On Mission

Together with the new Catholic End-of-Life Network, Respect Life Denver is working to defend the dignity of every human life — from the first heartbeat to the final breath. (Photo: Lightstock) Respect Life Denver, a ministry of Catholic Charities, is on a mission to help transform Colorado into a sanctuary where every human being is valued and protected at every stage of life. While that mission begins with the unborn, the most vulnerable among us, it does not end there. Respect for life is a...

Deacon Raul Martinez (left) and his family. (Photo provided) By Caitlin Burm Answering God’s Call Sometimes God’s call to serve comes as a gentle whisper — and often when we least expect it. For Deacon Raul Martinez, that whisper came during one of the hardest chapters of his life. What began in heartbreak became a journey of faith, renewal and service — one that transformed Deacon Martinez, his wife, Linda Martinez, their family and the parish community at St. Theresa Parish in Frederick. “I...

Through prayer, partnership and pastoral care, Denver Catholics are working together to honor the dignity of every person at life’s end this End-of-Life Respect Month and every day. (Photo: Unsplash) By Erin Scherer “Where was this two years ago when my mom died?” asked one participant at last year’s End-of-Life Conference at Queen of Peace Parish in Aurora. The gathering brought together several ministries serving families in their final journeys of life, offering resources, guidance and a...

Three Colorado teens traded high school routines for an early call to the priesthood. Now seminarians at St. John Vianney, they share how faith, school and unexpected moments led them to embrace a life of mission and sacramental devotion. Ashton Mendoza, Daniel Olivas-Rey and Thaddeus Conder smile for a quick selfie during a recent hike. (Photo provided) Thaddeus Conder knew that fear crept in at night. As a small boy, he suffered from night terrors. He recalls once waking from a nightmare,...

Father Angel Perez-Lopez, rector of St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, archbishop emeritus of Denver, and Daniel Campbell, executive director of the St. John Vianney Seminary Lay Division, discuss St. John of the Cross during a Lay Division event. (Photo by Sheryl Tirol) Cardinal J. Francis Stafford spoke before a crowd at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver last week, exploring the work of a 16th-century Spanish mystic whose writings have intimidated Catholics...

While searching for control and connection, those who practice New Age spirituality — from tarot to Reiki, from manifestation to astrology — are led astray, into anxiety, depression and conflict. (Photo: Adobe Stock) By Cecilia Dietzler Across the Western world, New Age spirituality has seen a dramatic rise. From meditation apps to hair salons offering Reiki treatments, it seems to be a constant in our society. Yet, beneath the aesthetic appeal and trendy buzzwords, these practices carry real...

At 17, I felt invisible — until one youth leader’s prayer opened a door for the Holy Spirit that would ripple through generations. (Photo courtesy of Shannon Vall) By Shannon Vall In the summer of 1985, a lonely, sad 17-year-old girl found herself reluctantly heading west on Highway 36 toward a weekend teen retreat along the Colorado Front Range. She hadn’t chosen to go — her well-intentioned but insistent mother had made that decision for her. She arrived uneasy and lost, counting the hours...

At the Cathedral Basilica, the archbishop reminded police, firefighters, and paramedics that God’s peace is found through prayer — even amid danger and sacrifice. First responders from around the Denver Metro area gathered at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver on Sunday for the first Blue Mass in 12 years. (Photo by Joe Donelson) By Joe Donelson “You will have much more peace if you pray than if you do not pray,” said Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila in his homily to a...

(Photo by Lothar Wolleh / Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0) Sixty years ago, on October 28, 1965, the Second Vatican Council adopted, and Pope Paul VI promulgated, the Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, known by the first words in the official Latin text as Nostra Aetate  (In Our Age). I chart Nostra Aetate ’s sometimes rocky passage through Vatican II in To Sanctify the World: The Vital Legacy of Vatican II .  Suffice it to note here that the obstinate...

(Photo courtesy of St. Joseph Catholic School, Fort Collins) Halloween snuck up on you? Don’t panic — you can still show up with a costume that’s clever, holy and just the right amount of funny. Whether you’re going for divine inspiration or a blessed dad joke, here are five easy ideas you can throw together in minutes.  1. The Holy Ghost  What you need:  White sheet (ghost-style), cross necklace or taped-on paper cross, maybe a Bible as a prop. Congratulations — you’re officially filled with...

As the government shutdown continues and cold weather looms, more than 1,000 people received food and clothing in just one week — a sign of skyrocketing need. (Photo provided) As the government shutdown continues and the cold winter temperatures approach, the Little Flower Assistance Center in Aurora has seen a  sharp increase in families seeking help . Last week alone, the Catholic Charities’ center served more than 1,000 people  — about 150 to 200 more individuals than usual — through its...

Deacon Mark Leonard, the Archdiocese's new associate director of deacons, prays the Rosary while walking in the recent pro-life procession around Planned Parenthood in Denver. (Photo by André Escaleira, Jr.) When Deacon Mark Leonard and his wife, Joanna, packed up their home in New Mexico to move to Denver, they did so for a familiar reason — family. Their daughter, her husband, and their grandchildren had settled here, and the Leonards wanted to be close. But as God often does, he had more...