Most people know that Chancellor Dan Ritchie is a leader in Colorado community affairs and in the renewal of the University of Denver. But many people don’t know that he has also quietly helped the Archdiocese of Denver in a number of ways over the years.

So when he asked for our assistance with “Bridges to the Future,” I was glad to say yes. “Bridges to the Future” is the joint, yearlong University of Denver/Colorado State University effort to promote community discussion of key moral issues facing the United States in the aftermath of 9/11. The program has already brought an extraordinary list of speakers to Colorado, from Norman Schwarzkopf to Elie Wiesel to Mary Ann Glendon.

On March 31, “Bridges to the Future” will offer another outstanding voice to the wider Denver community: Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., archbishop of Chicago. As a priest, Father George was one of the key theological minds in the United States and an invaluable source of counsel to the American bishops. As a bishop, first in Yakima, Wash., then very briefly in Portland, Ore., and now in Chicago, Cardinal George is a Church leader with an international reputation as one of the Catholic faith’s most important and articulate pastors.

I’ve known Cardinal George for many years. I’m grateful and privileged to call him a friend. He’s a man who combines in his work a tremendous intellect and grasp of global issues, with personal warmth and a deep faithfulness to the Church. Hearing him speak is well worth the time of every adult Catholic in Northern Colorado. I’ll be there, and I enthusiastically invite you to be there, as well!

Cardinal George will speak at the University of Denver at 7:30 p.m., March 31, and his talk is open to the public. All are welcome. Watch for details in the March 19 and 26 issues of the Denver Catholic Register.

March 31 is significant for another reason as well. That’s the day Blake Fischer steps down as director of our St. Malo Retreat Center. Over the past 16 years, Blake and his excellent staff have worked tirelessly to build our St. Malo ministry into the center for reflection and spiritual renewal it is today.

This hasn’t always been easy. The financial challenges of running a retreat center can be daunting. Community relations take constant tending. It’s a tribute to Blake’s skill that Malo has survived and grown.

Of course, while Blake will be taking his career in a new direction, he’ll be around to offer his support to Malo’s new leadership team from the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (SCV). The SCV is one of the energized new forms of Catholic mission that emerged after Vatican II — officially, it is a “lay society of apostolic life, of pontifical right.” Comprised mainly of consecrated laymen, it also includes priests and some married couples.

The SCV began in Peru more than 30 years ago, but it has spread with great success throughout Latin America, to Europe, and now — in Colorado — to the United States. And while the Sodalitium is new to the archdiocese, it isn’t exactly a stranger. Two groups closely associated with the Sodalitium — the Christian Life Movement, and the Marian Community of Reconciliation for consecrated laywomen — have worked here fruitfully for years.

The SCV team, led by José Ambrozic, will officially assume responsibility for Malo on July 1, but it’s already working smoothly with the current staff, all of whom have been invited to remain. Malo’s mission as an archdiocesan center for retreat and reflection will not change. In fact, building on Blake’s good work, it will soon be even more effective.

All of the Sodalitium team members at Malo are fully bilingual in English and Spanish. And one of the team’s members is Father Emilio Garreaud, Malo’s new permanent chaplain. Going forward, a priest will always be on site and available to Malo retreatants. Blake deserves the thanks of the people of the archdiocese for the great work he’s done over the years. We’ve been blessed by his commitment.

And now we have a new blessing before us — the four outstanding men who begin a new Malo chapter on July 1. I’m delighted and grateful to welcome the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae to Colorado. And I warmly encourage parishes and other Catholic organizations to experience the SCV’s wonderful spirit firsthand by choosing Malo for retreats.

The Denver Catholic Register will be covering Malo and the new SCV leadership team in the coming weeks.