On Mission

(Photo: Unsplash) After months of dedicated effort, three ballot initiatives backed by the Catholic Church in Colorado are heading to the Colorado Secretary of State’s office for review and eventual inclusion in the November 2026 ballot. Proposition 109, “The Protect Women and Girls’ Sports Act,” garnered over 170,000 signatures and aims to designate sports as male, female or co-ed, thereby protecting women and girls’ private spaces. Proposition 110, “The Protect Children from Irreversible...

Archbishop-designate James Golka welcomes a student to school at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Denver after blessing a religious bracelet. (Photo by André Escaleira, Jr.) As students at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Denver shuffled their way through the school gates, some still wiping the sleep from their eyes, they were met with a bit of a surprise — even before the Monday morning school bell trilled. Dropping by to welcome students as they arrived were Denver Archbishop...

Choosing a spouse might be the most important decision that you will make in your life. (Photo: Adobe Stock) By Mark Sanders, LPC, CAS Lisa Smith, LPCC Grace Cole, LPC, LIMHP, CPC St. Raphael Counseling In our work as couples therapists at St. Raphael Counseling, we have seen the extremes. On the one hand, we have had clients who struggled in their relationship and even recognized red flags before getting married that they didn’t acknowledge at the time. On the other hand, we’ve also seen how...

Students from Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora and Holy Family High School in Broomfield attended the funeral of a teenager who died with no known family on February 2, a testament to the works of mercy. (Photo courtesy of Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services of Colorado) By Erin Scherer Unknown, and yet, accompanied “What makes this funeral special is that none of us know anything about this man,” said Bishop Jorge Rodriguez. “Perfectly unknown. And, we are here to accompany him.”   On...

(Photo provided) Catholic Charities of Denver and Save the Storks have officially launched the Marisol Health Mobile, a state-of-the-art clinic on wheels that will bring free, life-affirming healthcare directly to women and families across the Denver metro area. The new mobile clinic — funded through a more than $700,000 grant from Save the Storks and additional contributions from Marisol Health donors — marks Save the Storks’ 106th mobile medical clinic nationwide and the first of its kind...

How one unexpected vision, a tiny chapel and a lot of grace revealed our vocation and deepened our love for Christ. The Portiuncula Chapel at the Franciscan University of Steubenville was key in Meg and Ryan's love story. (Photo courtesy of Franciscan University of Steubenville's Facebook page) By Meg Stout   How my husband, Ryan, and I came to meet and marry is like something from the Old Testament: providential encounters, prophetic words and even a dream. At 18, I went off to college at...

From nihilism to radical ideologies, many young men are searching for purpose — and not finding it. (Photo: Unsplash, edited) So, what is going on with young men these days? I know, every generation in recent memory has asked the same question. Those young hooligans with their leather jackets. The hippies with their psychedelic vans. The weirdos in the parachute pants. But those young men, for the most part, seemed to grow up to marry and become productive members of society. Today, we have a...

(Photo: Adobe Stock) By Dr. Elizabeth Klein Associate Professor of Theology Augustine Institute In the fourth century, a young woman named Macrina (venerated today as St. Macrina the Younger) unexpectedly lost her fiancé prior to her wedding. She took this turn of events as a divine sign never to marry, explaining to her parents that her intended spouse was still alive in Christ. 1 This decision characterized the saint’s outlook on life: to live life as preparation for death, viewing all...

(Photo: Lightstock) Opposites attract, like puzzle pieces that fit together. And yet in most marriages I know of (including mine), we discover over the first decade that we couldn’t be more different. Sometimes it becomes hard to remember what brought us together in the first place! The answer is there, but often it must be rediscovered. Along the way, the differences, miscommunications and disappointments can threaten to destroy our marriages. I speak as a woman to one of our gender’s...

Denver Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodríguez anoints a woman during the annual Mass for the World Day of the Sick. (Photo by Grant Whitty/Denver Catholic) By Grant Whitty A large red banner bearing an eight-point cross murmured in the mild February breeze as the faithful ascended the steps of Denver’s historic Holy Ghost Parish for noon Mass. The cross symbolizing the eight Beatitudes is the emblem of the Sovereign Order of Malta, which sponsored Sunday’s special liturgy celebrating World Day for...

Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila celebrated his final Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on Wednesday. (Photo by Neil McDonough) As Catholics across Northern Colorado marked the beginning of Lent on Wednesday, Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila celebrated his last Ash Wednesday Mass as shepherd of Northern Colorado. Earlier this month, it was announced that Pope Leo XIV had accepted his retirement and named his successor, Most Rev. James R. Golka....

(Photo: Lightstock) As the Lenten season begins, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila has issued his final pastoral note, entitled "Encounter Jesus: Listening with the Heart." In it, he encourages the faithful to encounter the Lord Jesus, especially in Scripture, discern his voice and allow his will to be carried out through each of us. The pastoral note and its exhortation come following the announcement that Pope Leo XIV had accepted Archbishop Aquila's request to retire on February 7, appointing...