Memorare Campaign:
Building Faith and Future in a New School at The Grace Center
ST. MARY'S ACADEMIC CAMPUS HISTORY
St. Mary's has had a long and varied past over the last 140 years of moving and relocating its academic campus at six different sites to improve the education provided to students:
St. Mary's was founded by the Sisters of Loretto in 1885 at 425 N. Tejon as "Loretto Academy", with school beginning on the first Monday in September (September 7, 1885.....140 years ago!) with nine female students enrolled.
By the Fall of 1886, enrollment grew and the school moved to a larger house at 106 N. Tejon.
A new school campus was opened in September 1888 on property on Sierra Madre, between Kiowa and Bijou, and the school began accepting boys under the age of 12. By 1902, two new wings opened as Colorado Springs' first true parochial school (In 1987, St. Mary's Catholic Parish completed a new cathedral next door to Loretto Academy.). The name was changed to "St. Mary's School". St. Mary's Parish purchased St. Mary's School in 1912 and retained the sisters as teachers.
In 1950, a new grade school was built on the southeast corner of Sierra Madre and Kiowa. Old Green (as the original building built by the Sisters of Loretto was called) became the high school, and a gym was built on the southeast corner of Sierra Madre and Bijou. By the end of the decade, a shift in demographics caused the school to phase out the elementary grades to accommodate the large number of students in the high school classes.
On February 2, 1972, a new high school was built on the property adjacent to the original grade school. Old Green was razed.
On February 11, 1987, with great reluctance, the Diocese of Colorado Springs announced the closure of St. Mary's High School stemming from the 1983 creation of the Diocese of Colorado Springs as a separate territory from the Archdiocese of Denver and the Diocese of Colorado Springs. Thanks to the efforts of several parents and/or alumni of SMHS (Patricia & William Ciccone, MD; Bernadette & Jack Johnston; Carol & John O'Donnell; Kathy & Mark O'Donnell; Anna & Walter Paul; and Marcella & Leo Smentowski), St. Mary's High School re-opened its doors on August 24, 1987, as an independent, private Catholic high school under the direction of a Board of Directors.
On August 23, 1992, the Rocky Mountain Rehabilitation facility at 2501 East Yampa Street was acquired and converted to St. Mary's new academic home, where it has remained ever since. Rumored to have been purchased as a "temporary" facility, Pirates have filled its doors for over 30 years.
ST. MARY'S ATHLETIC CAMPUS HISTORY AND FUTURE PLANS
Before the Grace Center for Athletics and Community Service opened in 2006, the St. Mary's Pirates played sports all over town and anywhere they could find available fields. Noting the lack of athletic fields as a hindrance to controlling practice and game times, and a detriment to enrollment at a first-class high school with a well-developed sports program, St. Mary's sought to identify new athletic fields to call home.
Community Efforts
The Grace Center was donated to St. Mary's by Air Force veteran and land developer Leroy Landhuis in 1999, and it opened in 2006. It is named in honor of Landhuis' mother, Grace, who died in 2010. Reflecting a true economical community effort, neither Landhuis nor his mother are Catholic. His vision was that the land be used for nonprofit organizations as well as community and school groups, especially religious ones. Over the years, we have shared our beautiful complex with Colorado Springs Christian School, USA Blind Athletes, the American Cancer Society, USA Archery, and even Denver Broncos players youth football camps! Millions of dollars in improvements have been made to the land and supported by hundreds of donors over seven years.
Site Description
The Grace Center is located at 1655 Pirate Heights, Colorado Springs, CO 80907, off North Union Boulevard near Austin Bluffs. It is a 25-acre athletic facility and currently serves as the athletic campus of St. Mary's High School, located just a few miles from our current academic campus on Yampa Street. It is home to the majority of our athletic facilities and already serves as the central hub for much of our student life and community-building events outside the classroom. It is also a premier athletic venue for many southern Colorado non-profit organizations serving elementary through high school aged youth, particularly those who are disadvantaged and at-risk.
The facility includes fields for football, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, track and field meets, and other special events. For information about field rental, contact the Director of the Grace Center for Athletics, Mr. Jim Cristelli, at jcristelli@smhscs.org.
Future Plans
"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." -- Psalm 127:1
St. Mary's is excited to announce plans to build a new academic campus next to the soccer fields at the Grace Center in connection with celebrations of the school's 140th anniversary. For the first time in our history, academics, faith, and athletics will be united on one campus, creating a true home for the entire St. Mary's community.
The Grace Center is already owned by the school and provides a strong foundation for expansion. By investing in this campus, we maximize existing resources, honor donor generosity, and ensure that our new academic building will be part of a sustainable, long-term home for Catholic education in Colorado Springs.
The new campus will feature:
A dedicated chapel as the spiritual heart of the school, with expansion space into the commons;
Modern classrooms and labs designed for excellence in teaching and learning;
A commons and gathering space to foster community life;
Integrated access to athletics, ensuring safety, efficiency, and unity for all students.
This bold step forward builds on our 140-year tradition while positioning St. Mary's to thrive for generations to come.
ABOUT THE NEW BUILDING
Size: Approximately 57,000 square feet; accommodating up to 250 students, with room for expansion in the future.
Mission Effectiveness: Chapel with sacristy and chaplain's office. Chapel seats 100, and has a retractable back wall to open in the commons area so the chapel can be expanded and Mass can accommodate seating for hundreds more people. A fabric curtain can be pulled out to "screen" off the commons area during Mass.
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Academics: 12 modern classrooms, 3 science labs, an art/trades room, and a multipurpose stage/band room on a platform with a retractable wall that can seat approximately 100 people.
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Athletics: Full-size CHSAA regulation gym with 400 seats, six basketball nets, weight room, 4 (heated) locker rooms, a training room, weight room, and coaches/referee offices.
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Facilities: Safer, more convenient, and more visible location. Wifi/internet infrastructure, security/monitoring system, and air conditioning. Building in the larger lower parking lot will preserve the existing soccer fields, and may create a need for additional parking to the north of the soccer fields or near the baseball field.
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This new campus is more than just a building - it is an investment in the future of Catholic education. The mission of St. Mary's High School is to educate students in the Catholic tradition to be responsible, moral, critical thinkers and leaders who are well-prepared for college and life. This project directly advances our mission by:
Strengthening Catholic Identity: With a chapel at the center of the new building, students will be reminded daily that faith is the foundation of all learning and leadership.
Enhancing Academic Excellence: Modern classrooms, labs, an art/trades room, a stage/band roo, and technology-rich learning environments will provide the tools that students need to think critically and excel in college and beyond.
Forming Responsible Leaders: A unified campus fosters efficiency, safety, and community life, creating an environment where young people can grow into moral and responsible leaders.
Preparing Students for Life: By investing in state-of-the-art facilities, we ensure that future generations receive the formation necessary to thrive not only academically, but also spiritually and socially.
In short, the new campus is a mission-driven investment: every classroom, hallway, and common space will be designed to help St. Mary's live out its calling to form Catholic leaders for tomorrow.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A. Goals and Motivations
What are some of the biggest problems that will be solved by building at the Grace Center?
The Board anticipates a new building will help solve critical problems affecting the School, including:
The construction of a debt-free, new high school located on the site of the Grace Center.
This, in turn, will:
a) support a unified academic and athletic campus, eliminating logistics and transportation needs;
b) relocate the academic campus to a safer location;
c) reduce significant sunk costs in repairs and maintenance at the current academic campus (Yampa).
Facilitate enrollment growth.
Require the sale of the current academic campus (Yampa) to eliminate existing debt and provide funds for construction and academic planning; and
Ensure the authentic Catholic identity of education taught in the new school building.
What does the St. Mary's community think about building at the Grace Center?
Meetings with the School's largest donors and stakeholders over the past two years have brought forth several questions about the future plans of the school, and shown support for improving operational vitality, academic excellence, and Catholic identity. In the backdrop of these discussions were rumblings of building a new school in the Northeast, and recognition of an aging academic campus facility.
Earlier this Spring, the School also conducted a "Strategic Initiatives Survey" in part to study community input on the school's facilities. The #1 response in the whole survey with the most consensus from respondents was that nearly 76% loved and wanted the School to retain the Grace Center! Respondents also similarly agreed with like consensus that moving the academic campus to another location was desirable, with the most number of respondents supporting building at the Grace Center to improve location (convenience and accessibility), safety, building condition, and visibility and prominence.
While the Board had previously studied the possibility of building a new campus in the Northeast, using existing owned property with athletic fields to build a new school (a $20 milliion cost) is also more financially feasible at this time than identifying new land to purchase and build an athletic and academic campus from the ground up (a $40-$60 million cost). Survey respondents also expressed greater interest in financially supporting a new building at the Grace Center than any other location. The School Board remains open to discussing options to build in the Northeast in the long-term, but it has now been determined that building at the Grace Center is the next best step in educating future Pirates.
B. Ensuring an Authentic Catholic Identity
How will an authentic Catholic identity of education be ensured at the new building?
"In Catholic schools, the mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, to form students in the Catholic faith, and to prepare them for their vocations in life."
-- Gravissimum Educationis (Declaration on Christian Education), Vatican II, 8
Building upon existing Academic strategic plans and goals for the School, and the School's Strategic Alliance Agreement with the Diocese of Colorado Springs, the educational curriculum will continue to be taught in alignment with the teachings and tenants of the Catholic faith, including teaching in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Gospel Values, and Catholic Social Teaching under the supervision of and with the approval of the Diocese.
Will the new building change the School's relationship with the Diocese?
The School has studied its Diocesan relationship for several years from a variety of perspectives including the need for financial independence, operational logistics, talent (teacher/staff) management, and facilities management. We are also carefully watching and supporting the Diocese's new Catholic School Network Board's efforts to better unify certain aspects of the K-8 Diocesan schools.
If funds are raised to build the new school, and the School achieves a balanced budget for two years, St. Mary's and all of its assets will be offered to the Diocese of Colorado Springs at no cost. Should the Diocese determine that St. Mary's is best served by continuing under its current governance structure, the School will move confidently in its existing form, remaining committed to its mission and community.
In the meantime, the School will continue to act upon its Strategic Alliance agreement with the Diocese and appreciates especially the support of Bishop Golka, and the assistance and guidance of Superintendent Sheila Whalen and Msgr. Jaeger on the School's Mission Effectiveness and Academic committees.
What will change about sacramental services offered at the new school?
At the heart of St. Mary's mission is the formation of students in the Catholic faith, preparing them to live as responsible, moral leaders rooted in Christ. The Eucharist is the "source and summit" of our faith, and strengthening opportunities for sacramental life is central to this project (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324).
Currently, Mass is offered once a week at St. Mary's High School. Limitations in chaplain availability and the small size of our chapel have required school-wide Masses to be held in the gum, which is not ideally suited for worship. To better serve our students, the School has requested the appointment of a full-time chaplain (subject to priest availability), with the goal of celebrating daily Mass and providing expanded access to the sacraments, including regular confession, and formation opportunities for students, parents, faculty, and staff.
The new school will also feature a dedicted chapel, designed as the spiritual heart of the campus. The chapel will be able to open into the commons area with discreet screening, creating a larger, reverent worship space for all-school Masses. This ensures that every sacramental celebration is conducted in a setting that is both prayerful and worthy of the sacred mysteries.
In this way, the new campus will more fully embody the Catholic mission of St. Mary's: forming students in faith, centered on Christ, and strengthened by the sacraments.
How will Catholic identity visually look different at the new school?
In line with Catholic teaching, a new uniform requirement will also affirm the dignity of the human person, ensuring that attire reflects respect for oneself and others as children of God: "The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God." -- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1700. This decision ultimately supports our mission to form responsible, moral leaders who carry themselves with dignity and respect for one another.
C. Memorare Campaign Fundraising Details
"All the works of mercy are charitable, but none is greater than helping the young to be formed in faith." -- St. John Chrysostom
Why is the new building campaign named "the Memorare Campaign"?
This capital campaign takes its name from the beloved Catholic prayer, the Memorare:
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Just as generations of the faithful have turned with confidence to Mary's intercession, St. Mary's High School now entrusts this project to her maternal care. We acknowledge our dependence on God's grace and the prayers of Our Lady as we undertake this bold effort to build a new home for Catholic education. By naming this campaign after the Memorare, we proclaim that our work is not only about bricks and mortar, but about faith, trust, and reliance on God through the intercession of His Blessed Mother.
How much money is the school trying to raise?
Our goal is $20 million. Thanks to a $7.5 million lead gift from the Clennan Family, we are well on our way, but we still need to raise the remaining $12.5 million from our broader community of supporters.
How long will the fundraising campaign last?
The campaign will officially launch at the School's 140th Anniversary celebrations over the weekend of September 5-7, 2025, and will run for two years.
Can I make a pledge instead of a one-time gift?
Yes. Donors may pledge support and fulfill their gift over a period of up to two years, however, all pledge payments are due by September 1st, 2027.
Are naming opportunities available?
No. At St. Mary's High School, every gift is an expression of faith, sacrifice, and commitment to Catholic education. While many schools and universities offer naming opportunities as part of their fundraising, we have made a deliberate decision not to pursue that approach. This ensures an equal dignity of all gifts whether a family gives $100 or $1 million; every gift is a sacrifice made in support of our students and our mission. Psalm 115:1 also reads: "Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name give glory because of your mercy and faithfulness."
What happens if the campaign does not reach its goal?
We are confident in our community's commitment to Catholic education, and our goal is to fully fund and complete the project as planned. However, if the campaign were to fall short, the Board of Directors will carefully evaluate alternative options for revitalizing our aging academic campus, and even potentially selling the Grace Center, resulting in the need to lease athletic fields. Eliminating the School's debt (and debt service payments) is critical to maintaining first-class operations and investing in academic programming. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth... but store up treasures in heaven." - Matthew 6:19-20
D. Construction Details
When will construction begin and end?
To be fiscally responsible, we will begin construction once all funds for the building have been deposited with the School (not just pledged). Depending on how quickly we raise funds, and plans for the new building are approved by the City, the new academic building could be scheduled to open as early as Fall 2027 or Fall 2028, with construction expected to last 18-24 months.
Who will be the builder?
Executive Custom Construction (Gary and Alan Erickson) has been selected to assist with construction of the new school. This company also did a fantastic job and recently built St. Gabriel Classical Academy. The Board has enjoyed working with Gary and Alan on draft floor plans to ensure minimum requirements for the school can be met within our set budget, and appropriate engineering design can safely address challenges related to underground mines located at the Grace Center.
What will happen to the existing academic (Yampa) campus?
The Board anticipates either a sale/leaseback of the property for school use until the new school is built, or waiting to sell Yampa until construction is complete. We also know we will need to sell the Yampa Campus to pay off existing debt and pull out equity to invest towards the new building and academic programming.
I see the architectural drawings list the project name as "St. Mary's Private High School". Is the school changing its name?
No. The school will remain "St. Mary's High School", but the word "Private" is used in architectural drawings to signal to the City that this is not a public school project (subject to a different set of review requirements).
E. Student Life
Will students be educated at a temporary location during construction?
No. Our Strategic Initiatives Survey revealed that our community does not want our students to have to move locations before a new school is built, and we believe that view is in our students' best interest, too.
Will tuition increase to pay for the new building?
No. The new building will be funded entirely through donations, pledges, and grants. Tuition revenue supports the day-to-day operations of the school, not capital construction, and even then, we rely upon donors to fund the gap between the cost to educate students (over $20,000 a year, including debt service) and the current cost of tuition ($12,500).
Will students be required to wear uniforms at the new school?
Yes. When the new campus opens, St. Mary's will transition from a strict dress code to a school uniform requirement. The specific uniform will be determined in the future by school administration in consultation with parents and students to ensure practicality and community buy-in. This is intended to reinforce that attire must reflect the dignity of every student as a child of God.
How will extracurricular activities and athletics be affected?
With academics and athletics united on one campus, students will no longer need to travel between sites. This means more time for academics, practices, and student life, as well as increased safety and community spirit....all in the backdrop of Pike's Peak and the front range mountains.
What will the new cafeteria/commons look like for student life?
The new design includes a larger, modern commons and dining area that also doubles as a gathering space for student events; community life, and expanded worship, when opened to the chapel.
What traditions or aspects of the current campus will be preserved?
The Board and administration are committed to carrying forward the history and spirit of St. Mary's into the new campus, including honoring alumni, preserving historic symbols (such as our favorite "Rusty" and House flags in the courtyard), and creating dedicated spaces that celebrate the school's 140-year legacy like a Wall of Fame.
F. Miscellaneous
How You Can Help
This vision cannot be realized without the generosity of our community. Every gift, large or small, will bring us closer to uniting our campus and strengthening Catholic education for generations to come. To help with our efforts, please contact campaign@smhscs.org.
Major Gifts ($100,000+): Schedule an individual meeting to discuss opportunities for leadership giving.
Mid-Level Gifts ($10,000 - $100,000): Join our campaign giving circles and be recognized in special ways,
Community Gifts ($1 - $10,000): Participate through online giving, and special events such as raffles and donor challenges.
To make a donation, please drop off a check with the School's CFO, Laura Flanigan, at lflanigan@smhscs.org, or donate on our website at https://www.smhscs.org/page/give and put "Memorare Campaign" in the donation description box. Donated funds will be restricted to the new school fundraising campaign. Pledge forms are available upon request. "God loves a cheerful giver." - 2 Corinthians 9:7
Stay Involved
Visit this site regularly for additional information and updates.
Attend campaign events and information sessions.
Pray for the success of this effort and for all who will benefit from the new campus.
For more information, please contact campaign@smhscs.org.
Our Lady of Loretto, pray for us!