Denver Catholic

2 APRIL 14-27, 2018 | DENVER CATHOLIC Archbishop's Page Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila PHOTO OF THE WEEK ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE APR. 21: Humanae Vitae Conference, St. Thomas More – McCallin Hall, Centennial (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.) APR. 22: Mass, Special Religious Education, All Saints Catholic Church, Denver (2:30 p.m.) APR. 24: Confi rmation Mass, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Boulder (6:30 p.m.) APR. 26: Confi rmation Mass, Spirit of Christ, Arvada (7 p.m.) APR. 27: Confi rmation Mass, Nativity of our Lord, Broomfi eld (7 p.m.) @ArchbishopDen Apr. 1 "You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucifi ed. He has been raised; he is not here." Mk 16 May the hearts of all people discover the truth of the resurrection as they encounter the Risen Jesus this Easter Sunday. Grant to us Jesus a deeper faith in you & all that you promise to us! +sja Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 Denver Catholic (USPS 557-020) is published bi-weekly, except monthly in January. Denver Catholic is printed by Prairie Mountain Publishing, LLC in Boulder. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $50 a year in Colorado; $57 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $57 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $63 air; Canada, $70 air. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or email circulation@archden.org. CIRCULATION: denvercatholic.org/circulation Editor AARON LAMBERT Business Manager MICHAEL O'NEILL Giving and answering Christ's call B efore he ascended into heaven, Jesus gave the apostles a man- date: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations … teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you" (Mt. 28:19-20). Two- thousand years later, the mission fi eld is as vast as ever, and one of the ways you can respond is through the annual Archbishop's Catholic Appeal. As the appeal gets underway in the more than 100 parishes of the arch- diocese this weekend, I would like to share with you some of the ways we strive to satisfy those who are spiritu- ally and materially in need. It is important that you know how the money collected in the appeal is spent and the life-changing impact our ministries have. Through your generosity, the homeless have been sheltered and the hungry fed. This past year, over 200,000 homeless men, women and children had a place to sleep at Samaritan House or one of our other shelters, and 732,000 meals were served to the hungry. Besides providing material neces- sities for the poor and vulnerable, the Church oŽ ered religious education classes for 36,000 children. Our Catho- lic school system, which educates 9,000 students and provides an environ- ment that encourages the faith, is also fi nancially supported by the appeal. Your donation also helps fund the formation of the future priests of our archdiocese. We are blessed to have over 60 men currently studying to become priests for the Archdiocese of Denver, and they need your support. These are only a few examples of the ministries and services the appeal makes possible. But there is another dimension to giving that is sometimes overlooked. When we give the best of what God has given us, it opens our hearts and the hearts of those who receive our charity to greater conversion. This is what the early Christians experienced as they sought to live out Christ's call to love one another. The Acts of the Apostles tells us that "all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. … And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved" (4:32-37). The challenge presented to all of us by Christ's new commandment to make disciples is to go beyond making a donation and to listen for the other ways that God is calling us to make disciples. These include acts of char- ity, helping those in need spiritually and sharing with them our encounter with Jesus Christ. Before a person is able to hear and accept the good news that Christ has died for them and longs to save them from their sins, it is often necessary to address their physical needs, to bind up their wounds. We are called to accompany them in their encounter with Jesus through our charity. Then, they will be more open to receiving the love that Jesus wishes to pour into their hearts. As you prayerfully consider sup- porting those in need through the Appeal, I ask you to also consider other ways in which you will respond to Jesus' call to make disciples. I want to express my sincere thanks for all the ways so many of you have already done so. Without your commitment to Christ and his Church, much of the good work done in the archdiocese would be impossible. May God bless your generosity one-hundred-fold! The annual Arch- bishop's Catholic Appeal provides crucial support for many important ministries in the archdio- cese. PHOTO BY ANYA SEMENOFF On April 8, Divine Mercy Sunday, the communities from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and St. Joseph's Polish Parish held a Divine Mercy procession through the neighborhood, which they do every year. It was a beautiful gathering of two di" erent cultures coming together to honor the mercy of the Lord. PHOTO BY CARI DEVLIN | DENVER CATHOLIC

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