'Well done, good and faithful servant': Monsignor Ken Leone Laid to Rest
- André Escaleira, Jr.
- 23 minutes ago
- 7 min read
The beloved pastor, faithful friend and holy priest was honored and celebrated by thousands at his vigil and funeral, most especially for leading souls to "Jesus, who loves you."
It was a beautiful, cool summer day in Downtown Denver as a classic Catholic hymn rang out: “O God beyond all praising, we worship you today and sing the love amazing that songs cannot repay.” Usually reserved for celebratory occasions like ordinations and special Masses, the hymn this time opened the August 6 funeral liturgy at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver for Monsignor Ken Leone, a beloved local pastor, faithful friend and holy priest.
The dissonance was striking — why would a congregation belt out such an upbeat song of praise on such a somber occasion?
A Man of Prayer
The answer became clear as the liturgy progressed and the congregation heard the Scriptures Monsignor Leone had chosen for his funeral.
“Father Ken was first and foremost a man of deep prayer. Jesus was everything to him,” Father John Lager, O.F.M. Cap., explained in his funeral homily. “Even in his earliest days, he had a deep love for Jesus in the Eucharist. Everything was connected with his intimacy with Jesus.”
Everything Monsignor Leone did in his nearly 60 years of priesthood flowed from that loving relationship with the Trinity — from his pastoral leadership during the Columbine tragedy to his walking with parishioners on retreats and in spiritual direction, from his penchant for youth ministry to his habit of handing out Starburst to children after Mass to visiting families for Mass and dinner.
A Priest from All Time
Born in Denver in 1941, Monsignor Leone was baptized at just one day old at St. Catherine of Siena Parish. Years later, at eight, he would lead his childhood friends into the church confessional as he “heard” their Confessions. While absolution would be many years away, the future priest was in love with Jesus and passionate about bringing others to him.
After his ordination on May 27, 1967, Monsignor Leone served in a number of parishes, including Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Lakewood, Blessed Sacrament Parish in Denver, Christ the King Parish in Denver, St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Littleton, Spirit of Christ Parish in Arvada and Risen Christ Parish in Denver. He also served as a spiritual director at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver.
In fact, Ken remembered, the holy priest was known for telling seminarians at St. John Vianney, “If the Lord gave me 1,000 lives, I’d ask to be a priest in every one of them.”
It was fitting, then, that a dozen priests served as pallbearers for the late monsignor.
“Father Ken was a man of great priestly service,” Father Lager said in his funeral homily. “He loved his priesthood, of being in service to the Church and to the Gospel.”
(Photos by John-Andrew O'Rourke)
A Grateful People
With that kind of a legacy left behind, how can the faithful, deacons, priests and bishops present respond other than by giving God glory, honor and praise?
“How do we adequately express our love and gratitude to you, our spiritual dad, for giving us the greatest gift, Jesus?” Dede Chism asked as she and her husband, Ken, read a “love letter” to Monsignor Leone during the August 5 evening vigil service at St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Littleton, Monsignor Leone’s former parish.
Writing and receiving “love letters” were a staple of his ministry. In them, he expressed his care, gratitude and appreciation for individuals and for the Lord. Father Lager recalled that Monsignor Leone often prayed over the letters he received, reading them, weeping over them and blessing those who sent them.
“Your love for Jesus caught our attention, drew our eyes to him,” Dede continued. Your love for us helped us to know his love for us. The Lord knew from all time that he made you to be his holy priest, a priest of love and joy.”
As Dede and Ken Chism concluded their “love letter” to Monsignor Leone, they added words of great gratitude for the holy priest.
“Father Ken, your life was a prayer that included each of us. Thank you for calling us your own, for drawing us to your heart and leading us to Jesus. We would not be who we are today without you,” Dede continued, before concluding metaphorically. “Your life, Father Ken, and your last breath was ‘Amen.’”
“We are all richer because of his faithfulness to Jesus through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, his love of the Father, and his love of Mother Church,” Father Lager added during his August 6 funeral homily.
Thousands came together to say farewell and express gratitude for Monsignor Leone at the Wednesday evening vigil service and Thursday morning funeral Mass. As they did, one thing was clear, Father Marty Lally said at the opening of the vigil service: “It is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate how marvelously God works in the lives of his people.”
Columbine Pastor
Only six years into his first pastorate at St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Littleton, his love was put to the test when nearby Columbine High School became the site of the deadliest school shooting at the time. The community was heartbroken and shellshocked, “yet he was an example of Christ when no one could make sense of it all. We all got through that time because of this powerful leader and man of God,” Lloyd Swint said during the vigil service.
“Lives were tragically lost, yet because you had spent years grounding this parish in Jesus Christ, so many found a safety net of hope instead of despair, faith instead of fear, and the strength to carry on. Jesus was here, and he loves us,” Dede added.
(Photos by Dan Petty/Denver Catholic)
A Eucharistic Heart
Known for his joy, mercy, compassion and friendship, Monsignor Leone was profoundly devoted to the Eucharist, making Eucharistic Adoration a priority in each of his parishes. He even built the chapel at Risen Christ Parish in Denver, from which miracles flowed, Father Lager explained, “as people encountered the gift of the ever-present Lord, gazing back with love at them in their deepest and most profound sadness, in their grief, in their suffering and pain, and yes, even in their abundant joys.”
Monsignor Leone strove constantly to bring Jesus to people and people to Jesus, consistently inviting parishioners on retreat to encounter the Lord, who loves them, in a new way.
Recalling St. Augustine’s famous words to newly baptized Catholics about the Eucharist — “Be what you see. Receive who you are. Become what you receive.” — Father Lager emphasized Monsignor Leone’s profound Eucharistic devotion.
“Father Ken modeled these words in life and in death, with the presence of Jesus next to him at his bedside in his room when he took his last breath,” he said in his funeral homily.
(Photos by Dan Petty/Denver Catholic)
A Compassionate Father
Flowing from that Eucharistic faith came a deep joy and an overwhelming compassion, many shared.
“He didn’t just talk about Jesus. He knew Jesus. He spent time with him. He was changed by Our Lord,” Denver Archbishop James Golka emphasized at the end of the funeral Mass. “I invite all of us to do that, but especially our priests. What happens when you spend time with the Lord and are changed by him? Incredible joy. And I thank God for that joy that he shared with all of us.”
Unafraid to enter into the “mess” of humanity to meet and love people, Monsignor Leone consistently brought Jesus to others in a hurting world.
“It would take years for most of us to fully understand that just as you would enter into our mess, look at us, talk with us like there wasn’t another person in the world, love us as your precious child, that is exactly how Christ sees us, loves us, cherishes us,” Dede said.
“For the past almost 60 years, I have benefitted from Ken’s wisdom, from his encouragement and from the wonderful example he has shown me and all of us of what it means to be a priest. Aren’t we blessed in having had Ken in our lives?” Father Lally said, to applause.
For Max Buechler, who discerned a priestly vocation for a time at St. John Vianney Seminary and who had Monsignor Leone as a spiritual director, the holy priest’s legacy echoes beyond memories into his married vocation and family.
“The way he lived his priesthood so joyfully and with such love, and how that came into every encounter he had struck me. I remember telling a lot of people when I left seminary, ‘If I can die half the man he believes I am today, I will die a saint,’” he shared, voice catching with emotion. “That is just the way he looked at everyone and loved everyone, and just that encouragement to love everyone I encounter that way, regardless of what vocation I'm in, that's the call. And that's a call that has brought me to my family and my own fatherhood now. It was his encouragement that made those steps a lot easier.”
A Call to Self-Gift
As the archdiocesan community mourns the loss of a towering figure of priestly service, Swint said the best way to move forward and honor Monsignor Leone’s life is to imitate him.
“If any of us have a fraction of the qualities we saw in Ken Leone, it’s now time and our duty to do the same to other people, to do for others what he did for us, to bring others to Christ and Christ to our desperate world,” he said during the vigil service, recalling Monsignor Leone’s courage and boldness and encouraging those gathered to live the same. “It’s our duty to be the face of Christ to others in a world that desperately needs more Leones.”
Recalling Monsignor Leone’s love for Pope St. John Paul II’s “rule of the gift,” which teaches that human beings can only find themselves through a complete and sincere gift of themselves to God and others, Father Lager couldn’t help but give thanks for Monsignor Leone’s ministry.
“For 85 years and 59 years of priesthood, Father Ken's life was one of gracious receiving but selflessly giving it all away,” he said, concluding his August 6 homily. “As we now commend him into the loving arms of our Savior, we are reminded again of these Scriptures, 'Well done, well done, good and faithful servant. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'”
