Denver Catholic

17 DENVER CATHOLIC | JULY 23-AUGUST 12, 2016 Deacon Ronald Michieli The parishioners of Saint Anthony Parish in Sterling, Sacred Heart Parish in Peetz, Saint Catherine Parish in Iliff, in great gratitude, thank you for your faithful service. Deacon Michieli with his wife, Barb h The Parishioners and Staff of Immaculate Conception Parish in Lafayette thank you for your faithful service. Deacon Jim Wolfe & Deacon Oscar Del Villar BY DENVER CATHOLIC M endicant pilgrim Ann Sieben has been leading four men across Europe on foot for World Youth Day. Every week, we have posted updates on denvercatholic.org regarding their progress via their pic- tures and journal entries, which they are sending us throughout their jour- ney. Here is their latest update from on the road to World Youth Day. Be sure to check past updates at denvercatholic.org. 13 JULY NÁMĚŠŤ NAD OSLAVOU, CZECH REPUBLIC The first night in the Czech Republic, no priest could be found. He lives in a diŠerent town, and was unavailable by phone. We appealed to the secular community of a few hundred inhabi- tants, were directed to the mayor, and after presenting a Czech translation of the archbishop of Denver's letter of introduction and [were] oŠered the use of the community hall. The mayor pre- sented each of us [with] a golden medal- lion of the town's seal, a lapel pin with the coat-of-arms and some postcards of the prominent sights. We put our collective languages out on the table—English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, a bit of Italian, a bit of Polish...we're met with their languages and hope to find some commonality. It's the best we have to oŠer in the Czech Republic. Sometimes we devolve to signs and laughter. It's a myth that English, the language of the world, is spoken everywhere we get by. It's been a UNESCO World Heritage week for us. We passed through the fairytale town of' Český Krumlov and spent the night in a hidden gem. Fran- ciscan sisters care for a historic Marian shrine in Kasov where Philadelphia's St. John Newman visited on pilgrimage. We slept in the converted stables. We then followed up with stays in the UNESCO towns of'Telč and'Třebíč— world heritage under our feet—a 12th century Benedictine monastery. We stumbled into a weekend blue- berry festival—of all things—and couldn't find the priest. Helpful young town greeters got us to the sacristan, who cheerfully opened his doors -- his generations old complex with horses, chickens, and garden orchards -- for a comfortable night's stay. His one year long ago spent working in Cuba gave him the foundation in Spanish to have a language common to all of us. His ser- vice to the Church represents the latest in a long, uninterrupted line of the men of his family serving as sacristans in the same parish. The atmosphere of the Czech Repub- lic is noticeably diŠerent; there's a dif- ferent vibe than in Italy or Austria. People seem very reserved—not greet- ing each other in the street, but open up warmly when approached. We are 1,641 kilometers from Rome (wow!) on our 54th day of walking. Only 12 days to Krakow, only one week to Poland's border. On the road to Krakow: An update from the Winter Pilgrim Mendicant pilgrim Ann Sieben has been lead- ing four men discerning their vocations on a trek across Europe that will end at World Youth Day next week. They started their journey in Rome and have sent updates from Germany, Austria, the Alps and the Czech Republic. PHOTO PROVIDED See past updates at denvercatholic.org PILGRIM UPDATE Archdiocese of Denver Mortuary 12801 W. 44th Ave. Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 (303) 425-9511 Mt. Olivet Cemetery 12801 W. 44th Ave. Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 (303) 424-7785 St. Simeon Cemetery 22001 E. State Hwy. 30 Aurora, CO 80018 (720) 859-9785 • Professional, personalized service • Respectful • Compassionate The Archdiocese of Denver Cemeteries and Mortuary Caring for the faithful in Northern Colorado since 1893 in their most personal time of need.

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