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Building a Legacy of Faith: How The Catholic Foundation Keeps Giving Alive

Through endowments, wills, trusts and Donor-Advised Funds, Catholics across Northern Colorado are building a legacy that strengthens the Church’s mission — from parishes and schools to seminaries and ministries. (Photo: Andrew Wright/Denver Catholic) By Beth Chatterton In 1998, Archbishop Charles Chaput established The Catholic Foundation with a clear mission: to professionally manage and safeguard the financial gifts of the faithful for the long-term benefit of the Church. Nearly three...

Archbishop’s November Intention: For Our Deceased Brothers and Sisters and the Souls in Purgatory

(Photo by Dan Petty/Denver Catholic) “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” John 11:25-26 Jesus’ question to Martha is personal. But it is not simply addressed to Martha; it is addressed to us. Do we believe this? Do we trust that Christ truly has power over death, and that our loved ones live in him? For the times when we fail in that...

Where Heaven Meets the Hills: Walburga’s Mother Maria-Michael on the Beauty of Consecrated Life

In the quiet plains near the Wyoming border, the Benedictine nuns of the Abbey of St. Walburga live a life of prayer and praise — a hidden wellspring of grace for the Church and the world. (Photo courtesy of the Abbey of St. Walburga) If you’ve never been to Virginia Dale, Colorado, it’s quiet. There’s not much “going on” by worldly standards, and most people might just be passing through on their way to Laramie or Fort Collins. But in that quaint and quiet town, mere miles from the Wyoming...

Teaching God’s Beauty: Frassati Catholic Academy’s Becky Heier Named Colorado Art Educator of the Year

Becky Heier, an art teacher at Frassati Catholic Academy in Thornton, has been named the Colorado Private, Independent and Charter School Art Educator of the Year by the Colorado Art Education Association. (Photo courtesy of Frassati Catholic Academy's Facebook) When students step into Becky Heier’s art classroom at Frassati Catholic Academy in Thornton, they find more than brushes and paints. They find a place where creativity becomes prayer and where beauty points to something — and Someone...

From Womb to Tomb: How Respect Life Denver Serves the Vulnerable at Every Stage

Together with the new Catholic End-of-Life Network, Respect Life Denver is working to defend the dignity of every human life — from the first heartbeat to the final breath. (Photo: Lightstock) Respect Life Denver, a ministry of Catholic Charities, is on a mission to help transform Colorado into a sanctuary where every human being is valued and protected at every stage of life. While that mission begins with the unborn, the most vulnerable among us, it does not end there. Respect for life is a...

Called to Serve: One Deacon’s Journey of Faith, Family and Renewal

Deacon Raul Martinez (left) and his family. (Photo provided) By Caitlin Burm Answering God’s Call Sometimes God’s call to serve comes as a gentle whisper — and often when we least expect it. For Deacon Raul Martinez, that whisper came during one of the hardest chapters of his life. What began in heartbreak became a journey of faith, renewal and service — one that transformed Deacon Martinez, his wife, Linda Martinez, their family and the parish community at St. Theresa Parish in Frederick. “I...

A Sacred Collaboration: Six Denver Ministries Unite to Launch End-of-Life Network

Through prayer, partnership and pastoral care, Denver Catholics are working together to honor the dignity of every person at life’s end this End-of-Life Respect Month and every day. (Photo: Unsplash) By Erin Scherer “Where was this two years ago when my mom died?” asked one participant at last year’s End-of-Life Conference at Queen of Peace Parish in Aurora. The gathering brought together several ministries serving families in their final journeys of life, offering resources, guidance and a...

When the Call to Be a Priest Comes in High School

Three Colorado teens traded high school routines for an early call to the priesthood. Now seminarians at St. John Vianney, they share how faith, school and unexpected moments led them to embrace a life of mission and sacramental devotion. Ashton Mendoza, Daniel Olivas-Rey and Thaddeus Conder smile for a quick selfie during a recent hike. (Photo provided) Thaddeus Conder knew that fear crept in at night. As a small boy, he suffered from night terrors. He recalls once waking from a nightmare,...

Making Mysticism Accessible: St. John of the Cross Offers Lessons for Today’s Catholics

Father Angel Perez-Lopez, rector of St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, archbishop emeritus of Denver, and Daniel Campbell, executive director of the St. John Vianney Seminary Lay Division, discuss St. John of the Cross during a Lay Division event. (Photo by Sheryl Tirol) Cardinal J. Francis Stafford spoke before a crowd at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver last week, exploring the work of a 16th-century Spanish mystic whose writings have intimidated Catholics...

PHOTOS | 'A Vocation of Sacrifice': Archbishop Aquila Honors First Responders at Denver's Blue Mass

At the Cathedral Basilica, the archbishop reminded police, firefighters, and paramedics that God’s peace is found through prayer — even amid danger and sacrifice. First responders from around the Denver Metro area gathered at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver on Sunday for the first Blue Mass in 12 years. (Photo by Joe Donelson) By Joe Donelson “You will have much more peace if you pray than if you do not pray,” said Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila in his homily to a...

Need on the Rise: Catholic Charities' Little Flower Center Serves Hundreds More Each Week

As the government shutdown continues and cold weather looms, more than 1,000 people received food and clothing in just one week — a sign of skyrocketing need. (Photo provided) As the government shutdown continues and the cold winter temperatures approach, the Little Flower Assistance Center in Aurora has seen a  sharp increase in families seeking help . Last week alone, the Catholic Charities’ center served more than 1,000 people  — about 150 to 200 more individuals than usual — through its...

A Servant’s Heart: Deacon Mark Leonard Begins New Role Supporting Denver’s Deacons

Deacon Mark Leonard, the Archdiocese's new associate director of deacons, prays the Rosary while walking in the recent pro-life procession around Planned Parenthood in Denver. (Photo by André Escaleira, Jr.) When Deacon Mark Leonard and his wife, Joanna, packed up their home in New Mexico to move to Denver, they did so for a familiar reason — family. Their daughter, her husband, and their grandchildren had settled here, and the Leonards wanted to be close. But as God often does, he had more...