Here is some more noteworthy work carried out by the Pastoral Center in FY 2022.

Evangelization and Family Life Ministries

The Office of Evangelization and Family Life Ministries provides ministerial support for English and Spanish-speaking Catholics in the Archdiocese of Denver. Below are a few highlights from the variety of retreats, workshops and initiatives that were carried out last year:

• The Family Ministry team hosted numerous workshops for marriage preparation leaders throughout the archdiocese.
• Launched a new formation program for marriage preparation leaders in the Hispanic community called “Diplomados” and look forward to introducing a similar program to the English speaking community this upcoming year.
• Developed plans to increase the availability of NFP training in the Spanish-speaking community by introducing a brand new NFP method with the Family of the Americas. Over 30 lay people are in the process of being trained to offer this important resource to couples. Additionally, the family ministry team continued to meet with and support children’s faith formation and family ministry at our parishes.
• The Youth and Campus Ministry team continued to offer life-changing and world-class conferences to the youth of our archdiocese. This year, the annual Mountain Madness retreat served 1,000 middle school youth, while the Steubenville of the Rockies conference served 1,700 high school youth.
• The Youth and Campus ministry team also offered a number of formation and retreat opportunities to local youth ministers.
• Hosted Encuentro events for middle school, high school, and young adults serving around 300 young people.
• The evangelization team hosted trainings for RCIA leaders this year, with an emphasis on reaching Spanish-speaking leaders.
• The evangelization team also hosted a number of evangelization workshops for lay leaders.
• The office also continued to provide close support to a number of lay ecclesial movements operating within the archdiocese.

Marketing & Communications
The Office of Marketing and Communication (MarComm) continues to equip, inform and inspire the various parishes, ecclesiastical organizations, schools and other Catholic entities within the Archdiocese of Denver.

Last year, the MarComm team spearheaded a total re-branding of the Archdiocese of Denver and its various entities. The re-brand included a sleek and modern new logo, uniform design elements and a completely re-designed main website. Additionally, this new look has extended to other archdiocesan ministries such as Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services, Centro San Juan Diego, the Office of Catholic Schools and others. This co-brand initiative seeks to not only unify the archdiocese’s branding but also de-silo the various ministries across the archdiocese and facilitate a greater sense of teambuilding.

Another huge accomplishment from last year was the execution of the Archdiocesan Synodal Process. This included the planning and design of both web and print collateral which was distributed to all parishes, as well as communicating key information related to the synod to pastors and parish representatives. Further support was provided at the Archdiocesan Discernment Event, including the design of presentations, banners and handouts.

This past year also brought exciting additions and new features to Mission Support for parishes, which remains a top priority for the archdiocese. When a parish is seeking Mission Support, the process is now much more streamlined thanks to the Mission Support Concierge role, who ensures a parish’s request gets where it needs to go. Furthermore, the Mission Support website now features a new and improved Knowledgebase featuring important documents, processes, information and more for parishes to access at any time.

Last but not least, the archdiocese’s flagship publications Denver Catholic and El Pueblo Católico continue to deliver high quality, authentically Catholic content that informs, inspires and engages through their beautifully-designed print magazines and websites. In addition to printing 14 magazines that were delivered to 80,000 locations, the publications also experienced substantial growth in digital readership last year with nearly five million pageviews collectively as well as considerable growth in social media audience and engagement.

People Support
The Office of People Support maximized efficiency in 2022 with the hiring of four roles to optimize operations and continue offering critical support and services to the employees of the Archdiocese of Denver and its various entities, most especially parishes. These roles included a Benefits Administrator, Talent Coordinator (to help invest in talent efforts-recruiting, hiring, professional growth), Employee Relations Specialist and a new Business Systems Administrator in IT to support and enhance key systems.

Last year also brought a number of exciting new benefits for current employees and new initiatives to help attract new candidates. A paid parental leave policy was officially launched for employees who welcome a new child into their family. The team also developed a fresh New Hire process to attract, hire and retain candidates and streamline the overall process internally.

In an effort to provide ongoing education and formation to employees, the Offie of People Support began to co-lead monthly training days for business managers to help build community for mission and present relevant and timely information to help them succeed in their jobs and assist parishes. Additionally, they launched weekly communications to business managers with similar relevant and timely content. Furthermore, they were able to retain a new retirement plan consultant to invest in education for employees on their retirement plans and offer better support in administering retirement plans, as well as begin the process of pension plan conversion to 403(b).

Office of Design and Construction
The Office of Design and Construction witnesses the continued vitality of the Archdiocese of Denver through the multiple design and construction projects at our parishes, schools, and cemeteries with their repairs, remodels, and new construction.

The office assisted various parishes and ecclesiastical organizations in completing several major construction projects totaling over $16 million, including: parish hall remodels and additions at Light of the World, St. John the Evangelist (Yuma) and St. Vincent parishes; a building addition and new rectory at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Loveland; phase one of a remodel at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Classical School; and a new playground at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School.

Moreover, there are several major construction projects that began in 2022 with a total starting value of over $8 million which the office is actively involved in around the archdiocese, including: school remodels at St. Stephen and St. Louis (Englewood) Catholic Schools; phase two of the remodel at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Classical School; a parish center remodel at St. Dominic Parish; a parish hall addition at Ascension Parish; a new rectory at Our Lady of the Mountains Parish; and repaving the parking lot at Our Lady of Fatima Parish.

To date, between 96 and 122 projects are being managed with a total estimated project value of between $140 million and $160 million. The office continues to advise the parishes, schools and cemeteries in being good stewards of their resources by providing tools and practical expertise in best-value project management practices.

Frassati Catholic Academy (FCA) continues to offer the best in Christ-centered, authentically Catholic and classical education. In 2022, the school entered its fifth school year and welcomed a new executive director, Eileen Michalczyk, who brings many years of experience in Catholic education to her role. The enrollment at Frassati grew to 360 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and added a second class of fourth grade students. Teachers and staff are proud to be advancing the school’s mission of leading students to the heights of the intellect and the depths of the soul so as to form authentic disciples who bear joyful witness to Christ.

Last year also brought several new blessings to FCA to help bolster the school’s continued growth. The school received a generous donation of pews for their chapel from Holy Name Catholic Church which were installed as a donation by the Neitenbach Family, their employees, and help from St. John Paul II parishioners. They also received a wonderful donation of 125 desks for their growing middle school from Holy Family High School. A generous financial donation from BOK Financial helped support work done on the school’s HVAC system. Lastly, the school utilized grant funding which enabled them to bring in a counselor one day each week as well as start an after-school tutoring program for students.

Frassati Catholic Academy continues to strengthen its Catholic classical curriculum and is currently working on curriculum updates in our theology curriculum. The school has enrolled 367 students for the fall of 2023, and they are still receiving many new inquiries.

When the all-time high enrollment of 746 students walked into the school building to begin the 2022-23 school year, it marked 100 years since Holy Family High School first opened its doors. With a proud history built by all who came before and an exceptional group of people committed to making the school even better, Holy Family High School is excited to usher in its next 100-year chapter.

The Holy Family Class of 2022 consisted of 167 graduates who were accepted into 210 different colleges and universities. This incredible class was awarded $17.2M in college scholarships and awards and 98% of them are attending a 2- or 4-year college or university. 55% graduated with honors and collectively, the Class of 2022 performed over 10,000 hours of community service.

Holy Family hired 12 new educators to the teaching faculty for the 2022-23 school year. Currently, 85% of Holy Family’s teaching faculty holds an advanced degree (masters or higher).

Students thrived both in the classroom and in athletics. Highlighted by a 4A state championships in Boys and Girls basketball, Holy Family athletes had many notable accomplishments this year, which included: football finihing 2nd in league, softball finishing as state runners-up, volleyball finishing 2nd in league, boys cross country finishing 1st at Regionals and 8th at state, girls’ cross country took 1st at regionals and 3rd at state, cheer finishing 2nd at state, and poms taking 3rd at state.

Holy Family’s Advancement Department executed a Week of Giving fundraising campaign that raised over $120,000. In addition, a fundraising campaign to resurface the school’s aging track raised over $600,000 for the now-completed project.

Holy Family was awarded over $1.8M in funds from the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) funding program. Funds ultimately supported overall student learning and engagement with collaborative learning spaces and further upgraded Holy Family’s technological infrastructure.

In 2022, Bishop Machebeuf High School graduated 66 students who were accepted to 73 different colleges and universities and earned $9.48M in scholarships. 100% of Machebeuf graduates were accepted into a 2- or 4- year college or university.

Bishop Machebeuf retained 96% of students going into the 2022-2023 academic year and welcomed a freshman class of 40 along with 23 transfer students. Machebeuf kicked the year off with a whole-school field trip to the Cathedral to celebrate the final vows of the Servants of Christ Jesus and hosted the first annual Bishop Machebeuf Day.

80% of Machebeuf students are involved in extracurricular activities including sports, theater, clubs and honor societies. The Boys’ Soccer team made it to the second-round playoffs in the State Championship Tournament; the Boys Basketball Team also made an appearance in the State Championship Tournament. Additionally, 55 students and faculty participated in the National March for Life in Washington D.C.; 15 students and faculty traveled to Spain for Spring Break, and 16 students and faculty took two different backpacking trips to the Wyoming backcountry.

Bishop Machebeuf students have been representing their community through service projects with Denver Rescue Mission, Marisol Health, and Springbrooke Assisted Living Home.

Since its founding in 1996, the mission of Seeds of Hope has been to cultivate minds and hearts for Christ by striving to make a transformative Catholic education financially accessible to any family who seeks it.

Last year, Seeds of Hope welcomed Tricia Sullivan as its new executive director. Through their good work, Seeds of Hope served 1,200 students in receiving a Catholic education and granted $2.25 million in scholarships in fiscal year 2022, both of which are record numbers for the organization. Furthermore, their Evening of Hope Gala generated $1.1 million of gross revenue with the support of the community — also a record number.

By providing scholarships, Seeds of Hope gives families the choice to send their children to a Catholic K-8 school where spiritual, mental, academic and physical formation is provided. Seeds of Hope also strives to assist and sustain these Catholic communities which support families in all aspects of life as its grants not only allow for parent choice in education, but also bolster each school’s tuition income. Catholic schools form the whole child and are fully committed to educating and forming witnesses and intentional disciples of Jesus Christ who will transform the world as saints and leaders in our communities.

With that in mind, Seeds of Hope offers “Hope Scholarships” ranging from $500 to $3,500 per student, depending on need. Any K-8 student at any Archdiocese of Denver Catholic school who meets Seeds of Hope’s household income eligibility guidelines is eligible to apply for tuition assistance. Although families may receive assistance from sources in addition to Seeds of Hope, all families contribute to their children’s tuition. This contribution from the family helps create a sense of pride and accountability, in addition to fostering a valuable partnership between Seeds of Hope and its families.

As a continued service for the Office of Catholic Schools, Seeds of Hope also continues to maintain and develop the online Variable Tuition Program that provides participating schools with a standardized framework to calculate fair and equitable tuition for families based on a family’s and school’s financial position.

Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services of Colorado works with families during one of the most difficult times they’ll experience to “Fill the Void of Loss with Faith.” Fiscal Year 2022 was no exception. In addition to their regular funeral services that are open and offered to anyone, CFCS ministers to the wider community through their indigent burial program and further carries out its mission as a Catholic organization by serving families with resources such as the Crypt of All Souls for cremated remains and Precious Lives Burials for preborn children.

Even as deaths related to COVID-19 decreased, the cemeteries owned and operated by the archdiocese continued to see an increase in services. At Mount Olivet and Saint Simeon Cemeteries, there were over 1,900 interments total, an increase of 6% when compared to 2021. Moreover, the need for funeral services increased by nearly 10%, with nearly 1,000 cases.

Another notable achievement from this past year for CFCS was their critical involvement in the exhumation and reinterment of 62 Sisters of Loretto who were moved from Loretto Heights in southwest Denver to Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Dubbed “Operation Sacred Rescue,” CFCS worked tirelessly to ensure the remains of these 62 sisters were lovingly and reverently handled, and that their lives were properly celebrated as they were reunited and lovingly laid to rest with the 22 other Loretto sisters who were previously buried at Mt. Olivet cemetery.