The Beginning

On November 6, 1947, a plot of land near the eastern border of Colorado Springs was purchased by the Archdiocese of Denver. The Archdiocese intended this land to be a “Catholic Campus” containing a new church, school, and convent. The name “Divine Redeemer” was chosen. In July of 1950 Fr. Duane Theobald was appointed as the first Pastor of Divine Redeemer. Ground was broken on the church on October 1st, 1950. While the church was being built, Fr. Theobald held Mass at St. Francis Hospital and, later, the Officer’s Club at Ent Air Force Base.  

Work began on the school and a church expansion in 1955. The school opened for the first time on September 7th, 1956. It was formally dedicated by Archbishop Urban Vehr on October 17th, 1956. The order of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati agreed to staff Divine Redeemer for its initial years, and Sr. Francis Assissium was the first principal. During its first year, Divine Redeemer served students in grades 1-6. Seventh and eighth grades were added in the next two school years. Divine Redeemer’s first eighth-grade class graduated in 1959 with a total size of 32 students.

The school initially was connected to the church building. The current gym, Kindergarten, and PreK classrooms were part of the church, and the school had eight classrooms (all on the east-west hallway). In 1959, Divine Redeemer completed a major expansion of the school, adding eight more classrooms on the north-south hallway as well as the current upstairs office. The convent was completed in February of 1957 and housed all of the Sisters of Charity in Colorado Springs. Sr. Maria Teresa Darcy served as Principal of Divine Redeemer from 1958-1964.