The church had seats for 700, but that wasn’t enough to hold all the friends and family members who gathered Saturday to commemorate the life of Jessica Hernandez.
Sunlight streamed into the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Westminster as a group of vocalists and guitar players, perched on the balcony, performed hymns. Hundreds of people filled the large room, overflowing from the pews and into the aisles. Some people stood at the back, others in the foyer.
Many of the 17-year-old’s friends and family members wore ribbons, T-shirts and sweat shirts imprinted with pictures of her face and words of remembrance. All of them were red — her favorite color.
A large picture of Hernandez, , was placed near the pulpit.
“You’re not simply here to watch something happen, but to take part in what’s happening,” the Rev. John Paul Leyba said at the beginning of the service. “Death, which appears to be the end, is not the end.”
Once everyone settled in, Leyba and the Rev. Richard Nakvasil performed a Mass of Christian burial, discussing everything from compassion to Latino rights. They switched frequently between English and Spanish.
Halfway through the service, Nakvasil read part of a poem that Hernandez had written in 2013, discussing the challenges she faced in her life:
I seem to be a fighter … But really I am outgoing.
I like to play sports; I want to get my education …
I choose to be loud at points; I choose to be happy, smiling all the time …
I choose to be a good role model from now on, even if temptations are in the way.
I choose to live a good teenage life.
After the Mass, a burial ceremony was held at Olinger Highland Cemetery in Thornton, where cars lined both sides of the road and carried painted messages such as “Justice 4 Jessie” and “We love you, Jessica.”
A single, small tent had been erected near the grave site with a few chairs underneath, but the crowd was hundreds strong. Friends and family members formed a thick ring around the grave, huddling together and wrapping their arms around one another. Boxes of tissues were passed around as many cried.
As the lid on Hernandez’s casket was lowered, several onlookers released white balloons to the wind.
“She was outgoing, she was loving, she was caring,” said Hernandez’s friend Anjelica Vigil, who was wearing one of the red shirts. “She has a lot of people here for her today because she was always there for a lot of people.”
After the ceremony, friends and family members lingered at the cemetery, saying their goodbyes. They covered Hernandez’s grave with flowers — most of them bright red blooms.
Anna Gauldin: 303-954-1666, agauldin@denverpost.com
