DENVER — Two Colorado priests have held mass on all 14er mountains in the state.
It took Father Sean Conroy and Father John Nepil 13 years to hike all 58 14ers in Colorado. Father Nepil would conduct the mass service on each peak while Father Conroy assisted.
For Catholic priests, celebrating mass is part of their daily lives. Father John and Father Sean told Scripps News Denver that mass can be held anywhere.
The two began this endeavor to conduct mass on each 14er peak in Colorado in May 2011.
As young men, they loved the outdoors — and it shows in the way they spread the Gospel as priests today.
"Right after I was ordained, I did my first mass a couple of days afterward. And it was amazing. As a priest, you're kind of a spiritual father or shepherd. And so, there's a way we do that in spiritual life and personally, but then also just physically doing it," said Father John.
"One of the things that we've always loved is doing ministry and walking with people, taking people to the backcountry. And it allows people's barriers to come down and actually open up. You're away from technology, away from kind of the comforts of life. The higher we go, the better we hear the voice of Christ," said Father Sean.
The mass held at the Mount of the Holy Cross in Eagle County in October 2024 ended their journey of hitting all 58 mountain tops.
Although hiking season has come to a close, Father Sean and Father John said they plan to continue climbing and hope to find unique ways to spread the gospel.
"We just love the outdoors. We love mountaineering. We love climbing, and we're going to keep doing it," said Father Sean.
