COLORADO SPRINGS. Evelyn Koprowski, a longtime volunteer at Marian House and parishes in the diocese, died Jan. 4 at age 79. A Vigil will be held on Feb. 24 from 5-7 p.m. at Swan-Law Funeral Chapel, 501 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, 80903. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. at Holy Trinity Church, 3122 Poinsetta Dr., Colorado Springs, 80907. 

COLORADO SPRINGS. Patricia “Pat” Stearns, mother of Father John Stearns, died Nov. 12, 2025, at age 87. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Dec. 10 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, followed by burial at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Kiowa.  

GRAND ISLAND, NE. Patricia J. “Pat” Golka, the mother of Bishop James Golka, died Jan. 5 in Grand Island, Nebraska. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated  Jan. 9 at St. Leo’s Parish in Grand Island, followed by interment in the Grand Island City Cemetery. 

AURORA. Father John Auer, who served as pastor at several parishes in the Diocese of Colorado Springs before his retirement in 2016, died Nov. 20 at age 79. Funeral arrangements are as follows:

Dec. 4, 5-6 p.m.: Vigil, St. Mary’s Cathedral

Dec. 5, 10 a.m.: Mass of Christian Burial, St. Mary’s Cathedral

Dec. 9, 11 a.m.: Interment at Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs (priest section)

COLORADO SPRINGS. It’s hardly news that planning for death — or, more precisely, for what happens after it — may be the least popular to-do list item ever.

Yet consider the alternative: if a person dies without putting their wishes down on paper, they leave the funeral planning in the hands of grief-stricken family members who may or may not practice the Catholic faith. Increasingly, the Catholic Church is encouraging parents to spare their kids the anxiety of working through funeral details.