This Morning I was able to watch the Ordination in Rome of 10 new Priests …

This Morning I was able to watch the Ordination in Rome of 10 new Priests by our Holy Father Pope Francis. In his homily, prior to the Rite of Ordination, Pope Francis spoke to them. One of the things he said to them was to “Be merciful Pastors, not functionaries.” How true are the words of our Holy Father. As Priests we are truly called to be merciful Pastors above all. Not just fulfilling a role, but constantly reaching out to others with the compassion and love of Christ. I am reminded of this as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vocation Sunday. Personally, there isn’t a day that goes by that I am not truly grateful that our Lord called me, his very unworthy servant to serve him and his people as a Priest, Fire Chaplain and Police Chaplain.

As we celebrate today, I think of the lived priesthood of Father Emil Kapaun. Father Emil was ordained for the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas at the age of 28. He served most of his priesthood as an Army Chaplain in the United States, and assigned stateside, to Burma, to Japan and Korea. I would certainly invite you to read his whole story, as my own reflection will prove somewhat inadequate for the inherent goodness of this priest. In his own service he mirrored the words spoken today by Pope Francis. He was truly a merciful Pastor, and not just a functionary. When faced in battle time situations he was heroic. He moved amongst the men in battle, caring for the wounded, caring for the dying and administering last rites under fire, In one particular recorded event, he ran under enemy fire to carry back a wounded soldier.

At the age of 35 he, along with others, were captured and sent to a prisoner of war camp. He was known as the “good thief” because at night he would sneak out and collect whatever scraps he could to feed those who had nothing. To help others he cleaned latrines and washed the clothing of the sick. Ignoring his own health, he nursed the sick and the wounded until a blood clot prevented his daily rounds. He was moved to a “prisoner of war hospital” but like others was denied treatment. He died on May 23, 1951

To me Father Kapaun is a great model of what the priesthood should be. In fact I have kept a picture of Father Kapaun in my office for many years. Posthumously, his family received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Obama a few weeks ago. I would ask you to please remember him on May 23rd, the date of his death. May the heroic actions of this wonderful 35 year old priest continue to influence us all.

Strive to be saints! Fr. Brad

Holy Week Schedule

“Let us resolve to make this week holy by claiming Christ’s redemptive grace and living holy lives.”

Sister Thea Bowman, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration penned this line about two weeks before she died at the age of 52 from bone cancer. I would encourage you to read her full message and to keep this by following our Holy Week Schedule shown below.

Holy Week Schedule

Monday/ Tuesday and Wednesday: Regular Mass Schedule
Holy Thursday: 7pm Mass only
Good Friday:
Noon- Ecumenical Stations – St. Philip in the Field
3pm Stations of the Cross here
7pm Good Friday Service

Holy Saturday:
10 am Blessing of Food Baskets
4:15- 5:15 Confessions
8pm Easter Vigil

Easter Sunday
6am Sunrise Mass
7:30/9:30 and 11:30 am Mass
1:30pm Mass in Spanish
No 5:30pm Mass

The Church will be open each day and the Adoration Chapel is available at Night for prayer and meditation.

Congratulations to Pope Francis I on his Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry as Bishop of Rome!

Wow, my brothers and sisters – what a great week this has been since the election and announcement of our new Holy Father Pope Francis I. I personally have just enjoyed watching him and listening to him. Our new Holy Father is a remarkable, holy, simple, caring Pastor. I was remarking to someone yesterday that as I have watched him, he walks as though he has been the Pope for many years. I personally love his smile, his personal simplicity and the way in which he cares for others. I personally love the fact that as Archbishop, he lived in a simple apartment, cooked his own meals and took the bus to work. I can certainly identify with this. I personally love his warm smile, and his genuine goodness. I really liked how he ended his Sunday Angelus with the words “now have a nice lunch and a nice rest.” He also is a great theologian!

Today is his opening homily our new Holy Father spoke of humility and the need for advocacy on behalf of the poor. He said “Let us never forget that authentic power is service. Only those who serve with love are able to protect.” He went on to say “It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially the children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our families. Husbands and wives protect one another, and then as parents they care for their children, and children in time protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect and goodness. In the end everything has been entrusted to our protection and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts.”

Like St. Francis of Assisi, our new Holy Father Pope Francis has in his life demonstrated a love and care for the poor and the most abandoned in society. We see this in the photograph shown above. May we always have a preferential option for the poor and the most abandoned. I know that we do this here in this parish with the many charitable works and the care shown by our Saint Vincent de Paul Society and our Knights of Columbus. I very much appreciate the genuine care of our Respect Life Committee, and those who visit the many sick and suffering members in our Community.

Let us be Francis present in the World!

God Bless, Fr. Brad

Happy Laetare Sunday!

The Latin word Laetare used in today’s introit is used in the phrase “Be Joyful Jerusalem!… that you have been in sorrow, may exult!” I really always appreciate that this particular Sunday is placed at this time of our Lenten Journey. Sometimes in the midst of life, when we are encountering a long stretch of spiritual desolation, even a brief moment of spiritual consolation gives us deep refreshment and the ability to continue on our journey.

This sense of joy in the midst of a long journey struck home to meet last year at the Denver Firefighter Stair Climb on September 11th. I poignantly remember walking up with 343 firefighters fully dressed in bunker gear and helmet, and walking up stairs somewhere around the 30th floor. As I turned to approach the stairwell, there was an employee there who worked on that particular floor. She so genuinely said thank you to each of us, smiled with a wonderful smile and using a fresh, paper towel soaked in water, just cleansed the sweat off of my face. I will never forget the care of that holy woman! That moment of joy in the midst of the climb enabled me to continue my journey. I looked forward to seeing her again as I climbed the second 55 flights!

All of us in the midst of our journey in this life will face sufferings and difficulties. It is my fervent prayer that in the midst of your suffering that you are blessed with many moments of consolation along the way! Be Joyful Jerusalem…. You that have been in sorrow, may exult!

Persevere!

Fr. Brad

“The safest path to Hell is the gradual one.”

Every Lent I always take time to re- read C.S. Lewis’s Book The Screwtape Letters. For those unfamiliar with the book, it comprises thirty one letters written by Screwtape, s senior demon to his nephew, Wormwood, a younger and less experienced demon. Throughout the book Wormwood continually wants to try to tempt his person into committing extravagantly wicked and deplorable sins. Screwtape is not interested in this saying that “The safest path to Hell is the gradual one.” Sadly, how true this is! Screwtape believes that it is a demon’s primary goal to befuddle, confuse and eventually corrupt a person.

As I reflected on last Sunday’s readings, where Jesus was tempted by the Devil, It tends to be the gradual sins, the so called minor temptations that lead us down that gradual path to Hell. It could be as simple as laying in bed on a Sunday Morning and being tempted to stay in bed, because “I have had a long week and I’m really tired.” “I’ll go later and later never comes.” It could be going to an office lunch on a Friday during Lent and ordering a hamburger, because “I don’t want to stand out.” Or it could be visiting a relative in another state, and choosing to have brunch with “Aunt Mary” and enjoying her famous blueberry pancakes, instead of going to Mass. See how gradual the path to Hell is!

My friends, be Catholics of great courage and personal witness. Do not be afraid to witness your faith, regardless of the cost. Do not try to “Blend in” as Mother Superior said in the famous movie Sister Act.

Don’t be afraid to visibly follow Christ!

Fr. Brad

Many thanks Pope Benedict XVI – Our prayers and our love are with you!

I think that all of us were unprepared for the announcement yesterday from our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI that he was going to resign at the end of February. A day later, having had some time to digest some of my initial emotions, while listening to the emotions and feelings of others, I remain very grateful for his pontificate. As I walk in several times a day into my private chapel, on the wall there is a blessing that was given to me, which is from him, with his picture on it. I have always been heartened by the warmth of his smile, especially in the days in which I personally have felt the demands of pastoral administration to be burdensome. I join with millions of others in wishing our Holy Father well during this time of transition. I personally hope that when my duties of being a Pastor are over, that I can follow the Holy Father’s great example of having time for silent meditation, time to read, time to reflect and be with friends in the time of my twilight years.

As we enter into Ash Wednesday and Lent tomorrow, we are reminded that we begin a Lenten Journey into deeper holiness. As Pope John Paul II reminded us “ The journey to which Lent invites us takes place above all in prayer.” May this Lenten Journey deeply unite us in prayer with our Lord! I would encourage all of us to take on the beautiful practice of praying Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Night Prayer each day. If you have either a I phone, a tablet, or a Droid Phone , you can easily do this by downloading the app from www.ebreviary.com. I encourage you to try this for Lent. It will change your life!

Please join me during this Lent in praying for Pope Benedict XVI as he makes this transition. He has been a wonderful Holy Father. Please join me during Lent in praying for the Cardinals who will be traveling to Rome to elect a new Holy Father!

Be not Afraid!

Fr. Brad

“Change is never easy …

“Change is never easy, but change forces us to examine the way we do things and why we do them.” – Part one.

I would like to take then next several weeks and write about the impact of change in our daily lives. As you know we as a Parish and the Knights are experiencing that with the Knights decision to cancel this year’s fish fry and to rebuild for the future. This week I would like to look at change in the lens of the grief process. The process of grief is a holy time. Perhaps not the best time in our life, but a holy time as the Lord is present to us in all aspects of the process of grief. Grief is a normal and natural part of life as we experience loss in our lives.

One of the models that I like to use when dealing with grief, is the Grief Wheel. I am sure if you will google – Grief Wheel, or look up the Grief Education Institution in Englewood, Colorado you can to the diagram that they use. It is called the Grief Wheel. Quite simply we are moving along with life, and then death occurs. Death could be a physical death, a loss like a job, relationship, loss of a tradition…

From there we begin a journey into four tasks of grieving. The First Stage is Shock and the Task is trying to accept the reality of the Loss. The Second Stage is Protest and the Task is to allow the pain of grief. The Third Stage is Disorganization and the task is to begin to adjust to the environment in which the deceased is missing and the Fourth Stage is Reorganization and the Task is to withdraw emotional energy and reinvest in someone or something else. Again, I would encourage you to find their website and see the model it its fuller form.

Everyone grieves differently. I would encourage each of you to look at the model and prayerfully look at where you are. There is no right or wrong place to be in the grief process. You are simply where you are. Wherever you are, I would encourage you to more deeply and prayerfully get in touch with the tasks of the grieving process. For example If you are in the protest stage, and your task is to allow the pain of grief, you may be experiencing anger. What do you do with anger in your life? What are the healthy ways of dealing with anger and what are the unhealthy ways of dealing with anger? A very healthy way of dealing with anger is to name it. I feel Anger because _______________________. The list out all of the because. An unhealthy way of dealing with anger would be to lash out. A healthy way to deal with feeling depressed is to talk about it with someone. Feeling depressed is a normal feeling associated with grief. What is an unhealthy way of dealing with depression –drinking alcohol to excess. Alcohol is a natural depressant. In other words if you are depressed anyway, and drink alcohol you will feel more depressed.

Each week, I would like to take time to write more on the spirituality of change. Myself and my staff are always there to listen and be with you.

“Life is changed, not ended” (Preface of Christian Burial)

Fr. Brad

The Epiphany of the Lord!

Today we have this beautiful story of the Magi journeying to see the Lord. There are three great parts to the story. First is the journey itself. Second is the personal encounter with Jesus himself. Third is that after the magi encountered Jesus Christ, they departed for home in a different way. As I said in the homily today, over the last few days we have celebrated the lives of three North American Saints who teach us many lessons on what it means to journey to the Lord, encounter him and radically walk differently after that encounter. On Friday we celebrated the life of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, a married Episcopal Woman, who after her husband died, converted to Catholicism, and after raising her children founded a girls school and then founded the Sisters of Charity. Her life was spent taking care of the poor, sick and uneducated. We celebrated on Saturday Saint John Neumann who emigrated to the United States as a missionary. Was ordained in New York and joined the Redemptorist Order. He was consecrated a Bishop in Philadelphia. Although he felt unworthy of the office, he was a great preacher, built schools and churches and frequently visited prisoners in prison. We also celebrated the life of Saint Andre Bessette, who was a Holy Cross Brother who despite physical infirmity and people who doubted him, cared for the sick and suffering and cultivated a great devotion to Saint Joseph.

What is God calling you to do? Saint John Neumann says it best by saying:

“Everyone who breathes, young and old, man and woman has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing. We are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for God. As Christ has his work, we too have ours. As he rejoiced to do his work, we must rejoice in ours also.”

I would strongly encourage you this week (as we prepare for the next week’s Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord), to prayerfully reflect on what God is calling you to do for the sake of the Church. What is your mission? What is your work?

Do not be afraid to Journey with the Lord who calls you by name. I rejoice every day that the Lord has called me, very unworthy servant to join him in the journey. Thanks to each of you for being part of the journey with the Lord.

Totus Tuus!

Fr. Brad

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I want to wish each and every one of you a Very Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year! I apologize that this greeting is going out a little late, but our web page was down for a few days as we changed phone providers. Please accept my sincerest apologies! Christmas here at Saint Francis was a great experience – this year we had two 4pm Masses, one here and one at the Douglas County High School North gym – and both were at capacity. This is a great sign of a very vibrant community. In fact all of the Masses were well attended. Many thanks to all who worked so hard in so many ways.

As you can see our church looks so pretty due to the very hard work and attention to detail of our Environment Committee. My personal thanks to all of them for their hard work and dedication to detail.

My personal thanks to Phil and Jane Watkins from Watkins Stained Glass in Denver who worked so hard for 6 months putting together our Large Stained Glass window of Saint Francis of Assisi. This beautiful window is visible from Fifth Street and is a beautiful addition to our Choir Practice Room. When the window arrived to us, it came in 22 pieces. Phil and Jane worked for 6 months to restore it and adapt it to our window. It looks great! Many thanks Phil for your painstaking work. We will treasure it forever!

On behalf of Fr. Carlos, Deacon Tom, Deacon Tim, Deacon Jason, and my most hard working staff – Have a happy, healthy, holy and prosperous 2013!

In Christ, Fr. Brad

Our Hearts ache as we grieve with our brothers and sisters in Connecticut

This weekend at all Masses we as parishioners, parents, teachers, students, school administrators, first responders and people of faith, lovingly remembered the 20 Children and the 6 adults who were killed by a gunman Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Our hearts ache as we grieve with you this very tragic loss. At all of our Masses we continue to have a moment of silence and our parishioners lit candles and placed them around the altar steps in loving remembrance. Our prayers also go out to Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Newtown, that reportedly was evacuated this morning due to a bomb threat. May the light of Christ overcome the darkness!

We encourage all parents to spend extra time with your kids. They are a gift from God! Each human life is a gift from God. We ask that we pray for conversion and deliverance of all of us from a Culture of Violence and Death to a Culture of Life! Violence is never the answer. We have unfortunately seen so much violence especially against the young here in Colorado. We will always remember the victims of the Columbine Shooting, the victims of the New Life Church Shooting, the victims of the Aurora Theater Shooting and the tragic loss of Jessica Ridgeway.

As Rachel mourned the loss of her children in the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, with loud cries and lamentations, may we also remember the last line of her story “There is hope for your future says the Lord.” May we never lose hope that we as a culture can turn away from violence in a world filled with such violence –and may the Lord bless us with Peace! As Pope John Paul II reminded us “Let us cross the threshold of Hope!”

In Christ, Fr. Brad

Second week in Advent 2012

This Second week in Advent has already turned out to be a very spiritually enriched time – and it is on Wednesday! What a blessing it is to have Fr. Carlos Gallardo here at the parish! He preached at all of the Masses this past weekend about Our Lady of Guadalupe. He did an excellent job in describing all of the different aspects surrounding the Feast. Monday afternoon we blessed and dedicated our New Our Lady of Guadalupe Garden.

We were blessed to have the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe with us for the day as well. The Missionary image will be on display in several parishes around the Diocese of Colorado Springs and the Archdiocese of Denver.

As part of our celebration of the dedication of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Garden, we were blessed to have a group of authentic dancers with us. After the dedication of the new garden, we then had Mass and a time for food and refreshments. Yesterday, Father Carlos led a full day of celebrations prior to the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, including times of prayer, singing, Holy Mass and a great time of food, refreshment and fellowship afterwards.

This morning I celebrated Mass for our parishioners at 7am for Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fr. Vollmer will say the 9:30am Mass and Father Carlos will say a special Mass at 7pm. Hopefully, over the next few days he gets some much needed rest as he did a great job organizing this with a multitude of volunteers.

Thursday we have our Advent Penance Service here a 7pm with a number of priests available here for integral and individual confession. Friday is a spiritual day off for me. On Saturday I have a funeral for a dear soul, a wedding and then we leap into the Third Sunday of Advent. Wow!

Next week on December 18th I celebrate my 13th anniversary to the Priesthood and begin my 14th year of service. What a great gift it is to be a Priest and a Fire Department Chaplain. This year I also get to start as a Police Department Chaplain. Please keep me in your prayers as well as pray daily for the protection of all Firefighters and Police Officers.

Thanks, Fr. Brad

First Sunday of Advent

First Week of Advent 2012

I personally love being a Catholic and always love the different liturgical Seasons that occur during the course of the year. One of my favorite Seasons is the liturgical Season of Advent. Advent has a two fold purpose. One is the preparation for the remembrance of Christ at Christmas and the other is the preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord.

As we prepare for the remembrance of Christ at Christmas, we should always remember that Christ is the Reason for the Season. I would encourage you as you go around on your daily routine to get in the habit of greeting people with “Merry Christmas!” I would recommend that especially during this time of hectic shopping that we stop and thank the store clerk. I would encourage you to think of the needs of others and not on your own needs this Christmas. I would encourage you to follow the great example of NYPD Officer Larry DiPrimo (who unselfishly and who thought no one was looking) gave a barefoot homeless man a pair of nice winter boots. That is a great model of charity – from the heart.

As we prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord, I would encourage each of you to always be spiritually prepared to meet the Lord. I always encourage you to frequently go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. While there are the “scheduled” times for the Sacrament of Penance (Saturday Afternoon 4:15-5:15pm), we also have in Advent and in Lent special evenings in our Deanery for Penance Services with Individual and Integral Confession. As you know, you are always welcome to either call me (or Fr. Carlos) or tap one of us on the shoulder and we’ll make time to hear your confession!

Finally, while I didn’t get a chance to formally blog on Thanksgiving Day – I personally want to express my personal thanks to you! You are good, holy people of faith! You are a joy to walk daily with!

You have an attitude of gratitude and hospitality which is contagious! Walking into the Social Hall after Mass on the Feast of Christ the King, A young boy scout came up to me, who happened to be with a group of boy scouts selling Christmas Wreaths. He said to me “Thanks for letting me and my boy scout troop use the parish building each week. That was a great attitude of gratitude and I really appreciated it.

Keep doing the great work that you are doing! Keep being the hands, feet, and the heart of Christ!

Fr. Brad

Hurricane/ Superstorm Sandy Relief

Our Sister Parish in Annatto Bay Jamaica and its missions suffered serious damage as Hurricane Sandy passed over Jamaica. Father Francis called me and let me know that part of the roof of the Church was blown off, part of the roof of the Convent was blown off, the storm surge brought a lot of debris into the church and it property. The other missions suffered damage and many of Fr. Francis’ parishioners suffered damage to their houses and property as well.

Last week we took up a second special collection and through the abundant generosity of our parishioners we were able this week to send around $5,500.00 to the Archdiocese of Kingston, Jamaica to help our Sister Parish, its missions and its parishioners rebuild! Many thanks to each of our parishioners for your abundant generosity.

This is Sister’s Convent that lost most of its roof. The wood that the small convent is made of is termite ridden.

This is a picture of the Franciscan Sister who works among the poor in Annatto Bay and lives in the small convent. I have asked Fr. Francis to let me know what it would cost to rebuild this convent with concrete block walls and a new roof.

Last weekend, I also asked for prayers and support for all those effected here in the United States. After the 9:30am Mass I met a teacher from New Jersey who is here temporarily as who lost a lot in the superstorm. Her whole community is in shambles. I would ask you to help out with either the American Red Cross, or Catholic Charities and help with Relief assistance.

I also received a message from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation asking for help. In their message they said that the homes of as many as 1,000 FDNY families were either destroyed or badly damaged. These are the men and women who are usually the first to respond when a disaster strikes their communities. If you would like to donate to the relief effort please go to www.FireHero.org/fdny to see a list of items and to submit a donation form.

Thanks again for your most abundant generosity.

Fr. Brad

May we never forget the lives lost and sacrifices made on this day, September 11th, 11 years ago!

Heavenly Father,

We come before you today as men and women humbled and with heavy hearts by the events that took place on this day 11 years ago. Father, we will attempt to climb these stairs in honor of the 343 men and women who lost their lives on that day in New York. We climb for all of the victims of that terrible day but especially Father for those men and women who bravely did their jobs and what they were trained to do not knowing how the events would unfold that day. Father, we know that those brave souls who lost theirs lives that day are firmly in Your keeping. Humbly, Father, we ask that protect us as we make this climb today in their honor. Protect us and give us strength to complete the climb safely and with honor. Lord, help us also to forgive as You so graciously forgive us. Father we ask this in your Son’s most precious name, Jesus Christ. Amen

This morning I joined with 343 Firefighters at the Denver Memorial Stair Climb. Prior to the Climb itself, (55 stories up, freight elevator down, 55 stories up – mirroring the 110 stories of the World Trade Center) we had a moment of silence, at the exact time that one of the towers went down, listened to the bagpipers play Amazing Grace (very moving), and then I was fortunate to be able to read the prayer above.

A few weeks ago, I asked Cary Sloan to write the prayer for us. Cary is a life long Castle Rock Resident and was recently medically retired from the Colorado Springs Fire Department. He suffers from Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS). I really appreciate Cary taking time to pen this most beautiful prayer. It speaks volumes. While Cary could not be with us for the prayer, Cameron, a Fire Explorer from The Colorado Springs Fire Department made the climb in his honor.

This is Cary and Cameron after the climb when we stopped to visit Cary at his house.

I really liked the plaque on the wall that speaks volumes about Cary.

This is my 6th year doing the Stair Climb. I always walk in honor of Fr. Mychal Judge who was the FDNY Chaplain killed in the line of duty on September 11th. What I like and respect about Fr. Judge was that he always made time in his busy schedule to be with Firefighters and their families in their times of need. He is a great model of what a Fire Chaplain should be, one that I try to live up to on a daily basis. It has been and continues to be an extraordinarily graced walk to be with both Firefighters and Police Officers in their time of need. What inspires me is to reflect on the events of September 11th, 11 years ago and see the stories of courage, of self sacrifice, of giving without counting the cost, and extraordinary bravery. It daily inspires me to go above and beyond!

May we never forget those who have died on September 11th in New York, Washington, D.C. and in Pennsylvania!

Fr. Brad

Legacy, Honor, Valor, Mentorship, Living Life to the Full, Excellence!

Last night I had the privilege of attending an awards banquet hosted by the Center for Public Service Excellence. The Center for Public Service Excellence provides training for Fire and Emergency Services agencies and also provides recognized accreditation for Fire Departments. Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Department recently completed all of their preparatory work and after site inspections and review of their work, was awarded accreditation. That is a great milestone for this department and it was an honor to sit with Chief Morales and his great team that worked so hard on this. Sincerest Congratulations!!!

During the banquet there were a number of speakers who spoke about things that should be really important in each of our lives. One speaker spoke about the value of mentorship and he made it a point of recognizing someone in the room who has served as a mentor to him. Another speaker spoke about legacy. Another speaker spoke about how he sees great promise in the “younger generation” of firefighters and command staff. I know that I am personally very grateful for the daily opportunity to serve as a Fire Chaplain. Daily I get to see and be nourished by the great virtues of legacy, mentorship, providing excellence in service and compassionate care.

Prior to the banquet, I met someone who has spent a lot of time in Aurora with the victims and families of those impacted by the tragic and deadly shooting. She asked me to continue to pray for those affected. I would ask you daily to do the same. She also asked me to continue to pray for all the first responders and victims advocates, and I would ask you to please do the same.

Officer Matt Tyner

This past Tuesday, joined with many others to remember Colorado Springs Police Officer Matt Tyner who was killed on the line of duty. Listening to the heartfelt words from Chief Carey and his fellow officers and Chaplain, I learned a lot from Matt’s unique zest for life. He really tried to live every moment of every day well. He had a love for outdoor activities, for close friendships with many people, for making his separate friends feel part of the bigger family. He was remarkable. Prior to moving over to the Motorcycle squad, Matt was in training and was a great mentor and trained with a great heart. As you can see by his picture, he had a great smile.

I would just ask you to continue to pray for eternal rest for Matt, for his wonderful family, and for the men and women of the Colorado Springs Police Department for strength and comfort during this time of grief and loss. I ask you to pray for those from the Colorado Springs Fire Department and AMR who responded to the scene that the Lord gives them strength as well.

Thanks Officer Matt Tyner for leaving a great legacy, for your commitment to providing excellent training and mentorship and for your zest for life. You will be greatly missed, but not forgotten!

Fr. Brad