The Archdiocese of Denver ( la, Archidiœcesis Denveriensis) is a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Jo ...

ecclesiastical jurisdiction or

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associ ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

that encompasses northern

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

. It is part of the XIII Conference Region and includes 113 parishes, 307 priests, and an estimated 550,000 lay Catholics. The seat of the archdiocese is the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception at 401 East

Colfax Avenue Colfax Avenue is the main street that runs east–west through the Denver metropolitan area in Colorado. As U.S. Highway 40, it was one of two principal highways serving Denver before the Interstate Highway System was constructed. In the local ...

. The current Archbishop of Denver is Samuel Aquila. The Archdiocese of Denver is the

metropolitan archdiocese A metropolis religious jurisdiction, or a metropolitan archdiocese, is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces. ...

of its

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sev ...

, which also includes three

suffragan diocese A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandri ...

: the Dioceses of Cheyenne,

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, and

Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

Area

The archdiocese covers an area of which includes the city and county of

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and the Colorado counties of Adams, Arapahoe,

Boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In ...

, Broomfield, Jefferson, Larimer,

Logan Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gov ...

, and Weld. Between the archdiocese's creation and the erection of the Diocese of Pueblo in 1941, the Archdiocese of Denver was the sole Latin Church jurisdiction in the state of Colorado.

History

The area that now comprises the Archdiocese of Denver was part of the Diocese of Santa Fe. In 1868,

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

split territory from the Diocese of Santa Fe in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

and the Diocese of Grass Valley in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

to form the Vicariate Apostolic of Colorado and

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

. In 1870, he changed the name to the Vicariate Apostolic of Colorado, and transferred the territory of Utah to the

Archdiocese of San Francisco The Archdiocese of San Francisco (Latin: ''Archdiœcesis Sancti Francisci''; Spanish: ''Archidiócesis de San Francisco'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the Unite ...

. August 16, 1887,

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...

created the Diocese of Denver, which covered the entire state of Colorado. On November 15, 1941,

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

separated territory from the Diocese of Denver to form the

Diocese of Pueblo The Diocese of Pueblo ( la, Dioecesis Pueblensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southern Colorado. The diocese was created on November 15, 1941. It encompasses the southern half of Colorado, fro ...

and elevated the Denver Diocese to an archdiocese. On November 10, 1983,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

separated territory from both the Archdiocese of Denver and the Diocese of Pueblo to form the Diocese of Colorado Springs. On May 29, 2012,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...

named Bishop Samuel Joseph Aquila of the Diocese of Fargo, North Dakota as fifth archbishop of Denver. Bishop James Conley served as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese from the departure of Archbishop

Charles J. Chaput Charles Joseph Chaput ( ; born September 26, 1944) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the ninth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, serving from 2011 until 2020. He previously served as arch ...

in September 2011 until the new Archbishop was installed July 18, 2012, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Reports of sex abuse

In 1996, the priest John Stein, who was arrested for sex abuse charges in 1956, settled a sex abuse lawsuit on terms which were confidential. The man suing Stein accused Stein of molesting him hundreds of times over a three-year period starting in 1953. Stein, who died in 2001, also had two other accusers as well. On October 23, 2019, Colorado Attorney General

Phil Weiser Philip Jacob Weiser is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the 39th Colorado Attorney General, since 2019. He is the Hatfield Professor of Law and Telecommunications, Executive Director and Founder of the Silicon Flatirons Center ...

released the results of an eight-month investigation revealing that 43 Catholic clergy were credibly accused of sexually abusing at least 166 children throughout the state of Colorado since 1950. At least 127 of these children were molested by 22 clergy serving in the Archdiocese of Denver. The report also criticized archdiocese's handling of cases involving the priest Harold Robert White, who was referred to as "the most prolific known clergy child sex abuser in Colorado history." White, who was first accused of sex abuse in 1960, was transferred to different parishes throughout Colorado and was accused of sexually abusing 63 children. He was not permanently removed from ministry until 1993 and died in 2006. On October 16, 2020, it was revealed that all three of Colorado's Catholic Dioceses, including the Archdiocese of Denver, had paid $6.6 million in compensation to 81 victims of clergy sex abuse within the past year, regardless of how long ago the abuse happened. On December 1, 2020, Weiser's final report revealed that there were an additional 9 credibly accused clergy and 46 alleged victims in both in the Archdiocese of Denver and its suffragan Diocese of Pueblo. A total 52 priests who served in the Archdiocese of Denver and its two Colorado suffragan Dioceses of Pueblo and Colorado Springs were named in the final report as having committed acts of sex abuse. Prominent Archdiocese of Denver priest Charles B. Woodrich, also known as "Father Woody," was among those listed. Father Woody was known for his work in local homeless shelters. Woodrich was among five priests added to the final report who were accused of committing acts of sex abuse while serving in the Archdiocese of Denver.

Bishops

Bishops of Denver

Joseph Projectus Machebeuf Joseph Projectus Machebeuf (August 11, 1812 – July 10, 1889) was a French Roman Catholic missionary and the first Bishop of Denver. Biography The oldest of five children, Machebeuf was born in Riom to Michael and Gilberte (née Plauc) M ...

(1868–1889) #

Nicholas Chrysostom Matz Nicholas Chrysostom Matz (April 6, 1850 – August 9, 1917) was a French-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Denver from 1889 until his death in 1917. Biography Nicholas Matz was born in Munster, Lorraine, to Ant ...

(1889–1917) #

John Henry Tihen John Henry Tihen (July 14, 1861 – January 14, 1940) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska (1911–1917) and as bishop of the Diocese of Denver in Colorado (1917–19 ...

(1917–1931) # Urban John Vehr (1931–1941), Elevated to

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

Archbishops of Denver

# Urban John Vehr (1941–1967) #

James Vincent Casey James Vincent Casey (September 22, 1914 – March 14, 1986) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska (1957–1967) and Archbishop of Denver, Colorado (1967–1986). Biography Early life and ...

(1967–1986) #

James Francis Stafford James Francis Stafford (born July 26, 1932) is an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as major penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary from 2003 to 2009. He previously served as president of the Pontifical Council ...

(1986–1996), appointed President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and later Major Penitentiary of the

Apostolic Penitentiary The Apostolic Penitentiary (), formerly called the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, is a dicastery of the Roman Curia and is one of the three ordinary tribunals of the Apostolic See. The Apostolic Penitentiary is chiefly a tri ...

(elevated to

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

in 1998) #

, OFM Cap (1997–2011), appointed Archbishop of Philadelphia # Samuel Joseph Aquila (2012–present)

Auxiliary bishops of Denver

* David M. Maloney (1961–1967), appointed Bishop of Wichita * George Evans (1969–1985) * Richard Hanifen (1974–1984), appointed Bishop of Colorado Springs * Jose Horacio Gómez Velasco (2001–2005), appointed

Archbishop of San Antonio The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the United States, and sui juris Latin Church in full communion with the pope of Rome. It encompasses in the U.S. state of Texas. The Roman Catholic Archdi ...

and later Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles and subsequently succeeded to the latter see * James D. Conley (2008–2012), appointed

Bishop of Lincoln The Bishop of Lincoln is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and ...

* Jorge Rodríguez-Novelo (2016–present)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* Hubert Michael Newell, appointed Coadjutor Bishop (in 1947) and later Bishop of Cheyenne * Ralph Walker Nickless, appointed Bishop of Sioux City in 2005 * John Baptist Pitaval, appointed Auxilary Bishop of Santa Fe in 1902 and later

Archbishop of Santa Fe The Archdiocese of Santa Fe ( la, Archidioecesis Sanctae Fidei in America Septentrionali, link=no, es, Arquidiócesis de Santa Fe, link=no) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the southwestern region of the United States in ...

High schools

Bishop Machebeuf Catholic High School Bishop Machebeuf High School is an Archdiocesan school under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, in Denver, Colorado Background Founded in 1958 as "Bishop Machebeuf Catholic High School", it is named after Bishop Joseph Projectus Machebeuf, ...

, Denver * Holy Family High School, Broomfield

Seminaries

Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary is a Catholic Church, Catholic seminary in Denver, Colorado. It is located at 1300 South Steele Street in the Cory-Merrill neighborhood of Denver, on the campus of the St. John Paul II Center for the New E ...

, Denver

Cemeteries

* Saint Simeon Catholic Cemetery is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a bu ...

operated by the

Archdiocese of Denver The Archdiocese of Denver ( la, Archidiœcesis Denveriensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church that encompasses northern Colorado. It is part of the XIII Conference Region and includes 113 parishes, ...

. The cemetery is located at 22001 E. State Highway 30,

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

, CO 80018, adjacent to

Buckley Space Force Base Buckley Space Force Base is a United States Space Force base in Aurora, Colorado named after United States Army Air Service First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley. The base is run by Space Base Delta 2, with major units including the U.S. Space Fo ...

. * Mount Olivet Cemetery, Wheat Ridge, consecrated 1892 * Saint Simeon Catholic Cemetery, Aurora, dedicated 2004

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Archdiocese Of Denver Catholic Church in Colorado

1868 establishments in Colorado Territory Christianity in Denver