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Remembering Father John Auer

(Photo courtesy of St. Michael Parish, Calhan, Facebook) Father John Auer, a beloved priest affectionately known as “God’s fisherman” for his lifelong love of fly fishing, entered eternal life on Nov. 20 after 45 years of priestly ministry. Ordained in 1979 for the Archdiocese of Denver, he became a priest of the newly formed Diocese of Colorado Springs in 1984. His decades of service, marked by perseverance, gratitude and an unwavering devotion to the people of God, leave a lasting legacy...

A Denver Priest, a Hollywood Director and a Bowl of Fettuccine: Father Scott Bailey Advises on Catholic Life for New ‘Knives Out’ Film

Through his work with director Rian Johnson and actor Josh O'Connor on the new Knives Out film, Father Scott Bailey created opportunities for understanding, even evangelizing, the Catholic faith. Father Scott Bailey, pastor of Risen Christ Parish in Denver, with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery producers Ram Bergman, Leopold Hughes and Nikos Karamigios. (Photo courtesy of Father Scott Bailey) By Jay Sorgi Sometimes, God uses big meals with fettuccine alfredo to open doors for...

From the Cemetery to the Seminary: How Serving the Dead Brought Four Vocations to Life

Through tending graves, comforting the grieving and witnessing the Church’s prayers for the dead, these seminarians learned what it truly means to shepherd souls. Isaac Cunnings, Zach Welton and Greg Hitschler at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Arvada. (Photo provided) Zach Welton’s first funeral at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery in Wheat Ridge was unlike anything he’d experienced before. Assigned to assist with a monthly burial service called “Precious Lives,” he found himself standing in a grave,...

Peggy Coppom Turns 101: A Catholic CU Boulder Superfan Whose Joy Still Inspires Colorado

(Photo: @LauraLevyCO on X) For most Colorado sports fans, loyalty lasts a season or two. For Peggy Coppom, it has lasted nearly nine decades. The beloved University of Colorado Buffaloes superfan — and longtime daily Mass-goer at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Boulder — turned 101 years old this week. And as anyone who has followed her remarkable story knows, Peggy isn’t just a Buffs fan. She has become a symbol of joyful perseverance, deep faith and contagious hope. Peggy and her twin...

Guiding Lights: Illuminating the Path at Life's End

(Photo: Lightstock) By Mark Hahn Emmaus Catholic Hospice   In the tender embrace of faith, the journey towards eternal life is a sacred passage. For Catholics, this transition is imbued with profound spiritual significance, demanding care that honors not only the physical self but also the soul. It is in this spirit that Emmaus Catholic Hospice stands as a guiding light, offering compassionate, faith-centered, end-of-life care that upholds the dignity of every individual and our faith in the...

Official Priest and Deacon Appointments: November 2025

(Photo by Grant Whitty) Here’s a list of all the new priest and transitional deacon assignments for the Archdiocese of Denver, including pastors, parochial vicars, new deans and presbyteral council representatives. Pastor Assignments Father Joseph Onyango Oiye, I.M.C., Parochial Administrator, St. Anthony Parish, Sterling, Sacred Heart Parish, Peetz, and St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Iliff , effective September 27, 2025, ad nutum archiepiscopi . Parochial Vicar Assignments Father George M....

PHOTOS | “No Greater Love”: Kendrick Castillo Memorial Unveiled in Highlands Ranch 

As canonization efforts begin, community members gathered to remember Castillo’s unwavering faith and extraordinary sacrifice.   John Castillo, Kendrick's father, pauses to reflect during the unveiling event of a new memorial to Kendrick Castillo in Highlands Ranch. (Photo by Neil McDonough) By Barbara O'Neil On a crisp Friday morning in Highlands Ranch, a crowd of people gathered at Civic Green Park to witness the unveiling of a newly installed monument honoring Kendrick Castillo. The...

Colorado Catholic parents and preschools ask Supreme Court for equal treatment

State bars Catholic preschools & families from its “universal” preschool program (Denver Catholic file photo) Catholic preschools in the Archdiocese of Denver have been seeking equal treatment for more than two years, in the face of Colorado's exclusion of religious schools from their "Universal" Preschool Program (UPK). The fight began in August 2023, when a team of lawyers from Becket filed a lawsuit against Colorado on behalf of two of the Archdiocese of Denver's Catholic preschools....

Hospital Hallways Become Holy Ground: Extraordinary Ministers Share Christ’s Healing Love

Through the ministry of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, hospital rooms become places of grace and quiet encounter with Jesus. By Jay Sorgi Sometimes, they give Jesus to a patient who is recovering and ready to return home to their family. At other times, they give the Eucharist to someone who is receiving Jesus for the last time before returning home to the Father. Teresa Doyle has been bringing Christ in the Precious Body to patients at St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, as well as...

Built on Love, Renewed in Mission: Mullen Residences Honors the Little Sisters' Mullen Home Legacy

An aerial mockup of the Mullen Residences community, scheduled to open in 2029 following extensive renovations. (Courtesy photo) When the Little Sisters of the Poor announced their departure from the Archdiocese of Denver in 2022, they took with them a treasured ministry to the elderly whose absence has surely been felt.    The place where the Little Sisters lived and served for over a century, Mullen Home for the Aged, has stood mostly vacant in Denver’s Highlands neighborhood ever since,...

A Place of Peace and Prayer: Camp St. Malo Named Colorado's Newest Shrine 

The beloved mountain retreat and Chapel on the Rock enter a new chapter as a shrine, uniting with Annunciation Heights to lead souls “to the heights” to encounter Christ in faith and through reconciliation.   Camp St. Malo and its iconic St. Catherine Chapel on the Rock, pictured during the November Aurora Borealis event in Colorado, form Colorado's newest shrine alongside Annunciation Heights. The holy partnership is dedicated to evangelization through encounter and reconciliation. (...

PHOTOS: At Mount Olivet Cemetery, the Day of the Dead Became a Celebration of Eternal Life

On All Souls Day, hundreds gathered at Mount Olivet Cemetery to pray for loved ones and celebrate the hope of resurrection through a vibrant Day of the Dead commemoration, complete with a Rosary, Mass, dance and community. (Photo courtesy of Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery) By Erin Scherer Tucked away on the northwest corner of the cemetery, several hundred individuals came together in prayerful hope. It was All Souls Day, and those gathered not only prayed for their departed loved ones but...