Archbishop Chaput’s column this week is taken from the homily he delivered at the episcopal ordination of new auxiliary Bishop James D. Conley on May 30 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

As I was preparing my thoughts on…

Catholic leadership in the secular world belongs to laypeople, not to clergy or religious. The visible role of the priest in public affairs-if by public affairs we mean political affairs-should normally be pretty small.

It’s very dangerous for the Church to…

A friend of mine grew up in a family where her father worked for General Motors. When she was young, the company transferred her dad around the Midwest every few years. The good news is that she made many different friends, some of whom have lasted a lifetime. The bad news is that she never really set down roots until adulthood. She has no single city or town from her childhood that she remembers as "home."

Military families often have the same experience. Assignments come and go during an armed forces career. Families must learn to find "home" in each other and in faithful friends who understand the unique rhythm of a family life ruled by larger obligations. A life on the move can be fruitful and rewarding, my friend likes to say. But easy, it's not.

Over the past few years, as I've talked about Catholics and the obligations of citizenship, two quotations have always guided my thinking.

The first is from the French writer Charles Péguy. Péguy once said that "Freedom is a system based on…

For millions of Christians around the world, Feb. 6 this year marked the beginning of Lent, the annual season of almsgiving, self-examination and repentance. Lent prepares us for the great feast of Easter. The fasting and acts of self-denial most…

Personal witness is always the best proof of what we claim to believe. And this year, like every other year, with or without an election, we need to apply the idea of Catholic witness in a special way to our…

"Consider the major poll of those who attended the Iowa caucuses; it was done at the behest of the four major television networks plus CNN and the AP. Republicans were asked two questions: whether it mattered that the candidate shared…

When the first Harry Potter movie arrived in theaters several years ago, many Catholic families had divided views about the film. Some enjoyed it as an innocent and intriguing fantasy. Others avoided it because of its emphasis on magic. But the…

Pope Benedict XVI released his new encyclical letter, “On Christian Hope,” Nov. 30, just two days before the beginning of Advent. Not surprisingly, the Holy Father’s timing was perfect because Advent, more than any other season of the year, is…

The Roman statesman Cicero once said that, "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." Gratitude expresses our dependence on others. By its nature, it leads to humility and wisdom, because a grateful…

In early November, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) broke ground on a new headquarters and clinic in northeast Denver.  Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains purchased this property secretly under the guise of Fuller 38 LLC.

Planned Parenthood…

Dante Alighieri wrote "The Divine Comedy" in the early decades of the 14th century. Nearly 700 years later, this epic poem remains one of the great achievements of human literature. As art, Dante's use of language is supremely beautiful. But…

On the eve of Colorado's last execution, exactly 10 years ago, I wrote the following words in these pages:

Most arguments against capital punishment demonstrate that it doesn't work as a deterrent — but let's say it does.

Most arguments against capital…

All of Us Are Judged by What We Do

"When former Governor Bill Owens took the [state] helm in 1999, he brought with him an old-fashioned view that the state constitution should be observed. One provision in that document, approved by…

Part of being a good parent or spouse is the willingness to listen with an open heart to the people you love — their hopes, fears, frustrations, joys and also sometimes their anger. The same skill applies to good pastors.…

What follows is a set of questions and answers on reasons priests use NOT to preach on NFP that Archbishop Charles Chaput published in his diocesan newspaper after he issued his pastoral letter Of Human Life in 1998.

1. Isn't a…

But we live in a culture where common sense can be rare. Thus, nobody should be surprised at the pre-emptive criticism and anxiety already directed at a Church document that deals with homosexuality and the priesthood.

Dated November 4 and released…

Then he writes about the strange winter customs of a barbarian nation called Niatirb.

It’s worth reading as we get deeper into Advent. I’ll share with you just one passage.

In the middle of winter when fogs and rains most abound,…

Last week the bishops of the United States met in Chicago. We voted overwhelmingly to extend the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People for another five years with no significant changes.

The reason is simple. While…

Nearly 250 people showed up at the John Paul II Center (in Denver, CO) in early May " double the number we expected " for a history lesson. They filled the seats, lined the walls and then spilled out of…

Like Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth, Mel Gibson's superbly done motion picture, The Passion of the Christ, drives right through the fatigue and cynicism of the modern world and straight into the human heart.

These films touch us not just because they're beautifully…

Demography is destiny. Children literally embody the future. A culture that does not welcome, encourage, protect and support children is on the way to its own extinction. Using that standard, the nations of once-Christian Europe have already selected themselves for…

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with…

Over the course of my three decades as a priest, I've noticed that many Christian men and women " too many " reach adulthood with a mental picture of Jesus that's quite strange. It doesn't correspond to His reality at…

The 2004 election has come and gone, but the issues facing us as a nation remain just as promising and intractable as they were a month ago. Elections focus our attention. They fire up our emotions. But the real work…

(This column appeared in the Denver Catholic Register on September 8, 2004.)

Heavenly Father, your Son Jesus Christ, through His suffering and death on the Cross, gave Himself as a gift of love for the reconciliation and salvation of all peoples. He…

(This column is adapted from the archbishop's homily at the May 7, 2004 dedication service of new facilities for Denver's archdiocesan seminaries — Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary and St. John Vianney Theological Seminary.)

The Gospel today, Luke 10:1-16, seems…

We don't have a “vocations crisis.” We have a hearing problem. God's calling plenty of young men to the priesthood and plenty of young women to religious life. But they don't answer because they can't hear, or they're afraid, or…

When a man and woman fall in love and choose each other in marriage, they also choose to forego other choices. They submit themselves to each other. They give up certain rights over themselves out of love, and they take…

Genuine Faith Informs Political Decisions

The reason is simple: It's true. Our actions prove who we are. If a gulf exists between what we say, how we look and what we do, we're not living in a spirit of truth. A…

(Editor's Note: This homily was given by Archbishop Chaput in the wake of the September 11, 2001 tragedy.)

Mother Teresa once said that heaven and hell are not only real — they begin for each of us right here on earth,…

(Archbishop Chaput delivered this address on the occasion of accepting “The Threshold Award” from the Youth for the Third Millennium Catholic Missionaries, Union League, New York City, October 17, 2000.)

Somebody from the Bauhaus school of architecture - it was…

Editor's Note: What follows is an excerpt from Archbishop Chaput's welcoming remarks on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2001, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, at a concert celebrating Dr. Horst Buchholz's 25 years of service to sacred music.

In writing about…

In the summer of 1963, a friend of mine — she was just 11 at the time — drove with her family to visit her sister, who had married and moved away to Birmingham, Ala. They stopped for gas in…

The formation that parents give their children is critical to the child’s development and, if done with love, will prepare them for their place in the world.

Here is some good advice on what to teach your children. Remember, what you…

Let’s begin with a simple question: What do women want? I said it was simple, not easy — and it’s Sigmund Freud’s question, not mine. In fact, when we’re talking about God, it may not be the right question.

What Does…

Some priests have lost their ministry, and some bishops have lost their credibility over the issue of clergy sexual abuse.

From the national perspective, few priests and bishops were guilty of any wrongdoing in this scandal, but that doesn't matter.…

Archbishop Chaput serves in the Archdiocese of Denver.

(Editor's Note: The following column has been adapted from remarks Archbishop Chaput delivered to the Rotary Club of Denver on October 10.)

She earns about $30,000 a year. She told me once that while it made…

Nor is he simply the presider at the liturgy, the leader of the assembly, or the preacher of God's word — though he's all those things, as well.

Every Catholic priest is an icon of Jesus Christ and acts in…

(Archbishop Chaput serves in the Archdiocese of Denver.)

One of the joys I have experienced since coming to northern Colorado is seeing the large number of young adults involved in the life of our archdiocese, both in parishes and interparochial young…

First, we need to stop thinking of the Church as some kind of religious corporation, and start treating the Church as our mother and teacher. The Church is not an “it.” The Church is a “she.” We can love our…

These words from the Book of Joel, which we hear at Mass in the First Reading of Ash Wednesday, should guide us throughout Lent.

All of us live much of our lives with an interior struggle. On the one hand,…

In organizing my thoughts for today, I came across an article in the February 21 New York Times. I'd like to share it with you, because it offers a good context for our discussion this morning. It's entitled, “The Far…

Archbishop Chaput serves in the Archdiocese of Denver.

Atlanta Congress

June 16, 2001

The topic for our reflection this afternoon is “Come to me: Be with me,” and as I was pulling together my thoughts for today, I asked a married friend what he…

Editor's Note: The following address was delivered by Archbishop Chaput on May 1, 1999, to the pastoral workers of the Diocese of Cheyenne. Catholic Exchange offers the address to its readers in three parts this week, presenting the final installment…

Editor's Note: The following address was delivered by Archbishop Chaput on May 1, 1999, to the pastoral workers of the Diocese of Cheyenne. Catholic Exchange offers the address to its readers in three parts this week on Monday, Wednesday, and…

Editor's Note: The following address was delivered by Archbishop Chaput on May 1, 1999, to the pastoral workers of the Diocese of Cheyenne. Catholic Exchange offers the address to its readers in three parts this week on Monday, Wednesday, and…

Real love is always fruitful. It's never barren. Marriage is a love story. The love of husbands and wives bears fruit most obviously in the lives of their children, but also in many forms of Christian service . . .…

Martin Luther once said, “Don't lie when you pray.”

That may sound like an odd place to begin a discussion of how families should share in the building of society. But I think it's exactly the right place. Jesus told…

The Letter to Diognetus, which was written in the Second Century, says that “the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct…