It’s hard not to fix one’s gaze on the formidable neo-Gothic church of St. Dominic as one drives by Federal and Speer Boulevard in Denver. Yet its magnificent architecture contains another reality that is just as splendid: the community it has forged.
Whenever parishioners take the initiative to center their lives around the Eucharist and seek new ways of growing in their faith, you know something special is happening. For the Dominicans in charge of the parish, the recent local synodal process and the Eucharistic Revival in the Archdiocese of Denver have been a confirmation of the importance of the charism of the Order of Preachers in our time — a vision that has filled their parish with fruit. What is happening at St. Dominic’s may after all point to a new “Dominican moment” in the Church, as they see it.
“The new evangelization and what the recent local synod highlighted very much reflects why the Dominicans were founded in the 1200s. The circumstances were very similar — in a world where the Gospel was not being heeded. There was a lot of loss of credibility on the part of the Church. And even though what the Church was saying was true, no one wanted to receive it,” said Father Luke Barder, O.P., pastor of St. Dominic’s.
For that reason, Father Barder believes that the Dominican charism has something special to offer to the Church in Denver, an approach that is setting on fire the hearts of many parishioners at St. Dominic’s.
Dominican charism
But what exactly distinguishes the Dominican charism or a Dominican parish from other parishes, besides the fact that it’s led by religious priests?
“As one of our provincials said, the Church can expect two things from Dominicans: how to think and good preaching,” Father Barder said. “So, faith formation is something we really focus on, and the preaching aspect also means that we form preachers to go out into the world.”
Through the patronage of St. Dominic, the Dominican order remains an attractive religious order for young men and women who are discerning religious life. Just a few days ago, on the Solemnity of the Transfiguration, eight men donned Dominican habits and took new religious names at St. Dominic’s Parish for the Central Province as they began their novitiate year.
“The Dominicans were founded precisely to be able to bring the Gospel to the people in a way that broke through barriers,” Father Barder added, “all with a charism of joy (we were known as the joyful friars and were accused of being drunk because no one believed someone could be that happy all the time), and an emphasis on human encounter — on never forgetting that you’re dealing with human people, so that the dignity of the human person is upheld at the highest level.”
This charism is what permeates the numerous activities at St. Dominic’s Parish, from sacramental and faith formation, to working with families and encountering those in need. And just as the fruits from these liturgical, pastoral and charitable works were becoming visible, the local Synod for Evangelization came to confirm and strengthen them.
“We appreciate that the archdiocese really went into the Synod. What the Synod spoke was already happening at St. Dominic’s, but it gave new energy to what we want to do”, Father Barder said.
Family, community, and service
After much discernment and prayer regarding the future of the archdiocese, some of the highlights of the archdiocesan Synod called for a greater focus on the family, unity, community, welcoming and equipping.
St. Dominic’s Parish has united all of these through programs and collaborations with other parishes and archdiocesan entities.
“There was a desire to understand more what is going on with other parishes and how we can work together — this idea that a parish isn’t an isolated silo, but that we are part of the Church in Denver”, Father Barder said.
Thus, the parish transitioned to a joint multilingual faith formation program in collaboration with St. Bernadette’s Parish, which St. Mary Magdalene Parish will also join.
“We will have three parishes, three independent entities, that come together to do this together, bringing their gifts and sharing resources to make an impact, which is a strong part of our Dominican identity”, Father Barder added.
But it doesn’t stop there. Part of the Dominican impact that the friars want to make also entails working with other organizations. In collaboration with Catholic Charities and Marisol Health, the parish opened a new resource center called the Margaret of Costello Family Center. The center seeks to create a “one-stop shop” for young mothers by providing diapers, baby clothes, formula and other material supplies, but also an experience of dignity and a space to pray.
“This was our response to the Dobbs decision. After Roe v. Wade was overturned, we also wanted to show what [being] pro-life can look like,” Father Barder explained. “This Synod ideal of actually going out and encountering people, showing the joy of our faith, having face-to-face encounters, and working with families that struggle is very much an expression of our charism … and it’s also great to have this opportunity for our parishioners to directly encounter [others in need].”
The parish also has close ties to Christ and the City and Samaritan House. The Dominican novices, whose house is adjacent to the parish building, and other Dominican friars in residence regularly participate at some of these charitable outreach programs.
Eucharistic faith formation
Another way in which St. Dominic’s has made the local Synod come alive is through the complete transformation of their faith formation program.
“People are so hungry, they need a new way of being catechized, so we threw out the religious ed book. We don’t even call it religious ed anymore. With St. Bernadette’s Parish, we created a brand-new structure called ‘faith formation,’ which separates out sacramental preparation,” Father Barder explained. “The idea is to help create a culture of faith formation in which people know that it is not about getting sacraments, but something that every Catholic should do — something ‘from womb to tomb’ — particularly with a Dominican charism in a Dominican parish. Our goal is to have everybody in our parish be involved in some sort of faith formation program.
“And if your child or someone needs the sacraments, we work with the parents to prepare their kids for the sacraments. It’s family oriented — there’s a meal, there’s prayer, and everybody learns the same thing together but age appropriate.”
Even more, St. Dominic’s has decided to make the Mass and the Eucharist the center of all formation programs during the National Eucharistic Renewal.
“People don’t know about the Mass anymore, so this whole year we’re going to break open the Mass and the Catechism from what the liturgy talks about. We’re going to encounter the liturgy and be absorbed by it,” Father Barder said.
Study and prayer
St. Dominic’s Parish has grown tremendously. And while it is impossible to name all its activities here, it may suffice to say that over the last year many lay men and women of faith have answered the call to grow in their faith and serve others in charity — to the extent that the parish now donates ten percent of its offertory to serve the poor.
The Dominican friars are filled with joy when they see new people encounter the Lord in adoration and confession every Wednesday evening. They are also delighted to see that their community is growing, as eight novices will enter the Order of Preachers this August and will reside near the parish.
“I think what matters is seeing people and making people feel seen and welcomed and acknowledged, no matter where they are,” Father Barder concluded. “I think that’s something we as a Dominican parish and as a province can offer the Church today — through our spirituality of study, preaching, evangelization, and encounter — all informed by faith and prayer.”
For more information on St. Dominic’s Parish and the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great, visit stdominicdenver.org and opcentral.org.