Look, up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane…no, it’s Prayer One!
Prayer One is a ministry started by pilot Jeff Puckett and Christian pastor Tom Melton of Greenwood Community Church. It all started fourteen years ago, when Jeff Puckett was sitting on a beach in the Bahamas with some buddies, pondering what they could ask God for.
“I came up with question, selfishly, of asking God for a helicopter,” Puckett said.
Now, Puckett uses his helicopter, called Prayer One, to fly people in Christian ministry around the skies of Denver with a few goals in mind: to allow ministry workers to take a breath after a weekend full of giving of themselves at church, to connect churches that wouldn’t necessarily have connected otherwise and to pray over the city of Denver.
On Oct. 25, Puckett was able to fulfill a long time dream of his by landing in the center of the Stations of the Cross at the John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization in Denver. The sidewalk surrounding the Stations forms an Ichthys, more commonly known as the Jesus fish, and after flying over it for years, he wanted to land the helicopter in the center and get a picture from the top down to use as the new logo for Prayer One.
“I wanted a picture of the helicopter straight down with the fish because that’s what it’s about,” he said.
Throughout the afternoon, Puckett was kind enough to take seminarians, clergy, chancery employees and even Bishop-elect Jorge Rodriguez up into the skies to enjoy a short helicopter ride and pray over the city of Denver.
“It was wonderful,” Bishop-elect Rodriguez said.
Prayer One pilot and owner Jeff Puckett takes priests, deacons, seminarians and other archdiocese personnel on a tour around Denver to bless the city on October 25, 2016, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Anya Semenoff/Denver Catholic)
Prayer One pilot and owner Jeff Puckett gives an introductory speech before taking priests, deacons, seminarians and other archdiocese personnel on a tour around Denver to bless the city. (Photo by Anya Semenoff/Denver Catholic)
Bishop-elect Jorge Rodriguez, left, offers a prayer before embarking on a tour around Denver to bless the city aboard the Prayer One helicopter. He prayed a for safety and a blessing over Puckett’s ministry. (Photo by Anya Semenoff/Denver Catholic)
Sister Francisca Igweilo smiles as she prepares to take off aboard the Prayer One helicopter. (Photo by Andrew Wright/Denver Catholic)
Bishop-elect Jorge Rodriguez puts his headphones on and prepares to take off in the Prayer One helicopter. (Photo by Andrew Wright/Denver Catholic)
An aerial view of Downtown Denver from Prayer One, including the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception near the center. (Photo by Brett Bussen/Denver Catholic)
Denver comes into view aboard Prayer One as pilot and owner Jeff Puckett takes priests, deacons, seminarians and other archdiocese personnel on a tour around Denver. (Photo by Anya Semenoff/Denver Catholic)
An aerial view of Sports Authority Field from Prayer One. (Photo by Brett Bussen/Denver Catholic)
An aerial view of the St. John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization. Towards the upper left is the sidewalk surrounding the Stations of the Cross, in the shape of the Ichthys, or Jesus Fish. (Photo by Brett Bussen/Denver Catholic)
Father Emilio Franchomme, right, watches as Prayer One pilot and owner Jeff Puckett takes off from the St. John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization for a tour around Denver to bless the city. (Photo by Anya Semenoff/Denver Catholic)