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Hundreds gathered in Denver to honor Archbishop Aquila’s golden jubilee and the countless lives touched through five decades of priestly ministry, reflecting on God’s faithfulness, the joy of the Gospel and a lifetime of grace. "All was gift. Each and every one of you is gift in my life,” Archbishop Emeritus Samuel Aquila said in his homily during a special Jubilee Mass and celebration, marking his 50th anniversary of priestly ordination. (Photo by Daniel Petty/Denver Cathol

Father Ryan Mack, ordained in 2023, serves the Catholic campus ministry of Colorado School of Mines, his alma mater. (Photo courtesy of Father Ryan Mack) By Ashley Splurgeon/Mines Magazine When Father Ryan Mack '15 walks across the Colorado School of Mines campus today, the experience is both familiar and entirely new. As an undergraduate student, he spent four years immersed in engineering classes, late-night study sessions and weekend adventures in the nearby mountains. Now

Fathers Manuel Alarcon, Jason DiRito, Jonathan Francois and Daniel Rivas look forward to bringing God's mercy and presence to Catholics across Northern Colorado. Fathers Jason DiRito, Manuel Alarcon, Daniel Rivas and Jonathan Francois were ordained priests by Archbishop James Golka on May 9 — his first ordinations as Archbishop of Denver. (Photo by Dan Petty/Denver Catholic) On Saturday, May 9, Archbishop James Golka ordained four men to the priesthood at the Cathedral Basi

Celebrating 50 years of Archbishop Emeritus Samuel J. Aquila’s priesthood could offer a massive spiritual benefit. The St. John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization campus, home to St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, Redemptoris Mater Seminary and the Prophet Elijah House, will be the site of a massive celebration on June 5, one at which the faithful can earn a plenary indulgence. (Photo by Grant Whitty) Summer is fast approaching, offering a reprieve from school, vac

What better way to celebrate 50 years of priesthood than with Mass with Archbishop Emeritus Samuel Aquila, a block party and lots of excellent food? (Archdiocese of Denver design) Easter is a time for celebration, Denver Catholics, and boy, do we have an exciting, historic and monumental celebration for you! Mark your calendars for June 5th, when the Archdiocese of Denver will come together to celebrate Archbishop Emeritus Samuel J. Aquila’s 50th anniversary of priesthood. Th

At the Cathedral Basilica in Denver, Archbishop James Golka calls the Church’s newest priests to total surrender and sacrificial love in Christ. Denver Archbishop James Golka anoints the hands of newly ordained Father Jason DiRito, struck with emotion, during the priestly ordination ritual. (Photo by Daniel Petty/Denver Catholic) As Fathers Manuel Alarcon, Jason DiRito, Jonathan Francois and Daniel Rivas were ordained priests May 9, one message resounded through the Cathedral

The ordination, Archbishop James Golka's first as Archbishop of Denver, will take place at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver. Three men lay prostrate during the 2025 Ordination Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver. (Photo by Dan Petty/Denver Catholic) The Church of Denver rejoices as four men prepare for their ordination to the priesthood on Saturday, May 9, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in

Catholic Radio Network will again host the annual Priest and Seminarian Appreciation Day on June 1. (Photo provided) The 16th Annual Priest and Seminarian Appreciation Day will take place on June 1 at The Ridge at Castle Pines North, offering a meaningful opportunity to honor the priests who faithfully serve our communities and the seminarians preparing for that vocation. Hosted by Catholic Radio Network in partnership with generous sponsors, this special day is designed to p

Hundreds of priests processed into the March 25 Installation Mass of Archbishop James Golka. (Photo by Grant Whitty/Denver Catholic) I could not attend Archbishop Golka’s Installation Mass in person, but I did tune in to the livestream for as long as I could. As I watched the lengthy procession of priests from across our archdiocese, I unexpectedly felt warm tears of gratitude roll down my cheeks. Many of the faces I recognized, and I was deeply moved by the sight of our cler

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich in November 2018. (Photo by Olivier LPB via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0). Your Eminence: In an article recently published by a major German Catholic website, you suggested that the question of whether the Church can ordain women has not been definitively settled: “I cannot imagine how a Church can continue to exist in the long run if half of God’s people suffer because they have no access to ordained ministry.” Putting aside for a moment t

(Photo: Josh Applegate/Unsplash) You find your way into a Catholic church, and it’s quiet. Really quiet. The lights are low, except for a small red dot of light shining above a side door. Over time, people go in and out. Maybe you do, too. Either way, it’s hard to miss, between the light and the line. Many of us might be familiar with what happens in that closet-sized space — the confessional — as sinner after sinner comes before the Divine Mercy of Jesus, bursting forth from

Just as Jesus stooped low to wash the apostles’ feet, Denver’s new archbishop said in his homily during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, each Christian is called, commanded, to love neighbor. Archbishop James Golka washes the feet of a parishioner during his first Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver. (Photo by Dan Petty/Denver Catholic) Imagine, for a moment, Jesus’ Last Supper. An evening meal pre-electricity

Denver’s new archbishop encouraged priests to unite themselves to Jesus and called on the faithful to pray for their spiritual fathers during the special archdiocesan liturgy. Denver Archbishop James Golka pours Chrism essence into olive oil before praying a consecration prayer over what will become Sacred Chrism during the annual Chrism Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. (Photo by Anya Semenoff/Denver Catholic) At the start of Holy Week, Archbishop

Archbishop-designate James Golka chats with Father Joseph Toledo, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Fort Collins, following the presbyterate meeting on March 18. (Photo by Neil McDonough/Denver Catholic) As he prepared to assume leadership of the Archdiocese of Denver this week, Archbishop-designate James Golka made an important visit March 18 to those at the forefront of the Church's ministry in Northern Colorado: the Archdiocese of Denver's priests. The visit came

The wide-ranging interview, the prelate’s last as Archbishop of Denver, covered a variety of topics, including immigration, vocations, Catholic education and pro-life issues. Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila introduces Archbishop-designate James Golka during a February 7 press conference announcing the appointment. (Photo by Dan Petty/Denver Catholic) A historic change is coming to Denver, as Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila approaches the formal end of his ministry in Denver ne

Dozens of altar servers joined in the celebration of Deacon Riley Blanchard's ordination to the transitional diaconate. (Photo by Jason Smith/The Things That I See Photography) The 9:30 Mass at St. Mary Parish in Littleton reliably draws a young crowd, but last Sunday’s was a record breaker. More than 60 altar servers lined the front pews as 8 priests and one beloved archbishop concelebrated the ordination Mass of Deacon Riley Blanchard, the first U.S. vocation for the Spanis

From a challenging homily to pilgrimage in France, one local priest reflects on the mission of spiritual fatherhood in an apostolic age. Father Trevor Lontine says Mass at the tomb of St. John Vianney in Ars, France, during a recent pilgrimage. (Photo provided) By Father Trevor Lontine A Priestly Challenge at the Start of My Priesthood On May 15, 2022, Father Dan Barron, OMV, stood at the pulpit in St. Joseph Parish in Denver and asked a simple question. There are so many

From parish drives to 'Super Bowl' liturgies, a priest shares the witness of Archbishop Aquila's priesthood and humanity. From Archbishop Aquila's side, Father Scott Bailey learned profound lessons about the spiritual life. (Denver Catholic archive photo) By Father Scott Bailey Pastor, Risen Christ Parish, Denver Priest Secretary, 2014—2018 Editor's Note: Over the last almost 14 years, many have gotten to know Archbishop Aquila all across Northern Colorado as he ministered an

For Jeremiah Obiano, Deacon Enrique Cruz and Joseph Trinh, following God's call meant leaving their families and homelands to serve the Church in Denver. (Photo provided) On a brisk morning in Denver, as sunlight shines through stained glass, a young seminarian kneels in prayer before Mass. Though his voice still carries an accent and rhythm of a country thousands of miles away, among these pews and parishioners, he is home. A Calling That Began Thousands of Miles Away Deacon

A timeline of episcopal service in Northern Colorado (Photo by Dan Petty/Denver Catholic) 2015-2016: Restored Order of the Sacraments of Initiation and Sealed & Sent "The world needs saints. Even as our society becomes more distant from faith and more forgetful of God, it still hungers for joyful witnesses who have been transformed by Christ. At the same time, new generations of Catholics need grace to sustain them in a non-Christian environment. To answer these needs, I have