All Articles

Celebrating Lent is straightforward: penance, fasting, prayer, almsgiving. But how should a Catholic celebrate Easter? (Photo: Lightstock)   Easter is the feast of all feasts, and its fifty-day season stands atop the liturgical year as its climax. While we might recognize this reality, the Easter season can seem like a letdown. While the goal of Lent appears to be clear-cut — fight against sin, do penance, increase prayer and give alms — what about Easter? What are we suppose

Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic STEM School Students smile for a photo with the ponytails they had cut to support others with hair loss. (Photo provided) By Megan Nix Some children give up eating sweets, watching TV or fighting with siblings for Lent. But this year, 20 girls at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic STEM School in Wheat Ridge gave up something less common: their hair. At noon on Holy Monday, a group made their way to Hendrix Salon for a “cut-a-thon:” each child would dona

Kiss of Judas by Giotto, c. 1304–1306, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15   The comfort of a familiar embrace. The closeness of being gathered into another’s cloak. The quiet affection of being near enough to share a kiss. In Giotto’s fresco, Judas not only betrays

"Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary" by Raphael, c. 1516. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) The Way of the Cross — and the third, seventh, and ninth stations in particular — has been an especially appropriate Lenten devotion this year. Every day, it seems, some new craziness erupts in the world, the country, or the Church. Every time we think we see rays of hope and possibility, we take another fall. So it’s good to remember this Holy Week, with Hans Urs von Balt

"Christ in Limbo" painting in Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ Church in Bischheim, France. (Photo: Ralph Hammann via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0) Do you feel stuck in the spiritual life, like something is holding you back? Did Lent fall short of bringing about deeper conversion?   Holy Week, as the culmination of Lent, seeks to resolve these dangling tensions, as we celebrate the Paschal Mystery, the new Passover initiated by Jesus. It’s about experiencing liberation, the fre

Those who knew him before Denver say the Archdiocese is in good hands. Archbishop James R. Golka knocks on the doors of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver at the beginning of the Mass of Taking Possession of the Cathedral, his last formal liturgical step towards assuming the pastoral responsibility for the Archdiocese of Denver. (Photo by Dan Petty/Denver Catholic) Archbishop James R. Golka's first full day leading the Archdiocese of Denver began at

A Catholic call to contrition, confession and change. The Confession by Giuseppe Molteni (1838). Oil on canvas, 173.5 x 141 cm (68.3 x 55.5 in). Cariplo Collection, Gallerie di Piazza Scala, Milan. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) For those struggling to get out of habits of mortal sin, frequent Confession is a necessity. But since venial sins are not required to be confessed, I set out to be convinced of the benefits of frequent Confession. The Catholic Church t

A Hermit at Prayer by Bartholomeus Maton, c. 1641. (Photo: Public Domain via Artvee) The entire purpose of Lent, now past the halfway mark, is to prepare us for the glory of Easter and its revelation of the destiny that God first intended for humanity “in the beginning” (Genesis 1:1): the destiny that Christ made possible after the Fall through the Paschal Mystery of his Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. As the Church continues its Lenten journey, perhaps we might

In the modern age, abstaining from technology is a noble Lenten practice to enter the desert, quiet the mind and heart and hear the voice of God. (Photo: The Temptation of Christ in the Wilderness by Sebastiano Ricci, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. Smartphone digitally added.) Since we are halfway through Lent, it’s a good moment to consider how it’s been going. The purpose of our self-denial is conversion, as we learn to let go of control and to depend more upon God.

Mary at the Foot of the Cross by Elizabeth Zelasko. ( Denver Catholic file photo) The Catholic Church is today in the early stages of a nine-year novena , moving towards the 2,000th anniversary of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. As we journey toward that anniversary, Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila had the idea of gathering the faithful in prayer around one sacred image , an icon to help lead us, year after year, deeper into the mystery of the Cross. READ MOR

Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila celebrated his final Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on Wednesday. (Photo by Neil McDonough) As Catholics across Northern Colorado marked the beginning of Lent on Wednesday, Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila celebrated his last Ash Wednesday Mass as shepherd of Northern Colorado. Earlier this month, it was announced that Pope Leo XIV had accepted his retirement and named his successor, Most Rev. Jam

(Photo: Lightstock) As the Lenten season begins, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila has issued his final pastoral note, entitled "Encounter Jesus: Listening with the Heart." In it, he encourages the faithful to encounter the Lord Jesus, especially in Scripture, discern his voice and allow his will to be carried out through each of us. The pastoral note and its exhortation come following the announcement that Pope Leo XIV had accepted Archbishop Aquila's request to retire on February

Thanks to a partnership between the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver and the Colorado Catholic Conference, lawmakers, staff and visitors to the Colorado State Capitol had the chance to mark Ash Wednesday with prayer. (Photo by Neil McDonough) Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, and in downtown Denver, the holy season saw a surprising start as the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and the Colorado Catholic Conference brought ashes to a

(Photo by Rocio Madera) Everyone’s favorite season of sacrifice is just around the corner! The penitential period of the Church year seems to sneak up on us year after year, and brings with it lots of questions. While wonder is  a gift of the Holy Spirit, there’s no need to sit in uncertainty any longer! Is Ash Wednesday a Holy Day of Obligation? According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) 1991 general decree, there are six Holy Days of Obligation i

(Photo by André Escaleira, Jr.) No, those strange folks with dirt on their head aren’t actually all that strange! Ash Wednesday is just around the corner, and with it, the beginning of Lent, a time of spiritual preparation, reflection and introspection. During this holy time, Christians around the world will consider ways to live more simply, to act more generously and to get to know God better. The ashes rubbed on the foreheads of millions each year remind us of our weakness

Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) by Caravaggio, c. 1605. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) It’s easy to take things that we’re used to doing for granted. Lent’s just one of those Catholic customs that come around every year as the liturgical year moves through its cycles. But if we actually think about why we practice it, it may help us to get more out of it. I’d like to explore the “why” behind it to help us be more intentional in how we enter into Lenten practices thi

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

Neither homelessness nor divorce, neither addiction nor loneliness, neither anxiety nor brokenness can keep these new Catholics from...

(Photo by Jason Smith) On Good Friday, a snowstorm did not prevent about 100 people, including families with young children, priests from...

(Photo by Daniel Petty/Denver Catholic) On Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025, Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila published "Standing with Mary...