It is the case that Christian services that appear to be or are advertised as Catholic Masses, but in actuality are not, are celebrated within the territory of the Archdiocese of Denver by various ex-priests, priests without faculties, invalidly ordained priests, priests who are part of sects not in communion with the Pope, etc. These services, while they may have the semblance of being authentic celebrations of the Mass, are in fact, not; they are illicit and usually invalid. Catholics should neither attend these services nor partake in their communion. Participation in such services does not fulfill one’s Sunday obligation.
Below is a list of illicit Catholic churches within the Archdiocese of Denver territory.
Society of St. Pius X
In an Apostolic Letter of March 10, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the bishops of the world about the status of the Society of St. Pius X. In this letter, Pope Benedict says, “The remission of the excommunication was a measure taken in the field of ecclesiastical discipline: the individuals were freed from the burden of conscience constituted by the most serious of ecclesiastical penalties. This disciplinary level needs to be distinguished from the doctrinal level. The fact that the Society of Saint Pius X does not possess a canonical status in the Church is not, in the end, based on disciplinary but on doctrinal reasons. As long as the Society does not have a canonical status in the Church, its ministers do not exercise legitimate ministries in the Church. There needs to be a distinction, then, between the disciplinary level, which deals with individuals as such, and the doctrinal level, at which ministry and institution are involved. In order to make this clear once again: until the doctrinal questions are clarified, the Society has no canonical status in the Church, and its ministers – even though they have been freed of the ecclesiastical penalty – do not legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church.”
Even though the excommunication of the SSPX has been formally lifted, the priests of the Society of St. Pius X are not in full communion with the Catholic Church. However, Catholics who attend the SSPX liturgy may be in full communion with the Catholic Church. For the benefit of these faithful, Pope Francis granted the faculty to absolve sins to the priests of the Society (cf. Misericordia et misera, n. 12), “trusting in the good will of their priests to strive with God’s help for the recovery of full communion in the Catholic Church […].”
Similarly, for the benefit of these faithful, the Archdiocese of Denver has entered into an agreement with the SSPX regarding marriages in the territory of the Archdiocese of Denver. On a case-by-case basis, the faculty for marriage is granted in those instances where the priests of the Society request it and submit the marriage file for review by the Archdiocese of Denver. The granting of this faculty is a favor for the couple so that their marriage will be valid, but it is not an indication that the SSPX are in full communion with the Catholic Church.
While it is true that the SSPX priests are validly ordained, they have not been given permission to exercise their ministry, except as noted above. Masses celebrated at St. Isidore and the Annunciation Chapel are not sanctioned by the Archbishop of Denver. Catholics should neither attend these Masses nor partake in communion, until such time as the priests of the Society come back into full communion with the Catholic Church.
- St. Isidore
32100 E. Colfax Ave, Watkins, CO 80137 - Annunciation Chapel Society of Pius X
290 E. County Road 56, Ft. Collins, CO 80524
American Catholic Community/Order of St. Michael and Mary (American Catholic Community/Communion of International Catholic Communities)
1921 S. Havana, Aurora, CO 80014
Church of St. Albert Liberal Catholic Church
430 10th St, Greeley, CO 80631
Church of the Beloved (Ecumenical Catholic Church)
10500 Grant Dr., Northglenn, CO 80233
Church of the Holy Family (Ecumenical Catholic Church)
8811 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 101, Denver, CO 80321
Divine Mercy Catholic Church (American Catholic Community/Communion of International Catholic Communities)
20971 E. Smoky Hill Rd., Aurora, CO 80015
Iglesia Católica de Cristo Rey/Christ the King Old Catholic Church (American Catholic Community/Communion of International Catholic Communities)
3138 S Parker Rd, Aurora, CO 80014
Light of Christ (Ecumenical Catholic Church)
1000 West 15th Ave, Longmont, CO 80501
Mary of Magdala (Ecumenical Catholic Church)
301 E. Stuart St., Fort Collins, CO 80525
Our Lady of the Snow Traditional Catholic Church
4101 Lamar St, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Chapel
2566 Sable Blvd, Aurora CO 80011
St. Paul Catholic Community of Faith (Ecumenical Catholic Church)
3250 E 6th Ave, Denver, CO 80206
St. Francis of Assisi National Catholic Church (Polish National Catholic Church)
556 S Jersey St, Denver, CO 80224
St. Mary’s Anglican Catholic Church
2290 S Clayton St, Denver, CO 80210
