Boulder, Colorado, is famous for its liberal secularism. So why is the town producing so many priests and faithful Catholics? Here’s one big reason...

[Michie]

After interviewing three priests in January who were students at CU Boulder, we spoke to the men and women behind the ministry to figure out their “secret sauce.” What is the St. Thomas Aquinas Center doing to turn out great apostles?

“It’s Boulder,” said Father Peter Mussett, pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas parish in Boulder. “The secret sauce that we have is that we get to do ministry in Boulder, which is on one hand, two steps ahead of the culture in its progressivism and on another hand, it actually facilitates this strange openness of exploration.”

“There’s oddly an openness to Boulder too, there’s a curiosity,” said Megan Dillon director of Advancement for St. Thomas Aquinas. “It’s a tough environment but also there’s a genuine curiosity.”

The St. Thomas Aquinas Center (St. Tom’s), serves the University of Colorado-Boulder community through its Catholic Center for students, and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. Father Mussett has been at St. Tom’s since 2006. During his time, he’s seen 10 Buffs become priests and has a count of 21 priests who have come from Boulder over the years.

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What's the St. Tom's secret to forming missionary disciples?

After interviewing three priests in January who were students at CU Boulder, we spoke to the men and women behind the ministry to figure out their “secret sauce.” What is the St. Thomas Aquinas Cen

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