Summer 2025 Denver Province Snapshots
Ordination, Professions & Jubilarians:
ORDINATION JUBILEE, Thursday, June 19:
65 Years—Alton Carr, C.Ss.R.; 60 Years—John Gouger, C.Ss.R.; Rudolph Papes, C.Ss.R., James Shea, C.Ss.R.; 50 Years—Deacon Dennis Lee, C.Ss.R.
PROFESSION JUBILEE, Thursday, August 14:
70 Years—Alton Carr, C.Ss.R.; 65 Years—John Gouger, C.Ss.R., Rudolph Papes, C.Ss.R., James Shea, C.Ss.R.; 50 Years—Andrew Thompson, C.Ss.R., Gary Ziuraitis, C.Ss.R.; 25 Years—Nghia Cao, C.Ss.R.
PROFESSION OF FIRST VOWS, Sunday, July 20: Son Lai, Efraín Bergsaí, Dang Nguyen, Cody Hill
In Remembrance:
Fr. Peter Voelker, C.Ss.R.,: Please pray for the repose of the soul of Fr. Peter Voelker, C.Ss.R., who died at the age of 89 on July 5, 2025, shortly after he was hospitalized in St. Louis, MO. A Redemptorist missionary priest for more than six decades, Fr. Peter will be remembered for his dedicated ministry to generations of Hispanic people, particularly in the South.
Peter Howley was born to Gerald and Margaret Voelker on October 9, 1935 in Fountain City, WI. He was seven years old when the family moved to San Antonio, TX and joined St. Gerard Church. Young Peter learned Spanish in third grade and soon became fluent in the language. Several Redemptorist priests involved in Hispanic ministry often visited his childhood home, and most certainly influenced his decision to pursue a religious vocation.
He entered the Redemptorist formation program at St. Joseph Preparatory College in Kirkwood, MO, where he was known as a solid, dependable student interested in serving the Hispanic community. He completed novitiate at Mount St. Clement College in DeSoto, MO and professed temporary vows on August 2, 1956. He proceeded to Immaculate Conception Seminary in Oconomowoc, WI, where he and other seminarians participated in Fr. Jimmy O’Connell’s summer ministry to Mexican migrant workers harvesting crops from South Texas to Wisconsin. He professed perpetual vows on September 2, 1959 and was ordained to the priesthood on June 29, 1961.
After finishing Tirocinium at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Parish in St. Louis in 1963, Fr. Peter completed graduate studies in History and Social Studies in preparation for his first assignment as a faculty member of Holy Redeemer Seminary in Lacombe, LA. Racial tensions were high in the early 1960s, when resistance to racial integration clashed with the ongoing Civil Rights Movement. Fr. Peter worked to break down divisions by reaching out to Black families in the area, and he arranged for the seminarians to interact with students from local Black schools.
Twelve years later, Fr. Peter was appointed assistant pastor at St. Mary’s of the Assumption/ St. Alphonsus Parish in New Orleans, a position he held until 1981. In addition to parish ministry to Spanish-speaking immigrants and Black Catholics, he helped form Christian community prayer groups throughout the nearby neighborhoods. He made many friends throughout the City of New Orleans and worked with them to break down racial prejudice. He received a “Certificate of Appreciation” for his work from Ernest Nathan Morial, the first “Black Mayor” of New Orleans.
Fr. Peter was appointed pastor and superior of the local community at Holy Redeemer Parish in Odessa, TX in 1981. After five years, he joined the Spanish Mission Team as an itinerant bilingual preacher. He enjoyed mission preaching so much that he continued to serve on the preaching team even after he was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in El Paso, TX in 1987. During the next six years, he formed small Christian communities within the parish and the outlying “colonias,” areas where people bought vacant lots in the desert on which to build homes, despite the lack of water or electricity. These small Christian communities flourished and were praised as some of the best evangelization work done in Texas and later the entire country – a great honor for Fr. Peter and the Redemptorists.
Fr. Peter was assigned to serve Hispanic immigrants at Holy Ghost Parish in Houston, TX in 1993. He and a Carmelite Sister teamed up and attended to their needs through the Catholic Charismatic Movement. During the next 30 years, they offered countless retreats for adults, youth and adolescents in the parish gymnasium, which had sufficient room to serve large crowds of people. They also educated thousands of parishioners at a weekly Bible study program. After semi-retirement at age 70, Fr. Pete continued to serve Spanish Masses at nearby parishes, and he spent four years helping a Black Catholic community in Houston start a Spanish Mass for Hispanics living in the area.
Health issues with advancing age prompted Fr. Peter’s move to the St. Clement Redemptorist Mission Community in Barnhart, MO in 2023. He continued to serve the local Hispanic community, helping out with Spanish Masses at nearby Holy Family Church in Arnold, MO up until the time of his unexpected death.
Top Story:
St. Alphonsus Rock Church Receives Grant for Windows
$500,000 Grant Received to Restore Damaged Windows: In April, St. Alphonsus Liguori ‘Rock’ Church in St. Louis was awarded a $500,000 Grant for Stained Glass Restoration. St. Alphonsus, the Redemptorists’ historic Black Catholic parish in north St. Louis, received the grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. The grant will support the restoration of the church’s iconic stained-glass windows, some of which date back to the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The windows, crafted in Munich by Mayer & Co., are over 120 years old and have suffered from environmental wear as well as from a devastating fire in 2007 that caused extensive damage to the church’s roof and spire. The grant will fund the cleaning, re-leading, and resealing of about 15 of the church’s 54 windows. The church, known for its Gothic Revival architecture and deep roots in the African American Catholic community, was the only Catholic parish among 30 Black churches nationwide to receive funding in this grant cycle. Parishioner Shannon Horstmann, who submitted multiple grant applications over the years, described the award as a deeply emotional moment. “This is such a huge honor for the Black community, for the Catholic community, and for the Black Catholic community,” she said. Watch this video on St. Alphonsus Rock Church’s restoration and the recent grant.
And More!
Redemptorists Novices Participate in Holy Week Mission in Bienvenido: This year during Holy Week, the Redemptorists in Bienvenido invited novices at the North American Novitiate to provide pastoral help while joining local communities in their Holy Week celebrations. Efraín Bergsaí and Cody Hill were assigned to the main parish of the area, San Agustin, in Bienvenido. The city was bustling with activities from the local coffee festival and the preparations for Holy Week. Fr. Jonathan introduced them to parishioners who were quite thrilled to meet them and would be assisting them throughout the week. Cody said that the parishioners were quite interested especially in talking with him and assisting him with his Spanish! Bienvenido is set in the lush green mountains of the Sierra Norte de Puebla, the center of the Province of Mexico’s Indigenous Mission. A Redemptorist community of three—Fathers Jonathan Muñoz Aguas, Alfonso Torres Almaraz, and Carlos Hernández Talavera— serves 13 communities with weekly masses and other pastoral needs.
Liguori Publications Open House: The first of four planned open houses was held at the newly renovated Liguori Publications headquarters in April. Guests included the Redemptorist community of the St. Clement Mission House and staff members. They joined the Liguori staff for tours, appetizers and drinks, and then a buffet luncheon. We were pleased with the many positive comments that we received from the confreres. Most, if not all, were surprised at how well the former Redemptoristine monastery had been renovated into a state-of-the-art publishing center. Extensive warehousing (on the first floor and the entire basement), 19 offices, common meeting spaces, a media studio, and a chapel are part of the new look. The grounds also are being renovated, and multiple repairs are in process. The renovation is still not completely finished, but we are slowly getting there. —Tom Santa, C.Ss.R.
Archbishop Charles Duval Ordained in Canada: The Redemptorist family from throughout North America gathered in Canada last Wednesday to celebrate the ordination of Most Rev. Charles Duval – the first provincial Superior of the Province of Canada as Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Grouard-McLennan. Archbishop Gérard Pettipas of Grouard-McLennan served as the principal consecrator, with his Redemptorist confrere Bishop Michael Brehl of Pembroke and Bishop Héctor Felipe Vila of Whitehorse serving as principal co-consecrators.
Introducing PIM in Seattle: I had an opportunity to visit our community at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Seattle to discuss the importance of our Partners in Mission (PIM) in the life of Redemptorists. Fr. Dominic Bao Tran, parochial vicar, invited long-term parishioners and others who wanted to hear about the lay involvement that has helped us proclaim plentiful redemption in our world. Br. Paul Jorns and Fr. Bill Cleary joined a diverse group that gathered to hear about our spirituality and charism the Spirit has called us to live by our ministry. I expressed gratitude to those gathered for their support and participation in following Jesus the Redeemer. There was a desire to hear more about our charism, and to consider participation in the Spirituality Workshop that PIM conducts annually during Lent.—Fr. Greg May, C.Ss.R.
Redemptorist Student Gathering: The North American Conference of Redemptorists held our annual Student Gathering in Houston. This year it was hosted by the Vietnamese Extra Patriam Vice Province at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat Center. Fr. Matt Allman, Socius of Novices in Tlapizahuac, Mexico, organized the entire conference with the theme: “Redemptorist Missionary Priorities in North America: 1832 to the Present.” Noting the Redemptorists’ beginnings in the United States as missionaries reaching out primarily to European immigrants, the week’s presentations offered perspectives on how the Conference has lived out the mission of preaching to the poor and most abandoned.
St. Alphonsus’ “Spring Sing” concert, organized by music director Seth Bovis, was held on May 16. The five choirs of the parish each offered several songs sometimes toe-tapping, sometimes inspirational songs for the free-of-charge concert. Among the choirs performing was the St. Alphonsus’ Lwanga Choir pictured here.
Celebrating Ordination Jubilarians: Provincial Superior Kevin Zubel presided at a Mass of Thanksgiving marking the milestone ordination anniversaries of five confreres: Fr. Alton Carr (65 years), Fr. John Gouger, Fr. Rudy Papes and Fr. Jim Shea (60 years) and Deacon Dennis Lee (50 years) at St. Clement’s in Barnhart on June 19. Fr. Alton of the San Antonio community traveled to St. Clement’s and joined Fr. John as a concelebrant of the Mass. Special guests at the celebration included Sr. Gabriella and Sr. Lucy, Redemptoristines from Dublin, as well as a large contingent of Fr. John’s family and friends. Congratulations to all of our jubilarians! — Kristine Stremel
Snapshots adapted from Denver Link; special thanks to Kristine Stremel.
