On Mission

(Photo provided) Step back and consider the past week: have there been moments when you’ve felt discouraged? What about moments of unexpected joy? We’ve all experienced the highs and lows of our spiritual life. What if there’s a way to navigate the terrain of our journey toward holiness with the timeless, practical wisdom of St. Ignatius? In January 2025, Father Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V., and Father Mark Yavarone, O.M.V., of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary (OMV) co-founded the Ignatian...

In Baptism, every Catholic receives a new identity in Christ and a mission to share his love with the world. Archbishop Golka blesses those gathered for Easter Sunday Mass with holy water, following their renewal of baptismal promises. (Photo by Dan Petty/Denver Catholic) The day after I was installed as Archbishop of Denver, one of my younger nieces came running up to me. She gave me a massive hug, looked up at me and said, “It’s like a tsunami of love just ran through us.” I experienced...

Six years after the new church was dedicated, Archbishop Golka reminded parishioners that God’s work continues. Denver Archbishop James Golka celebrated Mass in honor of the sixth anniversary of the dedication of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Fort Collins, reminding the parishioners that their parish is made of living stones. (Photo by Karsen Flies/Denver Catholic) By Karsen Flies “This is a beautiful church,” Denver Archbishop James Golka told parishioners gathered at St. Elizabeth Ann...

Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata by Giotto, c. 1500. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) October 3rd will mark 800 years since the death of St. Francis of Assisi. To celebrate this momentous occasion, Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a Jubilee Year of St. Francis from January 10, 2026, to the following January. The fact that the entire Church is invited to enter this Jubilee shows us just how important the witness of St. Francis remains as a man truly conformed to Christ-crucified...

Family ministries at Nativity of Our Lord Parish in Broomfield are leading couples and children closer together and nearer to Christ. (Photo by Neil McDonough/Denver Catholic) On weekday mornings, whether it is 20 degrees or 80, Mike and Erika Oakes carry their coffee to the front porch of their home and spend 15 minutes in prayer before the day begins. When their two children were younger, the couple would catch small fingers parting the window blinds, two little faces watching their parents...

Pastors, parish staff and ministry leaders gathered for the Archdiocese of Denver’s annual Parish Leaders Convocation to pray, discern and strengthen parish life by listening to God’s plan for each community. Andrew McGown, executive director of evangelization and mission, leads the Parish Leader's Convocation in Denver. (Photo by André Escaleira, Jr./Denver Catholic) More than 100 parish leaders from across the archdiocese gathered in Denver on Tuesday for a daylong convocation designed to...

The Speyer Cathedral, Dom Speyer in German. (Photo: Sail over via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0) Speyer is a charming city on the west bank of the Rhine River. Its splendid medieval core is dominated by a magnificent 11th-century cathedral, the resting place of German emperors for three hundred years and one of Europe’s greatest expressions of Romanesque architecture. (For fans of British royalty, the future King Edward VII was introduced to his future wife, Alexandra, in the Dom Speyer in...

The Loveland Reporter Herald recently featured the Catholic classical high school's efforts to inaugurate its new campus. (Photo courtesy of St. John Paul II High School) Northern Colorado's Catholic classical high school is coming to Loveland for its first school year on a new campus, and the Loveland Reporter Herald was excited to cover the milestone! Founded in 2020 with the support of Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, St. John Paul II High School has operated out of Our Lady of the Valley...

He thought he would be ‘hugging trees,’ but this Denver deacon’s Catholic Engineering Corps brings clean — and living — water to villages in Cameroon. Deacon Joshua Knight stands beside the latest completed water project in Bandam, Cameroon. (Photo provided) After graduating with a degree in environmental engineering from the University of Colorado-Boulder, Deacon Joshua Knight of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Denver thought he would be “hugging trees” for the rest of his life, but plans...

The postulator of Blessed Zdenka Schelingová’s cause has delivered the dossier on an alleged Denver healing to the archbishop of Bratislava, advancing her path toward canonization. An official portrait depicts Blessed Zdenka Schelingová, beatified in 2003. (Photo: Archive of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross (SCSC)) By Bohumil Petrík/EWTN News Blessed Zdenka Schelingová, a Slovak religious member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross (SCSC), may be one step closer to sainthood. The...

Inspired by the Good Samaritan and founded by Denver Archbishop James V. Casey, the nation’s first purpose-built homeless shelter continues answering Christ's call to love neighbors through faithful acts of compassion. Father Barnabas Eichor, O.F.M. Cap., celebrated a special 40th anniversary Mass for Samaritan House in Denver. (Photo by André Escaleira, Jr./Denver Catholic) The country’s first homeless shelter designed as such is turning 40, with a humble yet impactful celebration of the...

(Photo: Lightstock) By Jordan Langdon, LCSW Parent Coach Families of Character There's something about August that feels like another New Year. Maybe it's the stacks of school supplies in every store or the calendar that suddenly fills up overnight. Whatever it is, we all start thinking the same thing: This year is going to be different. We promise ourselves we'll be more organized. Mornings won't be so rushed. Homework won't become a nightly battle. Family dinners will happen more...