Dear reader,
After eight wonderful years of working for the Denver Catholic — six of those at the helm as editor — the issue that recently arrived in your home will be my “swansong” as I step down from my post as editor.
I cannot even begin to express the deep gratitude I feel for these last eight years. Perhaps a little-known fact about me is that I am a convert to Catholicism and had only been Catholic for six months when I was graciously hired by the Archdiocese of Denver, fresh out of college with journalism degree in hand, to write for the Denver Catholic. I was essentially thrown into the deep end of the Church, and to say that the Lord has blessed me immensely is a profound understatement. In addition to the growth and experience I’ve gained in my professional career, I have fallen more and more in love with Christ’s Church over these years and am convinced that this is where I was always meant to be. I am unabashedly proud to be Catholic and to be a part of the vibrant Christian community here in the Archdiocese of Denver.
My wife and I only had one child when I started, and God has since blessed us with five more children during my time at the Denver Catholic, including most recently twins born in August. That is part of the reason why we have discerned it is time for me to move on. I will be staying home with the kids a bit more and doing more freelance writing, so you’ll still see my byline around — including, thankfully, here in the Denver Catholic!
It has been a true honor to be a part of the legacy of this storied, 124-year-old publication. These are years I will cherish for the rest of my life. Part of that is because of the incredible team I have been blessed to work alongside — a team comprised of some of the most talented and Christ-loving people I’ve ever met. More than that, though, it is due to the people I have had the privilege of meeting over the years who trusted us to share their stories. God is moving in big ways here in the archdiocese, and trust me when I say that our pews and parishes are full of faithful Catholics who are faithfully carrying out a divine mission that is changing lives.
If there’s something I’ve learned through my tenure, it is this: The world is always changing, and it is easy to be overwhelmed by the constant need to adapt and move at the frenetic pace of the world. But as St. Paul reminds us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” He must always be the sole focus of everything we do in the Church. Stay connected to him in the sacraments and spend intentional time with him in prayer. Life can be busy — I get it! — but time with him is never time that’s wasted. Most important of all, as Archbishop Aquila is always saying, abide in him. Following him faithfully will bear many fruits, and also bring many challenges, but as Our Lord himself tells us, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Yours In Christ, Aaron Lambert