On Mission

A devoted educator, Viviana Martinez aims not only to teach facts but help her students become who God has created them to be. (Photo courtesy of the Colorado Department of Education) The Colorado Department of Education announced 21 semifinalists out of 297 nominations in June 2026 for the annual Colorado Teacher of the Year, among them a local Catholic community member and leader, Viviana Martinez. The cofounder of Dios Entre Nosotros, Martinez has been active in the Denver Catholic...

In a historic first for his ministry, the Denver archbishop offered the invocation before the mayor’s annual address, calling for wisdom, service and care for the city's most vulnerable. Screenshot from the City of Denver's livestream of Denver Archbishop James Golka praying the invocation during Mayor Mike Johnston's State of the City address on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (Courtesy photo) Before Denver Mayor Mike Johnston took to the podium to deliver his third State of the City address, there...

Part Eight: Once the person being accompanied has accepted the Kerygma, the saving news of the Gospel, they need to meet Jesus. Teens encounter Jesus in the Eucharist during the annual Steubenville of the Rockies youth conference in Denver. (Photo by Allison McCullough) Editor's Note: This column is part of a yearlong series on evangelization, breaking down what often feels like a tall order into real, practical, actionable steps towards intentional accompaniment. Part One: A Practical Guide...

A view of the monument to Vladimir the Baptist and the pedestrian bridge in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo: Unsplash) For months now, I have been receiving alarming, early-morning text messages from Major-Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halyč, leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The texts are typically sent after this heroic churchman has spent the entire night in a bomb shelter (as he has done many, many times over the past four and a half years), and they include a digital map of...

While in Rome for the Pallium Mass and Pilgrimage, Denver Archbishop James Golka sat down with Catholic News Service to discuss his new mission in Denver in a wide-ranging interview. The new shepherd of Northern Colorado reflected on the dynamism of the Archdiocese of Denver; how the Lord is moving throughout our parishes, schools and communities; and the challenges of ministry in an apostolic age in which the culture does not share the same beliefs as the Church. The archbishop also...

This Denver seminarian thought he was preparing for a career in music, on stage and in the spotlight. Instead, God led him to the seminary, to Rome and, soon, to the priesthood. (Photo provided) By Karin Gamba If you’ve been to an archdiocesan Mass, odds are you’ve seen or met a seminarian or two. You see them serving at those Masses. You may have even noticed them helping organize crowds and point folks in the right direction. You might have even heard them sing, either at Mass or at the...

From religious freedom and Franciscan reform to truth, beauty and everyday holiness, these modern witnesses show how God renews the Church through lives surrendered to Christ. (Photo: Denver Catholic design) In every age and time, though much differs and changes, one thing remains steadfast: God raises up saints to manifest his loving kindness to his people. He inspires people to live holy lives, following him even to the Cross, in love for God and neighbor. The same is true here, on our...

(Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities) In just a few short months, a group of Colorado Catholics will set out on a remarkable journey of faith, endurance and service. On October 4, 2026, twelve cyclists from Samaritan Cycling USA will dip their bicycle tires into the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, California, before beginning a nearly 3,000-mile ride across the United States. Forty-five days later, they will arrive in St. Augustine, Florida, having crossed the country one mile at a time to raise...

As Auxiliary Bishop Kevin Kenney of the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis in Minnesota announced he was diagnosed with cancer, the Denver archbishop reminded him he “does not carry this cross alone.” Denver Archbishop James Golka kneels in prayer during the Good Friday service at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver. (Photo by Dan Petty/Denver Catholic) Following the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis’ Wednesday announcement that Auxiliary Bishop Kevin Kenney...

(Photo: Lightstock) When my first child was born fifteen years ago, the Internet existed but only on my computer, as smartphones were only beginning to gain popularity. Facebook was around, but not many other social media sites, and they were not yet filled with paid influencers. If I googled a parenting question, most of the information came from mommy bloggers, forums or magazine websites. Very quickly, parenting sites combined information with commerce and began to undermine a mother’s...

Together with an international delegation of Catholics working for social justice with the Vatican, Denver Catholics prayed for a deeper respect for human dignity, especially for migrants. Denver Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodríguez prays the Rosary outside of the Hudson Correctional Facility, which will reopen as a detention center for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). (Photo by Joe Donelson/Denver Catholic) On the wide, sweeping plains of Hudson, Colorado, an intimate...

(Photo: Unsplash) CRACOW. I usually find the quadrennial FIFA World Cup aggravating for the five reasons enumerated below, plus one other: my students here in the Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society are sometimes so obsessed with the competition that it becomes challenging to keep our community of learners focused on the seminar’s deep dive into Catholic social doctrine. But as we have few students this year whose countries even made it to the tourney’s knockout stage, interest is...