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(Denver Catholic file photo) Deacon Gordon David Hudec, who ministered the charity of Christ for nearly four decades as a husband, father, grandfather and ordained deacon, entered eternal life on February 7, 2026, at the age of 80, surrounded by his family. Born March 23, 1945, in San Diego, California, to Frank Hudec and Julia Hodina, Deacon Hudec was baptized on April 29, 1945, at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish and confirmed on April 11, 1957, at Our Lady of Angels Par

(Photo courtesy of Holy Family High School) For parents of eighth graders, the approach to high school can feel like it arrives all at once. One moment, your child is navigating middle school lockers and homework; the next, you’re weighing decisions that will shape their intellectual, spiritual and personal formation during some of the most influential years of their life. Recognizing how weighty that moment can feel, the Archdiocese of Denver’s Office of Catholic Schools has

(Photo: © Vatican Media) Last month, Pope Leo XIV received more than 1,000 itinerant catechists in an audience in the Hall of Blessings, responsible for the Neocatechumenal Way in 138 nations on five continents. The papal audience came at the end of a gathering held at the “Servant of Yahweh” Center in Porto San Giorgio under the guidance of the team responsible for the Neocatechumenal Way worldwide, and included Kiko Argüello, founder of the Neocatecumenal Way, as well as Fa

(Photo: Pexels) The “ Melian Dialogue ,” from Thucydides’ classic History of the Peloponnesian War , is the foundational text of the Realist school of international relations theory. It’s 416 B.C., and the island-statelet of Melos has remained neutral in the war between the local superpowers, Athens and Sparta. A diplomatic delegation from Athens goes to Melos and demands that the Melians join Team Athens. The Melians decline, first citing principles of justice. The Athenians

(Photo courtesy of Mullen High School, Denver) For Catholic school communities across Northern Colorado, moments of quiet formation often bear fruit far beyond anyone's imagination. This winter, one of those moments unfolded thousands of miles from home — on the cobblestone streets of Bergamo, Italy — as Dale O’Blia, a 2024 graduate of Mullen High School in Denver, carried the Olympic torch. Selected as one of a highly limited number of torchbearers, O'Blia took part in the 6

(Photo: Pannonhalma Archabbey, courtesy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) As Catholics begin the penitential journey of Lent, the Church once again invites the faithful to unite prayer, sacrifice and generosity in a special way. On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, parishes across the United States will take up the Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, an annual appeal sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that has brought healing an

Let Lent lead us into love through Catholic Charities. Catholic Charities offers several opportunities to get involved and give back this Lent, from Fort Collins to the Denver Metro, from the Western Slope to your own neighborhood. (Photo provided) Lent arrives every year like an invitation, quiet but impossible to ignore. The ashes on our foreheads remind us that life is brief, and love is meant to be shared widely. You may be thinking about what to give up, but Lent also as

A confessor's perspective on love, dignity and the gift of self. (Photo: Lightstock) By Father Daniel Ciucci Pastor, Most Precious Blood Parish, Denver There are few better opportunities for a societal pulse check than the confessional. The Fifth Commandment, in particular, manifold in its application, covers everything from drunkenness, reckless driving, gossip and physical violence, to the withholding of forgiveness, the clutching onto bitterness and the like. Recently, how

What Genesis really teaches about sin, power and marriage (Photo: Lightstock) “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he will lord it over you.” Genesis 3:16 I think of all the beautiful aspects of the Genesis account of paradise, the one I perhaps envy most is the perfect relationship between man and woman. (I know, walking with God in the cool of the afternoon seems like a pretty good gig, too.) We have talked about how God created them specifically for each other , a

On Saturday, February 7, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV had accepted Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila's request to retire and had appointed Most Reverend James R. Golka , currently Bishop of Colorado Springs, as the sixth Archbishop of Denver. That same morning, the Archdiocese of Denver hosted a press conference to introduce Northern Colorado's newest shepherd at the Cardinal Stafford Library at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. In the conference, Archbi

(Photo: Lightstock) St. Raphael Counseling, a ministry of Catholic Charities, is excited to introduce a new six-week Marriage Preparation Program, designed to help engaged couples build a strong faith-filled foundation for lifelong partnership. Endorsed by the Archdiocese of Denver, this program reflects St. Raphael Counseling’s commitment to supporting healthy marriages by combining sound psychological science with Catholic teaching. St. Raphael Counseling provides compassi

Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of February is for children with incurable diseases. Pope Leo prays during Mass at the Vatican on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. (CNS photo/Vatican Media) By Francesca Pollio-Fenton/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of February is for children with incurable diseases. In a video to be released on Feb. 5, the Holy Father prayed that the faithful would realize that “the smiles, even in the midst of

On Saturday, February 7, Pope Leo XIV accepted Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila's request to retire and appointed Bishop James R. Golka, currently Bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs, as the Archdiocese of Denver's sixth archbishop. (Photo by Daniel Petty/Denver Catholic) “If we don’t pray first, we’re going to be lost. So let’s pray,” Denver’s next archbishop began on the morning of Feb. 7. Mere hours before, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV had accepted Archbishop

(Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Colorado Springs) DENVER — Pope Leo XIV has named Bishop James R. Golka as the sixth Archbishop of Denver, the Holy See announced early February 7, 2026. Archbishop-designate Golka, 59, is the current Bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs. He will succeed Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, 75, who has been chief shepherd of the Archdiocese of Denver since 2012. Archbishop Aquila’s retirement — which he offered to the pope upon his 75th birthd

(Denver Catholic file photo) February 7, 2026 My Brothers and Sisters, As I prepare to enter retirement, my heart is filled above all with gratitude — to God, to the priests and deacons of this local Church, to consecrated women and men, and to the lay faithful who have walked together as missionary disciples in Northern Colorado. From the beginning of my ministry here, I have been convinced that the Lord is at work among us, calling us ever more deeply to conversion, commu

Then-Bishop James R. Golka preaches during Mass at SEEK26 in Denver. (Photo by Grant Whitty/Courtesy of FOCUS) Archbishop-designate James R. Golka was born September 22, 1966, in Grand Island, Nebraska, the fourth of 10 children born to Robert and the late Patricia Golka. He graduated from Grand Island Central Catholic High School and attended Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, from 1985-89, where he earned degrees in philosophy and theology. He served as a Jesuit lay

Then-Bishop James R. Golka blesses attendees at Mass at SEEK26 in Denver. (Photo by Madisen Martinez/Courtesy of FOCUS) Habemus archiepiscopum! We have an archbishop! On Saturday morning, the Vatican and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced that Pope Leo XIV had accepted Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila’s request to retire from pastoral governance of the Archdiocese of Denver after nearly 14 years of service. At the same time, the Holy Father appoin

When St. Joan of Arc Parish in Arvada, Colorado, brought more than 70 parishioners to the SEEK conference in Denver this January, it wasn’t a last-minute decision — it was the fruit of years of discernment, prayer and a renewed understanding of what it means to be a parish on mission in the Archdiocese of Denver. The 74 Fervent Evangelical Warriors from St. Joan of Arc Parish in Arvada (plus a few extra!) gathered for a group photo during SEEK26 in Denver. (Photo courtesy of

37 deacons and 4 priests came together to launch what organizers say might be the first diocesan-sponsored clergy peer support program in the nation. (Photo provided) When Deacon Ernie Martinez took on his role as director of deacons for the Archdiocese of Denver three years ago, he brought with him an insight few clergy possess: 40 years of experience with the Denver Police Department, where he witnessed firsthand how peer support could save lives. That experience has now tr

(Photo provided) There are few words that a person will say in their lifetime that carry as much eternal weight as the two simple words couples say at the altar on their wedding day: "I do." In uttering these two words, a man and his wife are doing much more than merely promising to lay down their lives for one another — though, to be sure, they are doing that too. "I do" is a mutual assent that a man and his wife will give themselves completely and totally to one another in