{"id":10740,"date":"2026-07-01T19:35:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T19:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/?p=10740"},"modified":"2026-07-01T19:35:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T19:35:01","slug":"how-rita-niblack-says-yes-to-the-lords-invitation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/how-rita-niblack-says-yes-to-the-lords-invitation\/","title":{"rendered":"How Rita Niblack Says \u2018Yes\u2019 to the Lord\u2019s Invitation"},"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=”10742″ bg_image_type=”default” 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” row_position_desktop=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” 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” content_layout=”default”][vc_custom_heading text=”How Rita Niblack Says ‘Yes’ to the Lord’s Invitation” 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” row_position_desktop=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” 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” flex_gap_desktop=”10px” 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=”10742″ 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=”#3C1D5E” quote=”If I have been loved so fully by God, what other response is there than to love others and invite them into that love?” name=”-Rita Niblack”][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”left” flex_gap_desktop=”10px” 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”]From Catholic education to OCIA and outreach ministry,\u00a0this Disciple of the Month\u2019s\u00a0life reflects a grateful response to God’s love and a desire to help others\u00a0encounter\u00a0Christ.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Rita\u00a0Niblack\u00a0looks back on her decades of ministry, she sees a series of invitations from the Lord:\u00a0opportunities that appeared before her and simple acts of saying \u201cyes.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Those opportunities have included serving\u00a0in faith formation\u00a0at Blessed Sacrament\u00a0Parish in Denver, teaching theology at Mullen High School\u00a0in Denver\u00a0and now\u00a0accompanying\u00a0people on their faith journey through OCIA, the process by which people enter the Catholic Church,\u00a0at Most Precious Blood Parish\u00a0in Denver.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the settings have changed throughout the years,\u00a0Niblack\u2019s motivation has\u00a0remained\u00a0the same: sharing the love she has received from God with others.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I have been loved so fully by God, what other response is there than to love others and invite them into that love?\u201d\u00a0she\u00a0said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For\u00a0Niblack, the Christian life is fundamentally about welcoming others into the love of\u00a0Jesus.\u00a0That desire to\u00a0accompany\u00a0is\u00a0evident\u00a0in the way she approaches ministry.\u00a0In a world where many people feel overlooked or unheard,\u00a0she\u00a0believes one of the greatest gifts we can offer another person is our full attention.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems to me that we live in an era in which we are talked\u00a0at\u00a0but rarely listened to, or truly heard and seen,\u201d she said. \u201cThis can make us very lonely.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her model for this way of listening is Christ himself.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Gospels, that is what Jesus does,\u201d\u00a0Niblack\u00a0said. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t pass by or gloss over a\u00a0person but\u00a0sees into their heart.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That same spirit of accompaniment led\u00a0Niblack\u00a0to become involved with Guns to Gardens, a ministry that transforms surrendered firearms into garden tools and symbols of healing. After retiring from Mullen High School in 2022 \u2014 the same year\u00a0of\u00a0the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas \u2014\u00a0Niblack\u00a0felt called to respond.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like many people, she found herself asking what she could do. Through Most Precious Blood\u2019s involvement with Colorado Faith Communities United to End Gun Violence, she discovered Guns to Gardens and joined the Metro Denver leadership team in 2023.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For\u00a0Niblack, the ministry offers a unique opportunity for healing and reconciliation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that Guns to Gardens has the possibility to bring together people\u00a0of\u00a0different viewpoints about guns,\u201d she said. \u201cIt provides a service for disposing of a gun, especially one that has caused or could cause harm.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Underlying all of\u00a0Niblack\u2019s service is a deep sense of gratitude.\u00a0She and her husband often find themselves reflecting on God\u2019s goodness, even in difficult seasons.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery moment, even those that are painful, is a gift,\u201d\u00a0Niblack\u00a0said. \u201cWe cannot help but express our gratitude in relationship and service to others.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, whether accompanying those entering the Church through OCIA, serving in parish ministries, or helping facilitate healing through Guns to Gardens,\u00a0Niblack\u00a0continues to respond to the same invitation she has followed throughout her life: to love because she has first been loved.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Congratulations, Rita, for being named the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal Disciple of the Month!<\/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":24,"featured_media":10742,"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-10740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-everydaydisciples"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10740","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\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10740"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10744,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10740\/revisions\/10744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archden.org\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}