COLORADO SPRINGS. When Catholic Charities of Central Colorado purchased the former Helen Hunt Elementary School in late 2022, dry erase boards, maps and other items left behind by teachers and students still hung on the walls. The school, which opened in 1902 and operated for more than a century, had essentially stood frozen in time since it was closed due to declining enrollment in 2016. Various nonprofits had occupied parts of the building, including Catholic Charities, but its age and other factors made substantive renovations a challenging prospect.

SEDALIA.  It’s been 17 years since Jesuit Father Joe Laramie lived in Colorado, but in some ways it seems like he never left.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Many Catholics in the Diocese of Colorado Springs may be aware that Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the diocese, and that Bishop James Golka dedicated a new shrine in her honor, located at 927 N. Logan Ave., on July 5. But the connection between the two is even more meaningful when considered in light of the symbolism found in the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that was miraculously imprinted on the tilma of St. Juan Diego, according to a priest considered to be one of the world’s top experts on the subject.

Dominating the skyline of 1200-year-old Hamburg, Germany, stands the towering ruins of St. Nikolai Church.  At the time of its reconstruction in 1874, it was the world’s tallest building. Today it is a blackened skeleton of its former glory and a haunting reminder of one of the most devastating bombing campaigns of World War II. In July 1943, the Allied Combined Bomber Offensive launched Operation Gomorrah, a multi-day campaign that culminated in some of the war’s most devastating firebombing.

COLORADO SPRINGS.  The Diocese of Colorado Springs held two Discernment Retreats this past summer: one on July 12 for men ages 18-40, and one on Aug. 16 for boys ages 11-17.  This was the third consecutive year for these discernment retreats and it was also the third consecutive year that Bishop James Golka was our keynote speaker.