Film release prompts uptick in visitors to Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden

JoAnn Seaman, executive director at Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, tells us she's recently noticed more visitors to the tranquil space overlooking Denver.

Zoom in: Seaman credits the increase to the movie " Cabrini ," which released in theaters in March, and chronicles the Catholic sister's life.

What they're saying: "We have a lot of visitors anyways when the weather is good, but we definitely saw an uptick in visitors and people wanting to know more about her," Seaman tells us.

State of play: Saint Frances Cabrini, better known as Mother Cabrini, was a Catholic missionary who in 1946 became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized by the church.

• Following her canonization, Seaman tells us local Catholic groups like the Knights of Columbus pushed to make the entire site a shrine.

Zoom in: Born in Italy, Cabrini traveled the world to teach the gospel, and after buying land in Colorado following a visit in 1902, she went on to build a dormitory for girls near the foothills completed in 1914.

• That structure now serves as the centerpiece for the Mother Cabrini Shrine, featuring a Stairway of Prayer leading up to a 22-foot statue of Christ.

Fun fact: Colorado in 2020 replaced Columbus Day with Cabrini Day to recognize her humanitarian work .

• It's observed the first Monday of October.

If you go: The shrine's grounds are open daily from 7am-4:30pm.