer cabin.
  • Repair the steps leading from the "Patience" cabin to the Dome House.
  • Restain the crosses on the Stations of the Cross trail.
  • Reopen access to Fr. Roger Mollison's Sanctuary of the Cross (that I accidentally rediscovered just a few weeks ago!).
  • Many people visiting the Transfiguration Lookout try to come down the mountain by another way than the Stations of Light Trail - and get lost! It looks like we will have to build a new Peace Trail for that purpose...
  • We will of course continue cleaning the grounds from fallen trees and branches, turning them into firewood, mainly during our traditional Volunteer Work and Prayer Days in the spring and in the fall. 
  • Lastly, if we're blessed enough with the benefactors' generosity and success of the work teams to have the dirt road finished by mid-August, the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the first new individual prayer cabin would happen during the next Hog Roast Fundraiser event on August 22nd, the patronal feast of the Hermitage (feast of the Queen of Heaven).

All these accomplishments, as well as the future ones, would not be possible without your volunteering help and time and prayers; however, it’s not enough… A lot of money is needed too: the RCH portion in the remaining dirt road repair will be at least $160,000...

If you want to help to get that money for this important RCH project, just click on the image below to get to our Colorado Gives profile. However, you can also donate by Zelle, Paypal, check, or even cash, here. 
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Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU!!

​With deepest gratitude,
Fr. Francis of the Child Jesus,
Steward

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