{"id":10151,"date":"2025-11-05T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/?p=10151"},"modified":"2025-11-05T17:59:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T17:59:33","slug":"serving-with-love-kary-laras-journey-of-faith-in-mountain-parishes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/serving-with-love-kary-laras-journey-of-faith-in-mountain-parishes\/","title":{"rendered":"Serving with Love: Kary Lara\u2019s Journey of Faith in Mountain Parishes"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” bg_image=”10152″ bg_position=”center center” background_image_loading=”default” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”20%” bottom_padding=”8%” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” color_overlay=”#4d748b” overlay_strength=”0.8″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” gradient_type=”default” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-12-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”left-right” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”default” gradient_type=”default”][vc_custom_heading text=”Serving with Love: Kary Lara\u2019s Journey of Faith in Mountain Parishes” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:center|color:%23ffffff” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”5%” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=”” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”right” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/4″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”10152″ image_size=”full” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”None” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default”][nectar_single_testimonial testimonial_style=”basic” text_color=”#00819b” quote=”With my own strength, I know I couldn\u2019t have done it. God formed me from my mother\u2019s womb, as the prophet Jeremiah says, he keeps forming me \u2014 not just as a human being, but as his daughter.” name=”-Kary Lara”][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”left” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”3\/4″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]For Kary Lara, ministry is more than a role; it is a calling that has shaped every part of her life. As Director of Religious Education (DRE) for St. Vincent and St. Mary of the Crown Parishes in Basalt and Carbondale, she serves both English- and Spanish-speaking communities nestled in Colorado\u2019s mountain region, helping families encounter Christ through faith formation, sacraments and service.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the parishes are small and close-knit, Lara wears many hats. She coordinates marriage preparation, schedules parish appointments and Mass intentions, manages the bulletin and website and directs OCIA in both languages. She also organizes quincea\u00f1eras, baptisms and weddings, ensuring that each family feels guided and welcomed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond administration, she lives her faith in community. She and her husband lead in the Movimiento Familiar Cristiano Cat\u00f3lico. She participates in Adoraci\u00f3n Nocturna and serves as lector, sacristan, usher and Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion whenever needed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve attended the Catholic Church since I can remember,\u201d Lara said. \u201cFirst in my hometown in El Salvador, where I joined catechism class and became a lector and usher. When I came to the United States 11 years ago, my husband and I were invited to serve as lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion during our marriage preparation. We said yes, and we\u2019ve been serving here ever since.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That \u201cyes\u201d led to much more. When her former pastor, Father Rick Nakvasil, asked if she could assist in the parish office, Lara accepted. There she discovered that faith, when lived in service, deepens in unexpected ways.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I had a great faith,\u201d she said, \u201cbut working in the parish showed me I only had a small piece of it. Being around people who seek God and who already know him has made me grow deeper in Scripture and in my daily call to serve as his daughter and his instrument.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Lara said her journey has been sustained entirely by grace.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith my own strength, I know I couldn\u2019t have done it,\u201d she said. \u201cGod formed me from my mother\u2019s womb, as the prophet Jeremiah says, he keeps forming me \u2014 not just as a human being, but as his daughter.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That conviction drives her commitment to help others encounter Christ.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe we\u2019re the only chance someone will have to hear about God,\u201d she said. \u201cMy commitment is to him, and through that, to his Church and my brothers and sisters in Christ.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the past two years, Lara has seen new life blossom in her parishes through the Movimiento Familiar Cristiano Cat\u00f3lico, Adoraci\u00f3n Nocturna and faith studies with Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO). She also helped revamp catechesis programs to better engage families.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s such a need for God in families, especially in marriages,\u201d she said. \u201cChildren need to see their parents active in their faith so they can live it, too.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her greatest joy, she said, is witnessing conversion and reconciliation as moments that reveal God\u2019s work up close.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThose moments mark you forever because you realize what God does through us,\u201d she said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of the couples she has guided through marriage preparation were once parents in the parish catechism program.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt fills me with joy to see their faith grow,\u201d she said. \u201cTheir children\u2019s formation opens their hearts to the vocation of marriage.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her service, she said, has transformed her relationship with God.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day is a journey of uncertainty,\u201d she said. \u201cBut when we walk hand in hand with God, that journey becomes like the road to Emmaus. It\u2019s an opportunity to know him more each day.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lara is especially grateful for the Archdiocese\u2019s Office of Evangelization, which she said has accompanied her growth as a parish leader.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve given me tools and direction,\u201d she said. \u201cTheir workshops have helped me become a missionary disciple.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Lara, parish work is not a job but a vocation of love.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWorking for a parish is a service of love that might not always be recognized by people,\u201d she said, \u201cbut it is always seen by God. Having the certainty that we speak of God in our workplace is such a blessing.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She recalled a phrase from St. Benedict that her pastor once shared: <\/span>Ora et labora et noli contristari<\/span><\/i> \u2014 \u201cPray and work, and do not be disheartened.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a motto Lara lives by every day as she continues to serve, lead and love the people of her mountain parishes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20px”][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”1″ divider_color=”default” custom_height=”10″][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20px”][vc_column_text]Do you know someone who is an exceptional steward?\u202fNominate them here<\/a>, and they could become the next Disciple of the Month![\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20″][vc_column_text]The Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal supports a wide range of ministries that are sharing the Gospel every day.[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20″][nectar_btn size=”large” button_style=”regular” button_color_2=”Accent-Color” color_override=”#f58320″ icon_family=”none” text=”NOMINATE A DISCIPLE” url=”\/give\/nominate”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Friendship to Faith: Behold Your Mother Ministry travels northern Colorado. Through a chance meeting at a Prayer in the Square event, Mike Phelan and Tom Morrini formed a friendship and ministry that has profoundly impacted Northern Colorado. United in their devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, they encourage deeper prayer in parishes and communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":10152,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","content-type":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-everydaydisciples"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10151"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10153,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10151\/revisions\/10153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}