How Rita Niblack Says ‘Yes’ to the Lord’s Invitation
- Archdiocese of Denver
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
From Catholic education to OCIA and outreach ministry, this Disciple of the Month’s life reflects a grateful response to God's love and a desire to help others encounter Christ.
When Rita Niblack looks back on her decades of ministry, she sees a series of invitations from the Lord: opportunities that appeared before her and simple acts of saying “yes.”
Those opportunities have included serving in faith formation at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Denver, teaching theology at Mullen High School in Denver and now accompanying people on their faith journey through OCIA, the process by which people enter the Catholic Church, at Most Precious Blood Parish in Denver.
While the settings have changed throughout the years, Niblack’s motivation has remained the same: sharing the love she has received from God with others.
“If I have been loved so fully by God, what other response is there than to love others and invite them into that love?” she said.
For Niblack, the Christian life is fundamentally about welcoming others into the love of Jesus. That desire to accompany is evident in the way she approaches ministry. In a world where many people feel overlooked or unheard, she believes one of the greatest gifts we can offer another person is our full attention.
“It seems to me that we live in an era in which we are talked at but rarely listened to, or truly heard and seen,” she said. “This can make us very lonely.”
Her model for this way of listening is Christ himself.
“In the Gospels, that is what Jesus does,” Niblack said. “He doesn’t pass by or gloss over a person but sees into their heart.”
That same spirit of accompaniment led Niblack to become involved with Guns to Gardens, a ministry that transforms surrendered firearms into garden tools and symbols of healing. After retiring from Mullen High School in 2022 — the same year of the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas — Niblack felt called to respond.
Like many people, she found herself asking what she could do. Through Most Precious Blood’s involvement with Colorado Faith Communities United to End Gun Violence, she discovered Guns to Gardens and joined the Metro Denver leadership team in 2023.
For Niblack, the ministry offers a unique opportunity for healing and reconciliation.
“I believe that Guns to Gardens has the possibility to bring together people of different viewpoints about guns,” she said. “It provides a service for disposing of a gun, especially one that has caused or could cause harm.”
Underlying all of Niblack’s service is a deep sense of gratitude. She and her husband often find themselves reflecting on God’s goodness, even in difficult seasons.
“Every moment, even those that are painful, is a gift,” Niblack said. “We cannot help but express our gratitude in relationship and service to others.”
Today, whether accompanying those entering the Church through OCIA, serving in parish ministries, or helping facilitate healing through Guns to Gardens, Niblack continues to respond to the same invitation she has followed throughout her life: to love because she has first been loved.
Congratulations, Rita, for being named the Archbishop's Catholic Appeal Disciple of the Month!
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