Cat Kerr

In April, Catholic Charities serving Larimer and Weld Counties celebrated the beating heart of our ministries: our volunteers.

During National Volunteer Appreciation Month, dedicated folks from ministries across Northern Colorado joined us for the third annual volunteer appreciation event. Held at Our Lady of the Valley parish in Windsor, the gathering brought together volunteers from Samaritan House Fort Collins, Samaritan House Greeley, Marisol Family St. Joseph and Marisol Health Northern Colorado. It was our best turnout yet—a testament to the strength and spirit of this incredible community.

Guests enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by the chefs at Samaritan House Fort Collins and Samaritan House Greeley. Local businesses added to the celebration by donating door prizes, including gifts from The Kress Cinema, Fort Collins Nursery, Ginger and Baker and Margie’s Java Joint.

The event’s highlight was the presentation of volunteer awards, honoring those who go above and beyond in their service. Each award represents a unique contribution to the mission—recognizing consistency, compassion, leadership and the ability to bring hope where it’s needed most.

Congratulations to our 2024-25 honorees:

Denise Benz – Roots of Care Award, Marisol Health Northern Colorado
For her early and enduring presence that has helped Marisol Health grow strong – serving with heart, skill and vision.

Ellen Buelow – Bridge of Care Award, Marisol Family St. Joseph
For warmly bridging language and cultural gaps, serving Spanish-speaking families with compassion and an eager heart.

Gene Downey – Devoted Spirit Award, Samaritan House Fort Collins
For his unwavering commitment, even on holidays, exemplifying the true heart of service and dedication to our mission.

Nina Franczak – Steadfast Service Award, Marisol Family St. Joseph
For her consistent presence and quiet dedication uplift our mission daily through faithful, ongoing service.

Deb Gillan – Boutique Builder Award, Marisol Family St. Joseph
For her creativity and care which transformed our boutique space into a place of dignity and delight for every family who walks into Marisol Family.

Steph Hardon – Kitchen Cornerstone Award, Samaritan House Fort Collins
For her years of service in our kitchen which have made her an essential part of the team – steady, skilled and always ready to nourish others.

Kelly Krapes – Ambassador of Hope Award, Marisol Health Northern Colorado
For her willingness to represent our brand with heart, helping to amplify our impact through word and witness.

Susan Labonde – Helping Hands Award, Samaritan House Greeley
For her willingness to step up whenever and wherever is needed.

Tim Lenczycki – All-Heart Award, Samaritan House Fort Collins

For his joyful presence, flexibility and commitment – always ready to serve wherever needed.

Norma Perez – Transformational Service Award, Samaritan House Greeley
For her dedication helping the distribution center to evolve and ensuring that essential items are accessible to the community.

Tom Quammen – First Responder Award, Samaritan House Greeley
For his readiness to step up and provide essential supplies without hesitation.

One volunteer reflected, “Many of us give time to different organizations, but Catholic Charities is the one place where we truly feel appreciated.”

To every volunteer—whether you serve in a kitchen, shelter, clinic or behind the scenes—thank you. You are a face of hope in Northern Colorado. Because of all of you, we continue to support neighbors and transform lives.

“The Eucharist was placed on the altar for adoration,” Jennifer Torres recalls. “And the entire group went silent — like you could hear a pin drop. It was so clear in that moment: we are here because of Him. And we’re still here.”

For Jennifer, who serves in Community Engagement with Respect Life Denver at Catholic Charities, moments like that are more than memories — they are living reminders of what Pope Francis brought to the Church and the world. A legacy of unity and profound simplicity.
But for her, it started even earlier.

“I guess it kind of started a little before the year Pope Francis was installed,” she says. “That same year was when I reverted back to the Catholic faith. It was like a new season for me and for the Church.”

That year laid the groundwork for something deeper. She was abroad in 2016 and managed to get rare tickets for Easter Mass in Rome with her family — something she describes as nothing short of profound.

“It gave me real insight into Pope Francis’s heart for God’s beloved people,” she shares. “And it sparked something in me. A desire to look into my own heart and see how I could love others better.”

From there, the doors of discernment opened wide. Over the past 10 years, Jennifer has served in missionary work in a variety of capacities, especially among economically marginalized communities. That call to get up and get out — something Pope Francis championed — was not just an invitation. She wanted to fully embody it.

In 2023, she led a group to World Youth Day. Out of more than 70 groups, theirs was chosen to be at the papal altar during the vigil Mass in Lisbon, Portugal — an experience she describes as “very intimate” and deeply moving.

“We have hope for the future,” she says. “Hope for the youth, for union with the Universal Church, for our Protestant brothers and sisters — and for world peace. Because Jesus brought us here. And this is where we begin.”

There was joy in that silence. A holy stillness that came from a deeper place — from something Pope Francis continually called people to encounter. “He really created opportunities for people to experience that. That kind of beauty. That kind of joy.”

Catholic Charities and Respect Life Denver continue to carry forward the mission Pope Francis championed: quiet, faithful service — often hidden, always humble.

“I was always confident in Catholic Charities’ reputation,” Jennifer shares. “Not the loud kind of reputation, but the hidden one. The humble one. And I think Pope Francis saw that kind of service as the heart of the Church.”
His call to action was simple, but powerful: get up and get out.
And people listened.
“His call has led many people back to Jesus,” she says. “I can’t speak for everyone’s conversion or reversion, but I’ve seen it. In peers. In mentors. Even in the people I now get to walk with in discipleship. It’s real.”
That’s the legacy Pope Francis leaves behind — not just in words or policies, but in people. In a new generation of disciples. In the quiet of adoration. In the hope we still carry.
“He brought us here,” Jennifer says again. “And this is where we begin.”

When Emma Ramirez, Director of Respect Life Denver at Catholic Charities, traveled to Rome in the spring of 2014, Pope Francis was in his first year of the papacy.

“There was just an unbelievable amount of excitement,” she remembers. “We had a new Pope and it was the first time many of us were getting to encounter him — even just from a distance. At the papal audience there was a buzz. It felt like something new was being breathed into the Church.”

That newness would shape her faith and vocation in ways she never expected.

In the summer of 2016, Emma read The Name of God is Mercy, a book-length interview with Pope Francis that left a lasting impression. At the same time, she was serving in Philadelphia with Christ in the City — just a year after Pope Francis had visited the city for the World Meeting of Families. His presence still lingered there.

“We met people experiencing homelessness who had been deeply moved by his visit,” she says. “Some weren’t Catholic, some didn’t believe in God but they remembered seeing him drive by, remembered feeling like he saw them. Like he cared.”
That kind of encounter — of being seen — stuck with Emma. It echoed in Pope Francis’s writing, his witness and especially in the way he spoke about mercy.

“Something that’s just stayed with me is that everyone needs mercy,” Emma says. “Even those far from the Church. Even those who say they don’t believe. Everyone is in need of Jesus’s mercy — which is joy and hope.”

Pope Francis, she says, helped her see the world through a different lens. A lens that refuses to look away from pain or poverty but instead opens itself wide to it — and stands beside it.
“He encourages us to meet people where they are. To be the face of mercy to them. And that doesn’t mean ignoring truth — mercy and truth go hand in hand. It’s about loving first. Showing up. Welcoming others into that mercy.”

One quote in particular guided her path: “We are called to smell like the sheep.”
It became a mission.
“At Christ in the City, after a long day of street ministry, I’d often come home smelling like cigarette smoke,” Emma laughs softly. “And honestly? It became a nostalgic smell. Because it meant we were there — among the people. That’s where Jesus is. That’s where He wants us to be.”
That calling transformed her life. Though she hadn’t planned on it, Emma found herself choosing a life of service — especially with the homeless — as a full-time vocation. “That wasn’t what I studied. It wasn’t what I thought I’d do,” she says. “But through Pope Francis’s words, through witnessing how he touched people’s lives it became clear. This is where the Lord is calling me.”
She points to the Year of Mercy as another turning point — a time when the Pope extended a wide-open invitation back into the heart of the Church. A reminder that no one is too far gone, that reconciliation is always within reach.
“That was his desire, communion. Solidarity. He didn’t want anyone excluded from the chance to encounter Jesus especially through the sacraments.”
Now, as she continues her work with Respect Life Denver within Catholic Charities , Emma carries Pope Francis’s legacy forward every day — in mercy, in presence and in hope.
“Jesus wants to meet these people,” she says. “Just as much as He wants to meet me. And Pope Francis helped me believe that. He showed me how to love like that.”