Denver Catholic

10 APRIL 18-24, 2015 | DENVER CATHOLIC Come for a day or week Book your next event with us More than just retreats… 719-258-1600 for Tour or Reservations www.eltesororetreat.org THANK YOU KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS FOR …defending the family… …promoting the sanctity of life… …improving our communities… …aiding the elderly… …supporting our religious… …your dedication to our children… …helping our mentally and physically challenged… …restoring and enhancing parish facilities… …loving our homeless… …caring for the marginalized… …promoting our faith… YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE UNIVERSAL BODY OF THE CHURCH Jim Chevarria Chevarria Insurance Group 2014 Best Businesses of Lakewood Award www.chevarriainsurancegroup.com If you needed long term care who would be your caregiver? Your Spouse? Your Children? Who would care for you? Long Term Care Insurance not only provides expanded care options, it provides loved ones the ability to maintain their quality of life. Call (303) 955-6837 for a no-risk consultation. Protecting Your Future...Today Around the Archdiocese O rganizers of the Amazing Parish Conference, being held in Denver this week, want every parish in the country—all 17,483 of them—to get engaged in the movement by attending one of their conferences. Last August at the inaugural confer- ence, they reached 115 parishes. This week, April 21-22 at the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center, 100 more parishes will attend. "We've got a lot of parishes to reach," explained co-founder John Martin. "There's a need to help parishes be better at what they do." Many parishes are "amazing already," he clarifi ed, however, some are static or declining in membership. "We think with the right help, guidance and tools they can begin growing again," Martin said. "Every parish is diŸ erent, it's not one- size-fi ts-all," he said. "You can build a leadership team and vision, whatever your size and budget are." Martin said parishioners benefi t from "knowing where you're going." To that end, the Amazing Parish organizers oŸ er books and resources to help parish lead- ers create a leadership team, which in turn, can then help the pastor establish a vision for the parish. People must feel welcome at a parish and "that doesn't cost money," he said, adding it's more of an attitude shift. "Pastors can only do so much," he added. "If the laity doesn't step up and help in the mission of spreading the Gospel, it's not going to happen." Parishioners must consider how they can help, not only through financial resources, but by oŸ ering their gifts and skills to the Church. "We all have talents," Martin said, "but most of us don't oŸ er them to the Church." To fi nd out more about the Amaz- ing Parish movement, visit www. amazingparish.org. The next conference is expected to be Aug. 11-12 at a venue to accommodate up to 175 parishes. Hoping to make the Church better, one parish at a time BY JULIE FILBY 303-715-3123 | julie.fi lby@archden.org www.twitter.com/DenCathJulie Parents and guardians love their kids, and safety is a constant concern. To help with the vital task of creating a safe environment for our children, the Archdiocese of Denver oers over 300 parent and guardian safety classes per year, all of which are free. Information about internet safety, school safety and more can be found at archden.org/child-protection. FREE PARENT SAFETY CLASSES Our free classes highlight important facts about child sexual abuse, help you identify situations where sexual abuse might occur, and give you simple and eective strategies for protecting children. All training sessions are free and last only two hours. O…ce of Child and Youth Protection Christi.Sullivan@ArchDen.org

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