On Mission

Deacon Carl Berner was ordained in Rome alongside 17 other seminarians, taking the final major step toward priesthood and a life of proclaiming the Gospel and celebrating the sacraments. Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, and founder of Word on Fire Ministries, presents newly ordained Deacon Carl Berner with the Book of the Gospels during the ordination rite. (Photo courtesy of the Pontifical North American College) He may have been ordained more than 5,000...

Father Aric Serrano, SJ, (left) and Father Ron Gonzales, SJ, (right) join the Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House team. The two bilingual priests arrive to bolster Hispanic retreat offerings at a time of great interest. (Photo provided) By Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House Staff Recently, two Jesuits were added to the staff at Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House in Sedalia. Father Aric Serrano, S.J., and Father Ron Gonzales, S.J., both arrived in Northern Colorado about the same time and...

Archbishop James Golka joined St. Francis of Assisi Parish for its annual Feastival, marking the Franciscan Jubilee with Mass, festivities and a candlelit Transitus procession. Deacon Brandon Justice leads the St. Francis of Assisi Parish community in the Transitus, a traditional Franciscan prayer service. (Photo provided) He tore his clothes and ran when offered riches. He preached to the birds. He seemed crazy to the world. Yet, every year on October 4, people across the globe still...

From a mission field in China to a preschool classroom, one Spirit of Christ parishioner's love for others keeps finding new places to go. (Photo provided) Mary Ann Mahoney can still picture the pew: Second from the left, Shrine of St. Anne Parish in Arvada, 9:00 a.m. Mass every Sunday of her childhood, the Christmas Day blizzard of 1982 included. Her family's fidelity to never missing a single Sunday Mass set the pattern for a life that has since taken her from a Chinese mission field to a...

Pope Leo XIV greets people as he rides in the popemobile before celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican June 1, 2025, as part of the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly. (Photo: CNS/Lola Gomez) The Church has always taught that the Gospel bears social implications, shaping how Christians live in the world. Catholic Social Teaching (CST), however, developed only when the fabric of Christendom — the legacy of Christian culture — had worn thin. Political...

The Bottom Line Diaper Bank Fall Diaper Drive runs Oct. 1-30, collecting diapers and financial gifts to support babies and families across Northern Colorado. (Photo provided) For families with babies and young children, diapers are more than a convenience — they are a necessity. But for too many parents, keeping enough diapers on hand can be a financial challenge. This October, Catholic Charities is inviting our community to help change that through the Bottom Line Diaper Bank Fall Diaper...

Jonathan Reyes will serve as FOCUS’ next chief executive officer, effective Nov. 16. Jonathan Reyes, the new CEO of FOCUS. (Photo: FOCUS) By Francesca Pollio Fenton/EWTN News FOCUS, one of the largest Catholic outreach and missionary organizations in the world, announced Oct. 7 that Jonathan Reyes will serve as the organization’s next chief executive officer, effective Nov. 16. “Decades ago, I joined FOCUS at Curtis Martin’s invitation to support the important work of missionary formation....

Children with anomalies in a superstitious part of Ghana are usually cast aside or killed. She nourishes them with food, education, spiritual devotion and love. Sr. Stan Therese Mario Mumuni, founder of the Nazareth Home for God’s Children in Yendi, Ghana, has worked to save children's lives for nearly 20 years, with Archdiocesan support. (Photo provided) In a superstitious area of Northern Ghana in Africa, children who are deformed or developmentally disabled, twins or children whose...

The Global Rosary for Peace will take place Oct. 22, the feast of St. John Paul II. (Photo: Lightstock) By Francesca Pollio Fenton/EWTN News Catholics around the world are invited to join in prayer for the Global Rosary for Peace taking place on Oct. 22, the feast of St. John Paul II. The event is an international prayer initiative that aims to bring together families, parishes, schools, religious communities, and individuals from around the world in response to Pope Leo XIV’s call for the...

Front page of the Baltimore Sun on October 10, 1966, after the Baltimore Orioles won the 1966 World Series. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) I am not usually given to apocalypticism, but I think I got the imagery exactly right when, in 2001, I called my brother and described the ruins left by the demolition of Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium as akin to “the abomination of desolation” (cf. Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11). What had once been our youthful field of dreams, where we...

At a solemn Transitus liturgy in Denver, hundreds marked the anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s death by retracing his final journey — and reflecting on his enduring call to simply follow Jesus. Hundreds celebrated the life and legacy of St. Francis of Assisi on the 800th anniversary of his death through the Transitus, a special Franciscan prayer service, Mass, Adoration, Night Prayer and Blessings of Animals. (Photo by Christina Antus/Denver Catholic) It was a cool, somber night in...

Denver Archbishop James Golka greets Mass goers following the annual liturgy prior to the March for Life. (Photo by André Escaleira, Jr./Denver Catholic) At the heart of the Church’s defense of life is a simple but powerful response: prayer. This October, Catholics across the Archdiocese of Denver are invited to come together in that prayer as Archbishop James R. Golka celebrates a special 40 Days for Life Mass at Marisol Health. The Mass will be celebrated on Friday, October 23, at 2:00 p.m....