Archbishop Names Mary Ann Mahoney Disciple of the Month

Archbishop Names Mary Ann Mahoney Disciple of the Month

October 8, 2026 Rachel Kim – Technology Editor Technology

Mary Ann Mahoney Named Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal Disciple of the Month

Mary Ann Mahoney, a parishioner at Spirit of Christ Parish in Arvada, has been named the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal Disciple of the Month. Her decades of active church engagement span youth ministry, music, and missionary service.

The Tech TL;DR:

  • Mary Ann Mahoney was recognized as the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal Disciple of the Month for her multi-decade ministry work at Spirit of Christ Parish in Arvada.
  • Her service history includes a six-year mission field stint in China, 25 years in high school youth ministry, and ongoing involvement in OCIA adult faith formation and preschool teaching.
  • She is currently discerning a vocation in consecrated virginity following an invitation four years ago by Father Trevor Lontine.

A Lifetime of Parishioner Fidelity and Missionary Work

Mahoney’s routine of attending Sunday Mass started early in life at the Shrine of St. Anne Parish in Arvada, where her family maintained consistent attendance through every weekend, including the Christmas Day blizzard of 1982. A Teens Encounter Christ weekend during her junior year in high school shifted her trajectory toward active ministry. Encouraged by the late Monsignor Ken Leone, she traveled to China as a missionary with the initial plan to stay briefly, though she ultimately remained for six years.

// Conceptual pipeline tracking continuous ministry deployments over 25+ years
const maryAnnMahoneyTimeline = {
  formativeYears: "Shrine of St. Anne Parish, Arvada",
  missionaryService: "China (6 years)",
  currentParish: "Spirit of Christ Parish",
  ministries: ["High School Youth Ministry", "OCIA", "Preschool Teaching", "A/V Volunteer", "Music/Guitar Ministry"]
};

Mahoney Balances Preschool Teaching with Parish Ministries

Upon returning to Colorado, Mahoney gravitated toward high school youth ministry, a commitment she has maintained for 25 years alongside teaching preschool. Her responsibilities at Spirit of Christ Parish also encompass walking alongside adults entering the Catholic Church through OCIA, playing guitar at monthly Masses and retreats, and operating the sound booth as an A/V volunteer. When describing her motivation for these extensive commitments, Mahoney pointed to Luke 12:48, stating, “To whom much has been given, much will be expected.”

Discernment of Consecrated Virginity

Four years ago, Father Trevor Lontine asked Mahoney if she had ever considered the vocation of consecrated virginity, a path she had not previously explored. After examining the calling, she recognized it as an extension of her lifelong spiritual journey. While continuing her daily prayer routines and visits to the Adoration chapel at Spirit of Christ, she views her extensive network of students, godchildren, and nieces and nephews as the manifestation of a lifelong spiritual motherhood.

“Perhaps the biggest revelation is that God desires me. I never felt like a man would desire me enough to want to be my spouse, and now I realize Jesus has been saving me for himself all along.”

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