How Catholic Schools Helped Shape Denver Vocations
- Caitlin Burm
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
From Classroom to Conviction
In a theology classroom at the former Bishop Machebeuf High School, Joseph Tynan encountered a line from Gaudium et Spes that would help shape the course of his life towards his vocation.
Jesus Christ “fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear," he recalled. “I came to understand that if I truly made Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the King of my heart, I would become more fully myself.”
Now studying for the priesthood as a seminarian at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, Tynan acknowledged that his family laid the foundation of his faith. But it was under the guidance of his high school theology teacher, Marc Lenzini, that those beliefs became personal.
“It allowed me to finally articulate it for myself — and truly own it,” he remembered.
He described the moment when he knew his calling had become clear.
“If I strove to follow Jesus and live as part of his Church, my life would be fuller, happier and more adventurous than I could ever imagine otherwise,” he explained.
Similarly, Daniel Igoe — a former Catholic school student who later taught at Bishop Machebeuf — is now in seminary at St. John Vianney. He felt that his time serving on the altar at Mass helped him find his calling.
“I learned to love serving Mass with the religious community that ran my high school, and it was at a Mass when the priest elevated the Host after saying the words, ‘This is My Body,’ that I became convinced that everything the Church teaches about the Eucharist is true,” he recalled.
He added that the idea of the priesthood had surfaced in his mind as a child, but that moment at Mass transformed the possibility.
“It was a real grace from God that convinced me,” he said. “And I knew that if that was true, then so was everything else the Church taught.”
Igoe also credited the Benedictine monks who taught him in his high school classrooms for inspiring him to take his faith seriously.
“It was no longer just an intellectual exercise,” he said.
Formed by Witness
Catholic school students often find that their education has been enhanced not just by the curriculum but also by the community of religious, teachers and other students, all serving as witnesses to their faith together. This was true for both young men.
Tynan experienced this first at Bishop Machebeuf High School and later at Benedictine College, where daily life was centered around prayer.
“The student body was devoutly Catholic, with many friends from large families who encouraged me in men's groups to go to Mass and spend more time in Adoration,” he recalled. “I really owe the development of my prayer life to Benedictine College.
“Mass was offered three times a day, there was all-day Adoration, countless public Rosaries, prayers before every class, Liturgy of the Hours with the monks and bells ringing across campus for the Angelus,” Tynan continued, reflecting on the very place where he began to see the Church as more than a Sunday obligation.
“The Church is meant to be an all-encompassing, culture-changing and culture-enhancing institution,” he said.
Igoe shared that witnessing priests and other religious figures also affected his calling, especially when he was teaching.
“I think a lot of what prepared my heart to hear God's call was the witness I had of many priests and religious around me,” he shared. “Seeing their profound faith in Jesus and the Gospel and what the Church teaches, slowly but surely impacted me.
“These were men who were not only convinced in their minds but also in their hearts that Jesus loves them and is with them,” he added. “And I wanted that peace. So, it was their witness that God used to form and open me up to the possibility of a vocation.”
Hearing the Call
Even for those students formed in Catholic schools, the call to the priesthood often comes when it is least expected.
For Tynan, the call became unmistakable during prayer on a long drive along Interstate 70, as the sun set, on the way home from Kansas. For Igoe, the call deepened gradually over time.
“God worked in me organically to open me up to the possibility of being a priest,” he said. “At first, I kind of shunned it as not a real possibility, but as I grew more in my faith and saw the joy of many who were dedicated to it, I thought more and more that maybe this really could be for me.”
When he later taught at Bishop Machebeuf, he began to understand spiritual fatherhood in a new way.
“When I was teaching, I really got a good sense for what spiritual fatherhood is,” he explained. “St. Paul writes that we cannot be converted if we are not first preached to. So, I came to conceive my teaching as a way of preaching.”
Forming the Next Generation
Both men believe that Catholic schools will continue to inspire future vocations in the Archdiocese of Denver and in dioceses across the United States.
For Igoe, that inspiration lies in supporting families in teaching the faith and in forming disciples.
“I hope that Catholic schools can be places where disciples of Jesus are not only formed, but that so are evangelists to a culture that needs Jesus and his mercy,” he said.
He emphasized that formation often begins in his presence.
“It's meant to be a communion with our fellow man and a communion with God,” Igoe said. “Part of that is preaching and teaching, part of that is administering sacraments and part of that is the Church and her members being present to people and showing them the way to God through good witness and charity.”
Tynan agreed and said he plans to encourage parents and students to consider colleges recommended by the Newman Guide, believing they play a role in sustaining young adults' faith.
“I truly believe the success of these schools will help spearhead the formation of the next generation of disciples in the love of Christ,” he said.
In Catholic classrooms, campuses and parishes across northern Colorado, small seeds are planted in students each day. For Tynan and Igoe, those seeds grew from a belief into something more: an enduring vocation.
