Denver Catholic

15 DENVER CATHOLIC | JUNE 10-23, 2017 The clergy, staff and parishioners of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception thank Fr. Roger Lascelle for his years of dedicated service. May God bless you with a happy and peaceful retirement! 1530 Logan Street, Denver, CO 80203 (303) 831-7010 • www.denvercathedral.org Saint Joseph Catholic Parish The Staff and Parishioners of St. Joseph ask that God bless you and keep you safely in His arms as you con�nue to serve Him. Fr. Joseph Tran We pray that your �me with us will be blessed with much happiness. We look forward to growing with you as you leads us on the road to strengthening our Catholic faith. Fr. Ma�hew Book May God bless you in your new parish. You will be long remembered and we thank the Lord for allowing us to have you as our pastor and spiritual guide . 7555 Grant Place, Arvada, CO 80002 (303) 422-1280 Thank you, Father Piotr Mozdyniewicz, for being our faithful Shepherd these past seven years. Our souls have fl ourished under your care! You will be greatly missed, but know that many prayers and best wishes go with you to your new assignment. FR. BOGUSLAW REBACZ Congratulations on your priestly ordination! With great joy, we welcome you to Our Lady of the Valley and St. Mary-Ault. FR. BOGUSLAW REBACZ Congratulations on your priestly ordination! With great joy, we welcome you to Our Lady of the Valley and St. Mary-Ault. witness for the world, which at the time was living in fear and resignation. If our parish emulates anything from her it would be that devotion: not only can they receive the word [of God] in their hearts but they live it out in their lives." The 50-plus parish ministries range from the parish preschool to sandwich line to perpetual adoration. Faith for- mation includes youth ministry, RCIA and the Neocatechumenal Way. Social groups range from Pint with a Priest for young adults to Seniors Club. "I would put our Senior Club up against any [other] in the diocese," Father Goebel said, only half-joking. "The Knights of Columbus council in our parish has earned the [organization's] highest award in the state a number of times and even just this year, the [Knight's] pro-life family of the year was from our parish, Dan and Jackie Murphy." Growth in Arvada led to the founding of the city's second Catholic parish on Aug. 22, 1967. The pioneer pastor, the late Msgr. James Rasby, named it after St. Joan of Arc because of his special devotion to her. Before the church was built in 1968, daily Masses were held in the rectory chapel at 58th Avenue and Oak Street, while Sunday Masses were held at Arvada West High School. Holy day liturgies were held at King of Glory Lutheran Church. Today the modern, 800-seat sanc- tuary located at 12735 W. 58th Avenue, serves 2,200 households, said Deacon Rex Pilger, director of business and adult formation. "This year we'll probably increase to 2,300 households," he said, citing rapid growth in west Arvada and the north Je€erson County area. The parish's anniversary logo features the message: St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 1967-2017, "50 Years of Love." The motto aims to highlight the years of Christian love and charity the parish is celebrating similar to the half-century anniversary of a married couple, Father Goebel said. "It's not meant to be an epitaph," he said with his characteristic good humor. "I'm very blessed to be here in the 50th anniversary. It's humbling because you realize you're standing on the shoulders of a lot of other people who have sacri- ficed greatly to make this parish what it is. "I don't feel like I'm a custodian or curator of a museum," he added. "We're still developing, still growing. I think our parish is going to be here a long time." A FEW FUN FACTS ABOUT ST. JOAN OF ARC PARISH: • Current pastor Father Goebel is part of a popular weekly podcast with three other young priests called, "Catholic Stu¬ You Should Know." • At the time he served as the parish's founding priest in 1967, Msgr. Rasby, who was then Father Rasby, was the youngest pastor in the archdiocese. • The parish has four deacons, one of which is retired Deacon Hugh Downey, founder of a ministry in Africa. Because of his apostolate, Deacon Downey lives in Africa half the year. • Director of Music and Liturgy Andi Weber was once a country singer. • Besides Msgr. Rasby, previous pastors include: Father Robert Durrie, Father Michael Walsh, Father James Kleiner, Father Timothy Gaines and Father Joseph Cao. Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila celebrated Mass for St. Joan of Arc's 50th anniver- sary. The parish has been a staple in the Arvada community and exemplifies a rich culture of devotion. PHOTO BY ANYA SEMENOFF

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