Archdiocese of Denver
16
Homeless Shelters Ministries
Samaritan House Ministry
S
amaritan House is a Transitionary Shelter,
that helps men, women and children
facing homelessness and assists them in
finding a path to self-sufficiency. Their
program helps residents feel secure with
basic needs so they can focus on learning
life skills to become self-sufficient in a 120-
day program. They also partner with outside
organizations to help residents with other
resources and referrals.
Deacons have assisted in numerous ways.
They assist by helping the residents with
their spiritual needs by assisting at Mass and
Bible studies. They assist with the daily needs
of the residents by helping at the shelter or
collecting toiletry items or clothing.
The residents also receive individual spiritual
assistance, as well as classes on Scripture from
deacons. The deacon shares an interpretation
of the readings and discusses the application
of the readings to daily life and helps residents
go deeper into their spiritual life.
i
Deacon Bill Ertmer
ertmerkaren@hotmail.com
303.322.7706
Fallen Away Catholics
M
any in our community were raised
Catholic, but no longer practice their
faith or have serious questions about their
faith. Six people leave Catholicism for
everyone that joins. Half of young Americans
who were raised Catholic, but no longer
identify as Catholic today. Four out of five
Catholics who left the Church left before
age 23. Millions of parents grieve for their
fallen-away children and describe their
situation as "helpless" and "hopeless."
All have stories, and all have reasons for
leaving. It is important to reach out to them,
reconnect with them, answer their questions,
and bring the baptized back home to the
faith. The deacons in this ministry have
helped individuals come back on a case-by-
case basis, but now are forming, preparing,
and inviting parishioners to join in 5 to 6
weeks of book study and discussion on the
newly released book from the Word on Fire
Institute "Return" by Brandon Vogt.
i
Deacon Huan Nguyen
stjohnbaptist123@outlook.com
303.506.3321
Deacon Richard Milinazzo
deaconrich@stjp2.org
303.946.7247
