Denver Catholic

5 DENVER CATHOLIC | JUNE-JULY 2025 data, only 49% of active priests in the Archdiocese of Denver are archdiocesan priests who were formed at either St. John Vianney or Redemptoris Mater. The other 51% of the active archdiocesan presbyterate comes from religious communities, visiting priests or priests who have come to the Archdiocese of Denver from other places. "Since only 14% of priests in active ministry within the archdiocese are born in Colo- rado, the church of Denver is blessed because of vocations coming from foreign coun- tries and other places in the U.S. to serve here and help others encounter Christ," said Denver Arch- bishop Samuel J. Aquila. "Many come from out of state to make up for our shortfall of voca- tions, and in this sense, we are now living in mission territory and deeply rely on priests from other parts of the country and world. Many incardinate into the arch- diocese because of their love for Christ and the faithful they serve here, whether on the plains, moun- tains or I-25 corridor." Even with these additional priests, 37% of archdiocesan parish locations are served by only one priest — a reality far from ideal, as the demands of caring so intensely for an entire parish community can weigh heavily on just one man. And the need is even greater in our Hispanic communi- ties, as nearly 40% of archdiocesan parish locations regularly offer Mass in Spanish, which requires more priests who are fluent in the language, culture and customs. For this reason, the Archdi- ocese sponsored the Called By Name campaign in parishes across Northern Colorado last May, aiming to foster a culture "where young men are open to the priestly calling, but also where laypeople are open to inviting young men, and families are willing to let their sons consider the priesthood, and encouraging them," explained Father Jason Wallace, archdioc- esan director of vocations. "If we create the right culture, then everybody will have that at the forefront of their minds." Even with such a culture, the Church needs hundreds of courageous men to respond to God's call of charity — that is, a love for him, from which flows love for neighbor and love for the Church he established. "The most important thing is that we all have a personal rela- tionship with the Trinity. That's our number one priority: each individ- ual seminarian and each individual priest has the love of God at the center of their life. Then, from that, we love what God loves, which are all souls. It's the virtue of charity: love God above all things and our neighbor for God's sake," said Father Wallace. "A priest lives the command- ment of love in his exercise of pas- toral charity," added Father Angel Perez-Lopez, rector of St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver. "Pas- toral charity is pastoral not simply because it is directed to the sheep. Instead, it is pastoral because it is all about a profound configuration with Christ the Good Shepherd, who loves his sheep in God, for God, because of God." ⊲ The priesthood is the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus." ST. JOHN VIANNEY 148 Total number of archdiocesan priests active in ministry The Archdiocese of Denver is blessed with dedicated, holy priests who serve their flocks well. But the harvest is abundant and the laborers are few — 4,054 Catholics are currently being served by each individual priest!! Relying solely on archdiocesan priests would leave us with 148 priests, not enough to cover all our parishes. 49% Percentage of the presbyterate ordained for the Archdiocese of Denver THE NEED BY THE NUMBERS DENVER CATHOLIC | JUNE-JULY 2025 5

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