Several times each month, a “No One Dies Alone” (NODA) alert reaches approximately 35 compassionate volunteers across the Pikes Peak region. Typically initiated by a perceptive nurse who recognizes that a patient will soon die without family or friends present, the alert prompts contact with the hospital chaplain and sets in motion a coordinated vigil. Led by a NODA coordinator, this vigil attempts a continuous volunteer presence, offering a caring human connection as a life transitions.

Tucked into the natural beauty of Colorado’s landscapes, a Mary Garden offers a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of today’s fast paced world. These sacred gardens — dedicated to the Virgin Mary — blend prayer, symbolism, art and nature in a tradition that dates back to ancient Europe.

My favorite of this celestial company was St. Dympha . . . I found a frame for [her holy card] . . . and for many decades, it sat on my desk in Whitehall, to the amusement or consternation of my colleagues. I had the private enjoyment of knowing, alone among all who labour within the Foreign Office, that St. Dympha is the patroness of those afflicted with nervous disorders. In my profession I will accept all available assistance (Excerpted from “Enter the Lion: A Posthumous Memoir of Mycroft Holmes,” Hawthorn Books, 1979).

Over 10 years ago, as I was preparing to come to work for Catholic Charities, a friend suggested I read “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel), Pope Francis’ first apostolic exhortation. In those pages, I found not only an articulation of Catholic Social Teaching that would provide the practical foundation for the work of Catholic Charities, but also the honest voice of love and mercy that Pope Francis brought to the world. In that way, he has always felt like a guide in this work, and, like so many, I am deeply saddened by his passing.