On Mission

A call to renewal rooted in history and mission (Photo: Lightstock, created with AI) By Forest Barnette In the span of the memory of the Church, 250 years is just a drop. While the United States is right to swell with pride at the accomplishments of the Founding Fathers, Catholics claim a heritage at least as old as Abraham. Despite the youth of America and Colorado, God has nevertheless moved in big ways through the Centennial State to encourage and renew his people. The June 2026 issue of...

Sacred Heart, St. Patrick and generations of immigrant families helped build both the city and the Catholic faith in Colorado. An archival photo of the new St. Patrick Church in what would become the Highlands neighborhood of North Denver. (Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Denver Archives) By Karyl Klein Archivist Archdiocese of Denver As America celebrates its 250th anniversary and Colorado marks 150 years of statehood, it is worth remembering the many immigrant communities that helped...

The Holy Father conferred the pallium on 35 archbishops from around the world, including Northern Colorado’s shepherd, at St. Peter’s Basilica on the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. (First photo by Lola Gomez/CNS; All other photos by André Escaleira, Jr./Denver Catholic) Kneeling in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Denver Archbishop James Golka took up a new mantle as he received the pallium from Pope Leo XIV. Traditionally conferred on the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, the pallium calls...

Inspired by faith and supported by generous Catholics, one couple’s mission is transforming lives through life-changing surgeries, scholarships and care for the elderly, disabled and disadvantaged in the poorest communities in India. Dr. Geetha Yeruva and Tom Chitta visit college students supported by the Foundation for Children in Need. (Photo provided) In their part-time home in Arlington Heights, Illinois, Dr. Geetha Yeruva and her husband, Tom Chitta, have a sign on their wall that reads:...

(Photos by André Escaleira, Jr.) We started our day with some free time, which meant that I had the chance to see Pope Leo — an opportunity I couldn’t pass up! When Pope Leo appeared in the window, the energy was electric. The Vicar of Christ, the world’s spiritual father, an American, was right there! As he spoke, I couldn’t help but tear up: his message called us to love more devotedly, more freely, more generously, even as Mary did — she who loved Jesus, even knowing she would lose him....

(Photos by André Escaleira, Jr.) We’ve been in Rome three days now, and they’ve been filled with holy saints and sites, with lots to see, experience and learn. St. Paul Outside the Walls was beautiful. Our after-hours tour of the Vatican Museums — and the half hour we had alone in the Sistine Chapel — was moving. Borgo Laudato Si’, a Vatican project for integral ecology, was impressive. Castel Gandalfo, the pope’s summer residence, was beautiful, too. As wonderful as all these places have...

(Photos by André Escaleira, Jr.) Today we met St. Paul, face to face. Well, more or less. We visited the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, where St. Paul is buried. After Mass with Archbishop Emeritus Aquila and another pilgrimage group of FOCUS missionaries and parishioners from Denver, we had the chance to pray and visit with everyone’s favorite fiery evangelist — and my confirmation saint. It was powerful. When I chose St. Paul as my patron at 14, I thought I’d discerned well. As...

(Photos by André Escaleira, Jr.) Walking through Rome this afternoon was surreal. We’d only been here a few hours. It was a hot, sticky day, and the sun beat down from above with a vengeance. We took cover in an alley, where shade offered us its cool reprieve. We were on our way to Mass, following the tour guide. Suddenly, the alley opened up. As my eyes adjusted to the sun and the setting, they nearly couldn’t believe what was before them: the St. Peter Basilica. How did we end up here? Of...

Jeanne d'Arc by Jules Bastien-Lepage, 1879. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) If it is possible to fall in love with someone you have never met, I fell in love with Jules Bastien-Lepage as a young art student in New York City. There have been few painters, in my opinion, that have been able to bring the natural world into sharper focus without being a photo realist painter. I have never been drawn to photo-realistic paintings. We have cameras to capture such things! I want to...

What the Church celebrates — and challenges — in the American story (Photo: Lightstock, created with AI) By Austin Mernagh Theology and Social Studies Teacher Arrupe Jesuit High School, Denver Growing up in the Midwestern United States, I have fond memories as a kid on the 4th of July. Fireworks going off on every street, family and friends gathering around and enjoying homemade dishes and barbecue. The one thing that stood out the most was the presence everyone gave each other. We all...

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the gift of religious freedom remains as relevant, radical and necessary as ever. (Photo: Lightstock) Even before the founding of the United States, America was known as a land of liberty, particularly for religious minorities fleeing persecution. This included Catholics, who founded one of the original thirteen colonies. Unlike for other religious groups, however, the promise of religious freedom often fell short for Catholics. During...

As the archdiocesan group headed to Rome for the Pallium Pilgrimage, the skies call to mind the “cloud of witnesses” that surrounds us each and every day, in Rome, Denver and worldwide. (Photo by André Escaleira, Jr.) It’s an interesting experience seeing things from 30,000 feet. Everything looks so small from that height: the great rivers and mountains of the West, the sprawling metropolises of the East, the “pond” that is the mighty Atlantic. As I spent most of the day on a plane — 10.5...