Skip to main content

ARCHDIOCESE OF DENVER

PUTTING ON AN APOSTOLIC MINDSET

YEAR IN REVIEW

The Archdiocese of Denver exists so that in Jesus Christ all might be rescued and have abundant life, for the glory of the Father. We are no longer in an age of Christendom; our times more closely resemble those of the apostles. This new reality presents unique challenges for the Church, and it requires her faithful to put on an apostolic mindset and view the world through a biblical lens.

Last year, the archdiocese and its various entities made huge strides in carrying out this mission that’s been entrusted to it. All our efforts were directed towards tackling these various challenges head-on, relying entirely on God and the Holy Spirit for direction. The fruits of these efforts are evident in the mission-focused operation of our archdiocese.

Our seminaries continue to intentionally form the priests and deacons of tomorrow. Our Catholic schools continue to educate and form intentional disciples while expanding their scope of services. Our ministries continue to carry out the Spiritual and Corporal works of mercy for those in need as the hands and feet of Christ. Our parishes are empowered to be places of encounter by receiving the support they need from the pastoral center and other ministries to fulfill their chief purpose of bringing Christ to the world through the sacraments.

None of this would be possible without the support of you, the faithful of the Archdiocese of Denver — the disciples of God whom he has chosen specifically for this time in history to proclaim the light of Christ to a darkened world. A sincere thank you for your generosity, for your support of the archdiocese, and for your faith in God and his Church. May he continue to bless you abundantly in the year ahead.

Highlights

A quick look at some of the things we did this past year.

Synod 2021-23: From Maintenance to Mission

In accordance with Pope Francis’ call for a Synod on Synodality in the universal Church, the Archdiocese of Denver engaged in an intentional process of listening to the Holy Spirit collectively as the Body of Christ to discern where the Lord is calling our archdiocese.

The process launched in Advent 2021, when the entire archdiocese went “on retreat” together through an Advent preaching series. During this archdiocesan-wide retreat, the kerygma, or proclamation of the Good News of the Gospel, was re-proclaimed to the faithful through a series of homilies. Following this, parishes held listening sessions to discuss what they felt were the most pressing needs of the Church today as well as how the Church is being called to mission.

These listening sessions culminated in an Archdiocesan Discernment event, held in March 2022, where representatives from all our parishes and key ministry leaders from across the archdiocese gathered for a weekend to pray, listen and discern together. Guided by the goals of re-acquiring a biblical worldview and listening intently to God, this event bore much fruit and served as the basis for the Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila’s desire for the archdiocese to move from maintenance to mission as the Church works diligently to re-proclaim Christ in this new apostolic age.

Eucharistic Revival: An Exciting Journey Ahead

In tandem with the Synod, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops also launched a National Eucharistic Revival in 2022, which will culminate in a national Eucharistic Congress in 2024 — the first in 83 years. At a time when a purported two-thirds of Catholics don’t believe in the Real Presence, the goal of the Eucharistic Revival is “to renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.”

The Eucharistic Revival was likewise established as a major initiative for the Archdiocese of Denver, and efforts were and are continually being made by Archbishop Aquila and the leadership of the archdiocese to ensure pastors, their parishes and the laity are equipped to participate fully in this revival.

Last Advent, the archdiocese participated in the launch of the Diocesan Year of the Revival, which featured another preaching series by priests on the Eucharist as the Sacrament of Charity. It also included the launch of a dedicated web portal (archden.org/revival), as well as the continual creation of resources and planning of exciting initiatives for the upcoming Parish Year of the Revival, which will launch on the Feast of Corpus Christi 2023.

Mission Support: Connect, Serve, Inspire

In response to an ever-growing number of inquiries and requests from parishes and various archdiocesan ministries, the archdiocese launched a comprehensive Mission Support website to help field these and make sure requests are getting to the right place.

In addition to a streamlined and easily navigable list of the various services offered by the pastoral center to parishes and ministries, the new website also includes a Knowledgebase that’s regularly updated and added to, making it easier than ever for staff and leaders to find answers to their questions. The Knowledgebase contains everything from complicated payroll-related processes to common communications practices, and pastors and parish staff alike have commented on how easy it has made their job so that they can focus on what matters most: serving their parishioners.

For more highlights, check out the ministry links below!

Ministries

Our Ministry Stories
All Highlights

Financial Report

Our financial statements

All ReportsFiscal Year 2022

About the Archdiocese

100
ACA Goal Reached
35
Catholic Schools
847
Teachers
9,600
School students
329
Priests
118
Seminarians
203
Deacons
2
Bishops
1
Cardinal
110
Pastorates
1
Saint in progress, Julia Greeley
609,057
Catholics

Have a question or want to learn more?

archden.org/Contact