Archdiocese of Denver

First month brings busy schedule, lots of correspondence

BY ARCHBISHOP CHARLES CHAPUT

In the last month, I've had the chance to visit many of the regions in the archdiocese and have been particularly impressed with the warmth and enthusiasm with which I have been received. I'm very grateful to the people for making me feel at home. I'm also grateful to the clergy, the priests and our deacons, who have prepared the celebrations, and to all the people who have worked with them.

I have received many letters from bishops and others who attended my installation a month ago, and they compliment the people of the archdiocese on their warm hospitality. We've made a good impression on the Church in our country by the way we joyfully reached out to those who came to visit. I've experienced that myself, and I am very grateful for it.

One of the things I have noticed is that our archdiocese is big -- not only geographically, but in terms of the numbers of people and their concerns and needs. In addition to my travels, I spend many hours each day answering letters that come to me from all over the archdiocese. I don't know how I can continue to respond as I have if the quantity continues at the current level, because it's been overwhelming. But I try to respond as best I can, and the letters show me that the people of the archdiocese are thoughtful and concerned about the Church and anxious to work together with me and the clergy to serve Christ and our people here.

I have received a lot of input, and I am learning. But I have a lot more to learn. I look forward to the upcoming deanery celebrations. After that, I will begin visiting parishes. So I think it will take a long time for me to feel that I am comfortably aware of all the issues.

One thing that constantly repeats itself everywhere I go is the increasing need of the Church to respond to the Hispanic presence among us. This is something I have been told on the Eastern Plains, on the Western Slope and in the northern part of the archdiocese. I am personally committed to this, but that commitment is insignificant in light of the need for each of us to respond. We must be a welcoming Church that collaborates with newcomers among us.

I would also like to share my joy at having a whole week's visit with Archbishop J. Francis Stafford, who was in Denver earlier this month to be awarded a Humanitarian Lifetime Service Award. He stayed with me the week he was here, and we had many opportunities in the evenings and other times to visit about his work in Rome and his love for the Archdiocese of Denver. He was a rich resource for me in getting to know the archdiocese from the perspective of a bishop. He and I talked about many of the dreams he had hoped to realize. He is just so obviously in love with the people of the archdiocese and this local church.

I am very happy that he is still a part of us. As the archbishop emeritus of Denver, he truly is one of the members of our archdiocese, and I think we can all be very proud of the service he is providing to the Holy Father in his role with the Pontifical Council for the Laity.