'Our Turn to Accompany Them’: Supporting Retired and Infirm Priests

Monsignor Ed Buelt and Monsignor Tom Fryar, two archdiocesan retired priests, smile outside the Prophet Elijah House, the archdiocesan priest retirement home. (Photo by Neil McDonough/Archdiocese of Denver)

Many of us can name a priest that has shaped our lives in a meaningful way. They baptize our children. They celebrate our marriages. They sit with us in hospital rooms and at the bedsides of loved ones. They hear our confessions, offer counsel in difficult seasons and celebrate Mass daily.

After a lifetime of serving the people of Northern Colorado, over 70 priests in the Archdiocese of Denver have entered retirement. While their full-time assignments have ended, their vocation and ministry have not.

"By their ordination they were configured to Jesus the Good Shepherd and Eternal High Priest, and through their hands he worked to draw us closer to him," Archbishop James Golka wrote in his letter for this year's Retired and Infirm Priest Appeal. "Our priests accompanied us in his name. Now it is our turn to accompany them." 

Many of the archdiocese’s retired priests continue celebrating Masses, hearing confessions, covering for parish priests who are unable to serve and mentoring younger priests and seminarians. Others face the physical challenges of aging and rely on the support of Catholics for housing, transportation and medical care. 

For Father Bert Chilson, retirement has brought both gratitude and perspective.

“Over the years as an active and now ‘retired’ priest, I have been very blessed and well cared for," Father Chilson shared. "The Archdiocese of Denver, parishes and parishioners have been very generous and intentional about seeing to me and my brother priests' needs. I'm very grateful to them all."

Rising healthcare costs, limited retirement income and unexpected medical needs can place a significant financial burden on priests who spend their lives serving others. 

"Some of our priests have not been able to cover basic cost-of-living expenses because of a variety of personal reasons," Father Chilson said. "Your giving has and will help them live with dignity and in peace."  

Retirement also brings another challenge that many don't consider: loneliness. For priests who have spent decades surrounded by parish communities, stepping away from active ministry can be a profound transition. That's why the Prophet Elijah House provides housing, fraternity, prayer and community among brother priests who have shared the same vocation and understand one another's joys and challenges. 

"When I get together with my peers, we often tell stories about our aches, pains, medications, procedures and surgeries. We call this sharing of physical and medical challenges the 'organ recital,'" Father Chilson joked. "Then we all laugh, and it eases the pain!" 

Despite the physical challenges, Father Chilson still remains active in ministry, travel and recreation.  

That continued service is made possible, in part, because generous Catholics throughout the archdiocese help provide the practical support retired priests need. 

Gifts to the Retired and Infirm Priest Appeal help provide: 

• Safe and comfortable housing  

• Medical care and healthcare assistance  

• Transportation and vehicle repairs  

• Extraordinary care for priests facing serious illness or disability  

• Maintenance of priest residences, including the Prophet Elijah House  

As Archbishop Golka reminds us, these priests spent their lives walking with us through moments of joy, sorrow and hope. Supporting them now is one small way to thank them for the countless ways they have reflected Christ's love throughout their priestly ministry. 

Please consider making a gift to the Retired and Infirm Priest Appeal by visiting archden.org/retiredpriests or calling 303-867-0614. 

Together, we can ensure that the men who gave so much in service to Christ and his Church continue to receive the care, dignity and fraternity they deserve.