(Editor’s note: The following is part of a year-long series highlighting the 15th anniversary of the Office of Marriage and Family Life.

COLORADO SPRINGS. A decree establishing diocesan-wide norms for marriage preparation and the sacrament of matrimony was promulgated by Bishop Michael Sheridan on Oct. 3, 2019, and those who work with engaged couples say that it is already having a positive impact on their ministry.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Innovative and interactive “prayer stations” allow participants to experience prayer and meditation in unique ways that help them to encounter God.

By creating an environment and atmosphere that focuses on a particular theme, scripture passage, or liturgical season, prayer stations help guide participants into a potentially deeper relationship with God.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Donald Rocco Bocast died Aug. 13 at age 95 from complications of vascular dementia. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Joseph Parish in Colorado Springs on Aug. 25. Interment took place on Aug. 31 at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

MONUMENT. Jim Pepper, a longtime youth leader and coach at Corpus Christi Parish, St. Mary’s High School and St. Peter Parish in Monument, died Aug. 21 at age 70. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Aug. 29 at St. Peter.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Michele Mason, director of the 40 Days for Life Colorado Springs campaign, was named 2020 Leader of the Year by the international 40 Days for Life organization.

The new Pregnancy Center will have a eucharistic adoration chapel upstairs!”

We rejoiced at this news from Father Bill Carmody many years ago.

Some of us have fond memories praying before the Blessed Sacrament in the attic of the Old Colorado City Pregnancy Center. Sure, it was freezing cold in the winter and extremely hot in the summer. In fact, sometimes it was so hot, sweat would drip down the face of the adorer who was there. However, even in those extreme conditions, we were so incredibly blessed to be with Our Lord, asking him to save lives and to stop the abortions that were happening right across the street at Planned Parenthood on Colorado Avenue.

Do I really have to vote in elections? I hate politics!”

I hear this question a lot — especially this year.

Catholics have a moral obligation to promote the common good through the exercise of their voting privileges (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2240).

COLORADO SPRINGS. Fifteen Knights of Columbus Councils from the Diocese of Colorado Springs were recently honored for their fraternal and service efforts to Catholic parishes and communities by the national and state offices of the Knights. 

Let me just start by saying that I might be an unfamiliar name to many readers of The Colorado Catholic Herald, something that I hope to rectify! Following my presbyteral ordination, I spent two incredible years at Holy Apostles Parish in Colorado Springs. At the conclusion of those, Bishop Michael Sheridan asked that I pursue an advanced degree in biblical theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. So, while Colorado never left my heart, I left Colorado. Now, after two years of study, I am back in the diocese!

LITTLETON. St. Katharine Drexel School, located a Pax Christi Parish in Littleton, now has students in preschool, prekindergarten, kindergarten and first grade. Over the summer, the school added a playground for kindergarten and first-grade students that includes swings, a climbing wall, a basketball hoop and a four-square court.

COLORADO SPRINGS. A Project Rachel Small Group Post-Abortive Healing Program will take place this fall. Men and women who are experiencing the effects of a past abortion are invited to attend. For more information, contact Rhonda Miller, Nancy Gonzalez or Deacon Dave Ross through the Project Rachel hotline at 719-866-6544.

COLORADO SPRINGS. With the Diocese of Colorado Springs’ Catholic Student Center nearing completion, a list of furnishings for the chapel as well as other items has been published for those who would like to make a memorial gift.

The Herald features a collage of photos from recent pastor installations and other events in the diocese.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Students in grades 8-12 are invited to enter a  Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest sponsored by the Knights of  Columbus. Participants should submit a 500-750 word essay about how trusting in God during a difficult time has helped them or someone they know endure it.

COLORADO SPRINGS. When Colorado was ordered to shut down all gatherings in March to stop the spread of COVID-19, parish faith formation had to shut down too. Parish formation teams across the diocese realized that their work of spreading and teaching the faith was more important than ever, and many of them went to extraordinary means to get the good news to their students, whether they shared the same space or not. All of them discovered that faith could not be cancelled or postponed by a pandemic. Faith formation directors from two parishes of the diocese shared their experiences and plans with the Herald.