A 153-year-old document responsible for sending two priests to establish the Catholic Church in Colorado is named among the most significant artifacts of the state.
The Colorado Connecting to Collections committee, an initiative made possible by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, selected submitted artifacts from across the state for consideration in its annual campaign called Colorado’s 10 Most Significant Artifacts.
The Denver Archdiocese’s founding documents directing Denver’s pioneer bishop, Father Joseph Machebeuf, and Father John Raverdy to minister to the mining community and oversee the building of Denver’s first Catholic parish, St. Mary’s, in 1860 made it to the final 17 artifacts selected.
The artifacts with the most votes by the general public before Dec. 31 will be honored as the most significant. The top 10 will be announced in January.
To vote, visit https://collectioncare.auraria.edu and click on “Vote: Colorado’s 10 Most Significant Artifacts.” Select vote on the bottom of the page and select “1860 Archbishop Lamy / Joseph Machebeuf documents.”
