Religion - The Durango Herald

More companies boost faith-based support for employees

NEW YORK – It has become standard practice for U.S. corporations to assure employees of support regardless of their race, gender or sexual orientation. There’s now an intensifying push to en...

DATE: Feb 22, 2020 | CATEGORY: Religion

Moving faith: Mexican town’s saint feast lives in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – In Midwestern boots or bare feet in sandals, the faithful walked in procession down a snow-covered street here, keeping the rhythm of festive music and carrying paintings of St...

DATE: Feb 7, 2020 | CATEGORY: Religion

For Auschwitz survivor, telling her story is reason to live

NEW YORK – Bronia Brandman pulls up a sleeve on her leather jacket and shows the blue tattoo inked on her forearm that is a muted witness to her pain under the Nazis at Auschwitz. ...

DATE: Jan 27, 2020 | CATEGORY: Religion

A silent worship revival at an Episcopal church for the deaf

NEW YORK – The Lord’s Prayer ended with the bang of dozens of fists that landed on open palms after a circular motion and a thumbs up in a joint “Amen!” Not a voice could be heard...

DATE: Jan 24, 2020 | CATEGORY: Religion

St. Columba Parish to host Rosary Day for Life

St. Columba Parish invites the community to join in a Rosary Day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the church, 1800 East Second Ave. The Rosary will be led continuously each hal...

DATE: Jan 19, 2020 | CATEGORY: Religion

White evangelicals distinct on abortion, LGBT policy, poll shows

Poll: Most say religion should have influence on policymaking

DATE: Jan 16, 2020 | CATEGORY: Religion

Methodists propose split in gay marriage, clergy impasse

Conservative churches would form new denomination

DATE: Jan 6, 2020 | CATEGORY: Religion

Year-end violence highlights danger of worshipping

NEW YORK – When a machete-wielding attacker walked into a rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York, during Hanukkah and a gunman fired on worshippers at a Texas church 14 hours later, the two congre...

DATE: Jan 3, 2020 | CATEGORY: Religion

Jewish leaders urge action after another ‘senseless’ attack

NEW YORK – When a suspect walked into the home of a rabbi celebrating Hanukkah and stabbed five celebrants it was the latest in a week of anti-Semitic attacks in the nation’s most demographi...

DATE: Dec 30, 2019 | CATEGORY: Religion

How St. Francis created the Nativity scene with a miraculous event in 1223

Around the Christmas season, it is common to see a display of the Nativity scene: a small manger with the baby Jesus and his family, shepherds, the three wise men believed to have visited Je...

DATE: Dec 27, 2019 | CATEGORY: Religion

Christmas services in Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio

Many local churches will hold special services during the Christmas holiday. All services will take place Christmas Eve, Tuesday, unless otherwise noted. Services marked with an asterisk ind...

DATE: Dec 22, 2019 | CATEGORY: Religion

How long is the sermon? Study ranks Christian churches

NEW YORK – How long should a sermon be? The major branches of Christianity in the U.S. have sharply different traditions, with sermons at historically black Protestant churches la...

DATE: Dec 21, 2019 | CATEGORY: Religion

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Final phases of project underway at Camino del Rio and Main Avenue

Photos: Marching for women’s rightsDurango Women’s March on Saturday starts at Buckley Park, continues down Main Avenue

Durango Women’s March on Saturday starts at Buckley Park, continues down Main Avenue

Photos: Durango High School football DHS beat Vista Ridge 20-14 at home Friday night

DHS beat Vista Ridge 20-14 at home Friday night

Gallery: Animals, super heroes and other creatures take over Main Avenue

Photos: A fun and spooky day at school

Haunted house northeast of Durango gets bigger every yearCody Petersen’s Halloween hobby is his escape from the daily grind

Durango resident Cody Petersen said when he moved into his home at 15 Edgemont Way several years ago, his house on the corner looked lonely and spooky.Today, it’s a madhouse. Halloween decorations are splayed practically on every inch of his lawn, in the trees and up and down his home.

A group of school-aged kids stop in front of his house every day to pose with a little gothic doll in the lawn, he said. It’s the favorite attraction amongst hundreds of decorations Petersen bought locally and online as early as July in preparation for Oct. 31, Halloween.He said he doesn’t want to think about how much money he’s spent on fog machines, animatronics and Christmas lights, but the bill easily totals several thousands of dollars.

For trick-or-treaters on Halloween, whom he encourages to visit, jumpscares abound at Petersen’s home, featuring animatronic spiders, growling wolves and other monsters, he said.He’s working on his own animatronic coffin, which shakes and rattles, and a pulley system that will push and pull a ghost up and down the yard, but neither will be ready for this year’s Halloween.He said he has fond memories of his parents decorating for the holidays during his upbringing and he’s a huge horror genre fan. So he enjoys going all out on decorations for the spooky season. He justifies his hobby with the logic his kids will only be in high school a few more years, and it isn’t as cool to decorate the lawn for Halloween when one doesn’t have children living at home.But the neighbors enjoy his haunts as much as the rest of the community. He said his Halloween scene has gradually grown larger every year; at least 50 trick-or-treaters turned up at his home last year.“I'm a home inspector, so I do have a lot of tools and no fear of trying things out,” he said.

He said typical Halloween animatronics cost $400 a piece, but they only last one year or so without breaking. That’s frustrating, he said, and he believes he can do better by building his own.He said this year’s display and experience is more organic than past years thanks to his handiwork. Among his myriad decorations, trick-or-treaters can spot easter eggs referencing “Beetlejuice,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Pet Sematary.”Among the horror props are real animal bones Petersen said he’s found on hikes across the countryside.“I've got ghosts and spiders and witches and that kind of thing,” he said. “Here in Edgemont, we have giant spiders for real. ... We get these huge wolf spiders that are bigger than my hand. I mean, huge, bigger than tarantulas.”

Petersen said he was motivated to make his first decorations within the first month he and his wife moved into the home on the corner at 15 Edgemont Way.A lone pine tree, a typical Christmas tree that would be strung up with lights and ornaments in December, stood out to Petersen in the yard, he said. He just felt compelled to decorate it and light it up.He said he thoroughly decorated the tree and left it lit year-round. Within a month of moving into the house, his neighbor died. The man was old and suffering from Alzheimer's.

Months later, the man’s wife approached Petersen and told him she and her husband’s last salient moments together were spent looking out at Petersen’s lighted Christmas tree, pretending it was Christmas. In the following hours, the man succumbed to delirium. He died several days later.“I don't know why I had that tree, why I lit it, but that's why that tree, even when Halloween is over, all year round, that Christmas tree always stays lit now,” he said.Petersen is a horror movie fan, and in particular he’s always enjoyed the sinister character Michael Myers of the “Halloween” franchise.

He said every year, after thrilling trick-or-treaters at his home, he takes to downtown and East Third Avenue in his Michael Myers costume, bearing a giant bowl of candy, to continue the fun.The highlight of his yard, the creepy doll neighborhood kids like to pose and take pictures with, is Petersen’s “elf on the shelf,” he said. He likes to move the doll around the house, sometimes propping her up to hold animal bones.“I have a real busy and pretty stressful job,” he said. “I just love the fall so much. And to come home, it's just a good way to wind down and, you know, de-stress, just go out and work in the yard.”cburney@durangoherald.com

Cody Petersen’s Halloween hobby is his escape from the daily grind

Reader-submitted photos of Halloween decorationsLast week, we asked readers to submit photos of their Halloween decorations or a neighbor’s decorations. We received dozens of photo submissions. We have selected some of the most spooky, elaborate and fun photos to share in this gallery. Enjoy!

Photos: FLC volleyball returns homeFort Lewis College volleyball took on Adams State University on Tuesday

Fort Lewis College volleyball took on Adams State University on Tuesday

Photos: Expert leathercrafter and collector estate sale near IgnacioItems belonging to the late Alex Pappas were auctioned for sale on Saturday

Items belonging to the late Alex Pappas were auctioned for sale on Saturday

Photos: Pro boxing in DurangoLegends on the Animas boxing showdown took place on Saturday

Legends on the Animas boxing showdown took place on Saturday

More companies boost faith-based support for employees

Moving faith: Mexican town’s saint feast lives in Minnesota

For Auschwitz survivor, telling her story is reason to live

A silent worship revival at an Episcopal church for the deaf

St. Columba Parish to host Rosary Day for Life

White evangelicals distinct on abortion, LGBT policy, poll shows

Methodists propose split in gay marriage, clergy impasse

Year-end violence highlights danger of worshipping

Jewish leaders urge action after another ‘senseless’ attack

How St. Francis created the Nativity scene with a miraculous event in 1223

Christmas services in Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio

How long is the sermon? Study ranks Christian churches

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