This morning between 10am -12pm June 25, a 5 foot, 4 inch life-size statue of Sister Blandina will be delivered and installed in Sister Blandina Wellness Gardens located in Downtown Trinidad. Created by Pueblo-born sculptor Fred Darpino, the statue will be a focal point of the new Gardens, which has a scheduled Grand Opening of July 18th.
The Grand Opening celebration will include a morning mass, blessing of the Gardens, and a dedication and tribute to our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The Presiding Prelate is His Excellency, Most Reverend Stephen J. Berg of the Catholic Diocese of Pueblo. The Grand Opening celebration will continue with live musical and theatrical performances in the afternoon and evening in the Gardens. The Grand Opening of Sister Blandina Wellness Gardens will be live streamed on local channel 71 Comcast and YouTube channel trinidadtimestv71. More details on the hybrid in-person and virtual event will be provided in the upcoming weeks.
Sister Blandina faithfully served the Trinidad community for nearly a decade in the late 1800s. In 1872, at the age of 22, she was sent alone over the Santa Fe Trail to Trinidad in the Colorado Territory. Assigned to teach in the public school, she had encounters with Billy the Kid, Geronimo, and “frontier justice.” From 1889 – 1892, she taught at Holy Trinity School. Sister Blandina is being considered for canonization. More facts on Sister Blandina can be found in the attached document.
Sister Blandina Wellness Gardens is a community wellness park operated by Mt. Carmel in tribute to Sister Blandina. The Gardens provides many options to nurture the mind, body and spirit, and offers wellness walks, exercise stations, calming water features, beautiful landscaping and wellness classes.
