Denver Catholic

2 APRIL 25-MAY 1, 2015 | DENVER CATHOLIC Archbishop's Page Denver Catholic (USPS 557-020) is published weekly except the last week of December and the fi rst weeks of January, and in June, July and August when it goes bi-weekly. Denver Catholic is printed by Signature O set in Denver. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $35 a year in Colorado; $42 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $42 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $48 air; Canada, $55 air. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or email circulation@archden.org. EDITORIAL: 303-715-3215 or denvercatholic@archden.org | ADVERTISING: 303-715-3253 or denvercatholicads@archden.org CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-715-3230 or circulation@archden.org General Manager KARNA SWANSON Director ANDREW WRIGHT Business Manager MICHAEL O'NEILL Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE April 26: Mass, Cathedral Basilica of the Immac- ulate Conception (10:30 a.m.) April 28: Mass and confi rmation, St. Augustine Parish, Brighton (6 p.m.) April 29: Mass and confi rmation, St. Vincent (Basalt) at Carbondale (7 p.m.) April 30: Mass and confi rmation, St. Mary of the Crown, Carbondale (7 p.m.) May 1: Mass and confi rmation, St. Mary, Aspen (5:30 p.m.) @ArchbishopDen Apr 9 Just as the fi rst #Christians spoke the Word of God with boldness, we too must proclaim the faith with courage http://ow.ly/LoOys PHOTO OF THE WEEK Archbishop Samuel Aquila confi rmed 26 parishioners at Our Lady of the Plains in Byers April 12. He is pictured here with the confi rmandi, their instructors and pastor Father Je† rey Wilborn. PHOTO PROVIDED A nything worth doing requires risk. When Fathers Joseph Machebeuf and John Raverdy set out in 1860 for Colorado from Santa Fe, New Mexico they took a big risk, but they knew that the reason they were taking it—to nurture and save souls— was worth any su• erings they might encounter. It is hard to imagine today, but when the two priests arrived in Denver City, the population was only 3,000 people. Passing travelers, men involved in trading or the Gold Rush, and about 10 families meant that there were around 200 Catho- lics in the area, but they had no church or clergy. Father Machebeuf would later become the founding bishop of our archdiocese, which now has more than 500,000 faithful. The risks that he took for the kingdom were great, but the rewards were even greater. This past week many of you received material from this year's Archbishop's Catholic Appeal. You will see that I chose "Disciples Take Risks for the Kingdom" as the theme for the 2015 appeal. I decided on this theme because every Catholic is called to step forward in faith when the Lord asks us to trust in him, just as our fi rst priests did. We see this in Scripture when Jesus gave the disciples the "Great Commis- sion." After he had risen, he told them, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations ...." Jesus accompanied this charge with the assurance that he would be with them "always, until the close of the age" (Mt 28:19). In the subsequent centuries the Church has spread to the ends of the earth precisely because men and women trusted in God and took the leap into the unknown. But the call to bring the Gospel to everyone is not just geographic in nature. Jesus asks us to bring him into our families, careers, interactions with strangers, and our fi nances. The Acts of the Apostles tells us how the early Christians understood that placing the goods God had given them at his service was an indispensable part of believing the Gospel. "Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common" (Acts 4:32). The reason that Christ asks us to give, and the reason that the Israelites were commanded to give is that tithing changes our hearts. Giving opens our hearts up to trusting in the Lord and helps us acknowledge that he is the source of all we have. When we give, we take a risk for the kingdom and we open our heart up to trust in God above apparent security of material possessions. This year, whether you are giving for the fi rst time or are a frequent supporter, I encourage you to prayerfully ask how the Lord is calling you to trust him in the fi nancial and spiritual realms. When the believers of the community are of one heart and soul in their desire to follow the Lord Jesus, then great things are able to be accom- plished for the kingdom. I think, for example, of the more than 1 million nights of shelter that Catholic Charities provided to the homeless last year, the 600,000 meals given to the hungry, or the hundreds of families helped by Regina Caeli Counseling Services. May God continue to bless you this Easter season and grant you the courage to take risks for the kingdom. Risks for the kingdom DENVER CATHOLIC FILE PHOTO BY JAMES BACA PHOTO BY ANDREW WRIGHT/DENVER CATHOLIC homeless last year, the 600,000 meals given to the hungry, or the hundreds of families helped by Regina Caeli Counseling Bishop Machebeuf

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