Knowing Christ, Sharing Christ: St. John Vianney Lay Division’s Newest Graduates Equipped to Spread the Gospel
- Alex Mulet
- 6 minutes ago
- 4 min read
On Saturday, May 30, students from 83 different parishes across Colorado celebrated a key milestone in their walk with Jesus Christ.
With 150 graduates from the Biblical School, 85 from the Catechetical School and 65 from the first graduating class of the Spanish Biblical School, the pews at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial were packed with graduates, their families and friends and St. John Vianney Lay Division faculty.
Denver Archbishop James Golka celebrated the bilingual commencement Mass, joined by several priests and deacons from around the archdiocese. Daniel Campbell, the lay division director, delivered a commencement address following the Mass.
Beginning his homily in Spanish, Archbishop Golka addressed the first-ever graduates of the Spanish Biblical School.
“Christ has a plan for you. Each gift you have received from the Church is not for yourself. It’s a gift for all the people of God: for your families, your children, your parish,” the archbishop said. “Continue to share this formation and education."
Continuing in English, Archbishop Golka encouraged graduates to cultivate reverence for Christ’s presence in the Word of God.
“St. Jerome said that if the Body of Christ falls to the ground, it’s a catastrophe. So, how come when we’re gathered together at Mass, and a deacon is proclaiming the Word of God, how come it’s not a catastrophe if we are not paying attention? And the Word of God just falls right over our heads and falls on the ground behind us?“ Archbishop Golka reflected. “That should be an equal catastrophe. In other words, we have a place to play in receiving the Word of God. We open our ears and our hearts to receive what God has to tell us today."
Archbishop Golka emphasized the Letter of St. Jude, proclaimed at the day’s Mass.
“‘Keep yourselves in the love of God’ (Jude 1:21). How important. Our faith is not about us trying to find God. It’s God who came to find us, and he did it in Jesus Christ and his Holy Spirit. God the Father sent them to us to find us,” he said. “So put yourself in a place where you can be found by the love of God.”
(Photos by Juan Andrés Coriat/Denver Catholic)
This year’s graduates of the Biblical School have spent four years encountering the love of God through a robust formation in the Old and New Testaments through world-class hybrid classes, discussions and coursework. Graduates of the Catechetical School, a two-year program, have engaged deeply with the Church’s centuries-old wisdom and are now equipped to articulate and integrate it into their lives.
“The knowledge of our Lord is crucial, because we cannot love what we do not first know,” Daniel Campbell said in his commencement address.
“It’s also true to say that we will not share what we do not first love,” he continued. “So, if you come to know and love Jesus Christ through your studies in the Biblical and Catechetical Schools, now you ought to share him with others and bring others to know that deep relationship our Lord invites us to. He has called us to be apostles in our modern-day church today — to be the ones who bring Jesus Christ to a world that is so desperately in need of him."
Michelle Gallegos, one of this year’s Biblical School graduates, highlighted the power of understanding the Scriptures in her role as cantor at Nativity of Our Lord Parish in Broomfield.
“Studying the Psalms in the Biblical School transforms how I sing the Psalms,” Gallegos said. “God’s Word is transformative. It’s transformed my life and made me more humble. I want to seek him more. I want to learn about him more. It’s been a phenomenal gift for me.”
What happens now for this year’s graduates? The answer is simple and Scriptural: live and share the Good News.
“The everyday Catholic doesn’t just want ‘head knowledge’ for the sake of ‘head knowledge,’ but really wants a transformative faith that has impact on their daily lives,” Campbell told the Denver Catholic.
A recent survey of nearly 500 students, including many of this year’s graduates, reveals the abundant fruit the program is bearing in their lives and communities:
97% report their relationship with God has changed for the better because of the Biblical or Catechetical School.
92% report they now know that God has a plan for their life because of what they’ve learned in the Biblical or Catechetical School.
89% report they are more comfortable or confident sharing their faith with others because of the Biblical or Catechetical School.
Evan Lunsford, a graduate of the Catechetical School and parishioner at St. Jude Parish in Lakewood, experienced this confidence in sharing the Gospel firsthand.
“Talking to my brother continually, and with my wife, we go into deep dives into the doctrine and the Gospels,” Lunsford said. “We constantly talk about the things that we’ve learned.”
For those interested in any of the Lay Division programs, Daniel Campbell offered a word of encouragement.
“Do you want a deeper relationship with God? Do you want to better understand your faith? Do you want to feel more confident living your faith?” he asked. “If so, then sign up, because this is what our programs are intended to provide. And we do a really good job of that.”
To learn more about the St. John Vianney Lay Division and its course offerings, schedule and locations this year, visit sjylaydivision.org.
