From Littleton to Egypt: Denver Catholic Young Adult Begins Missionary Journey with the Salesians

The newly commissioned Salesian Lay Missioners prepare to head to the corners of the earth to bring Christ's love to his people. (Photo provided)

When Denverites think of missionary work, their minds may wander to far-off countries and unfamiliar languages. But this summer, one of our own stepped forward to take up that call.

On August 14, Douglas Hindman III of Littleton was commissioned as a Salesian Lay Missioner during a special Evening Prayer service at the Don Bosco Retreat Center in Haverstraw, N.Y. Surrounded by his new community and supported by the prayers of family and friends back home, Hindman received his mission: to teach English at the Don Bosco Institute in Alexandria, Egypt.

“I am excited to live in a religious community, to have the opportunity to pray every day and to see God in other people in a different culture, and a different language — putting the catholic in Catholic — showing that the Church is universal!” he said.

A son of Denver, sent to the world

Hindman, 30, grew up in the Archdiocese of Denver and graduated from Colorado State University with degrees in English and history. After graduation, he built a career as a broker with TIAA. But through prayer and discernment, he felt the tug of something more — a call to give his gifts in service to the Gospel.

That call led him to the Salesians, a religious family founded by St. John Bosco, dedicated to serving the young and the poor. Before his commissioning, Hindman spent weeks in preparation with nine other missioners: learning about cultures, practicing community life, deepening prayer and serving in a parish in New York.

Rooted in faith, ready to serve

The commissioning liturgy came just before the Solemnity of the Assumption, and Father Dominic Tran, SDB, reminded the missioners that God’s plan of love calls each of them to bring Christ to others.

“You are to be the instruments of God’s plan and God’s love,” he told them.

For Hindman, that plan now means leaving the familiarity of Colorado and stepping into a new culture, language and way of life. It is a leap of faith that reflects both courage and trust.

A gift from Denver to the Church

As he prepares to depart, Hindman carries with him the prayers and support of the community that formed him. His mission is not his alone — it is also a gift from the Archdiocese of Denver to the wider Church.

Through him, the young people of Alexandria will not only learn English but also encounter Christ’s love in the presence of a missionary who came all the way from Colorado.

Hindman’s journey is a reminder that God calls ordinary men and women from our own pews to extraordinary service. And for Denver Catholics across the archdiocese, it is a chance to see the universality of the Church made visible — one missionary, one vocation, one witness at a time.