Denver Catholic

PARISH NEWS I 11 Denver CatholiC register I July 17, 2013 through the eyes of an altar boy: holy Ghost Church marks 70 years ALtAR boys lead the procession during Mass at Holy Ghost Church downtown. The parish celebrated the 70th anniversary of the church building this month. By MARy CAtHERiNE MEyER Seventy years ago, an ad in the Denver Catholic Register caught the eye of 13-year-old Bob Hartley. Holy Ghost Parish's new church building was nearly complete and pastor at the time, Father John Mulroy, needed a new troop of altar boys. "It was something I always wanted to do," said Hartley, recalling his boyhood zeal in an interview last week. "I jumped on my bicycle and went down there (to Holy Ghost)." Hartley would serve every Sunday at the 10 a.m. Mass and daily during summer vacation until his graduation from high school. "We had to learn Latin in those days, you know," Hartley said, "We had to know it by heart." Now one of the parish's sacristans, Hartley would have donned familiar garments to serve again at the church building's 70th anniversary Mass July 7. Just days before the Mass and celebration, Hartley fell and injured his hand, requiring a two-week stay at a rehabilitation center and ending his hopes to serve at the Mass. Still, the possibility of serving again after so long invited Hartley to remember his favorite priests, the young singles ydance at which he met his wife, ythe draft, serving for the Navy and Marine Corps in Korea, rcoming home to get married band eventually finding himself again in the marble sanctuary, among the oak pews of Holy -Ghost for the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass—the Latin Mass. g "Lots of parishes do renovations," Hartley said about the gift of Holy Ghost's tradition, "but this church is here, just as it was." There are new lights and a new altar because of Vatican II, ,he pointed out, but there is still an ordinary form Mass in Latin each week. Indeed, the various ministries begun throughout the .parish's history—its ministry to the poor, daily sandwich lines, and perpetual adoration—remain as sure as its stone foundation. Diverse in age, in race, in postal code, the community in the parish is vibrant. Its priests, the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, to whom Denver's former Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., entrusted Holy Ghost to in 2004, actively reach out to the homeless and offer spiritual direction and seminars at the Lanteri Center for Ignatian Spirituality nearby. The brick church, nestled Christopher C. Felton, P.C. Serious personal injury, workers' compensation, criminal defense and general civil litigation. Phone: 303-295-8988 E-mail: chris@christopherfelton.com 2616 W. Alamo Ave., Littleton, CO 80120 Advertising Focus cAlendAr July 31 August 14 seniors deacon Appreciation Health August 28 labor day education: Back to school seniors photo pRovIded at the base of one of Denver's skyscrapers, continues to serve and thrive and draw faithful parishioners, like Hartley, to God. Oblates Father Michael Warren, parochial vicar at Holy Ghost, said of Hartley: "He's been through a lot of things in his life. "He's had great multiple conversions that have brought him closer to Christ. And he speaks fondly of that closeness." Hartley said his favorite Gospel readings are the Nativity and the Passion. Life and new life. Since his days as an enthusiastic boy praying in Latin to his later work on the parish council, and his lighting of the charcoal for incense and preparation of the gifts, Holy Ghost has enriched his life. He now cares for his wife at their home in Northglenn, and attends Mass every Sunday, grateful for its timeless beauty. Archbishop Urban Vehr's homily at Holy Ghost's dedication Mass in 1943 could have been addressed to the people who attended the anniversary Mass last week, celebrated by Oblates Father Christopher Uhl, the pastor. The message echoed Hartley's appreciation. "While bombs … are leveling the Christian monuments of the ages in the Old World ... the beauty of this house of God will stimulate piety and love of the Creator and bring consolation and peace of soul." september 4 Financial: estate Planning August 12-21 September 11 September 13-15 September 20-22 September 27-29 October 1 Eight-Day Silent Directed Retreat Day of Prayer: 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Weekend Retreat (Women) Weekend Retreat (Men) Vietnamese Retreat (Men & Women) Day of Prayer: 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. 4801 North Highway 67, P.O. 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