On Mission

(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...

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...

What if our best leadership this Advent came not from achieving more, but from being more present to Christ? (Photo: Unsplash) Advent doesn’t just invite leaders to slow down — it demands something more profound within us. It’s ironic that year-end pressure, crowded calendars and relentless noise also dominate the season of Advent. Advent, a time of repentance, calls leaders to quiet the cultural rush and noise and tend to their interior life. The season challenges us to live, and thus also...

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,...

(Photo: Lightstock) It's that time of year again, and you might be prepared to be put on the spot another year in a row. "You're Catholic, right? Why don't you pray before dinner?" "You go to Mass all the time, right? You pray!" But what do we even begin to say?? Do we do the simple "Bless us, O Lord..." and head to the culinary races? Or do we seize the opportunity of spiritual openness and give a little more? No matter where your family is spiritually, those moments before the first cut of...

(Photo: Lightstock) When people find out that I homeschool my five children, they usually say something like, “Wow! You must be really busy.” And while it’s true that yes, we are busy, I think we are less busy than if all of them were in traditional schools. In fact, the primary reason we chose to homeschool in the first place was to set the pace of our lives. When I was fresh out of college, I worked in a Denver parish with a school attached. I figured that someday I’d get married at the...

(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...

(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...

Dome of St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. (Photo: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA) On December 7, 1965, Pope Paul solemnly promulgated the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Religious Freedom, known by its Latin  incipit  (opening words) as  Dignitatis Humanae . The Council thereby turbocharged the Catholic Church’s transformation into the world’s premier institutional defender of basic human rights — which the late Sir Michael Howard, Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford, once told me was...

We’re made in the image of a God who is a communion of love — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — and we can only mirror that image when we live for others. (Photo: Pexels) I just finished reading the excellent book “From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life” by Arthur C. Brooks. One of my favorite parts was his discussion of the importance of relationships to our happiness. Like many other academics who study happiness, he has found that the...

How to talk with our parents — and ourselves — about death with love, sensitivity and faith (Photo: Lightstock) By Lisa Smith, MA, LPCC Outpatient Therapist St. Raphael Counseling, a ministry of Catholic Charities   Death is one of life’s few certainties, yet one of the hardest realities to face. Even as people of faith who believe in eternal life, many of us struggle to confront our own mortality — or the thought of losing our parents. Pope Francis once said, “Death is not the end but rather...

(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....