St. Gabriel the Archangel Episcopal Church sits on East Quincy Avenue in Cherry Hills Village, a small residential community tucked between Denver and the southern suburbs. Founded in 1960, the parish marked its 65th anniversary in 2025 with a Harvest Celebration that gathered former clergy, longtime members, and a slideshow of memories from across the decades. The congregation is gathered around a single aim that the church names plainly: to be the place where Jesus invites people home.
Sunday worship is built on the Holy Eucharist from Rite II of the Book of Common Prayer. From September through May, two morning liturgies are offered, one at 8:00am and one at 10:15am, with the later service live-streamed. In the summer, the morning liturgy moves to 9:00am (also live-streamed) and a smaller, quieter service called The Gathering meets at 5:00pm. Morning Prayer is prayed on Mondays at 8:00am, Wednesdays at 8:00am (followed by breakfast in the parish hall), and Fridays at 8:30am.
The Reverend Christopher Ditzenberger, the rector, signs Sunday bulletins and online posts with the line, "Worshipping the triune God. Following Jesus. Moving in the power of the Holy Spirit. Saint Gabriel is proclaiming and celebrating God's grace and life-changing love for all." It is a mission statement and a daily rhythm at the same time.
A Liturgical Home with Room to Breathe
The worship space is the center of parish life, and the description the church gives of it is worth taking in slowly. The aim, the parish says, is to be "a good home" - the kind of place where burdens are lifted and joys confirmed, where healthy meals are enjoyed, stories told and re-told, and life is shared. "Our simple aim is to be the place where Jesus invites people home."
Each Sunday service features biblically based preaching, congregational singing, and Holy Communion. The same sermon is preached at both morning liturgies, so families and friends who attend different services hear the same word. Hymn selection is the work of the Director of Music in collaboration with the rector and worship committee, drawing from a mix of classical and modern sources.
Visitors are often relieved to hear that the dress code is essentially none. "Some folks at St. Gabriel put on their Sunday best - while others wear whatever strikes them for the moment. It is Colorado after all!" Ushers greet at the west-side doors, hand out service leaflets, and answer questions; no one is asked to do anything awkward, and the offering plate is passed with no obligation to give.
All baptized believers in Jesus are invited to receive Communion, and may receive both bread and wine, either one alone, or a blessing at the rail by crossing their arms over the chest. The liturgical calendar is observed in full, with the major seasons - Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost - given particular weight. Holy Week brings Palm Sunday, Tenebrae, a Maundy Thursday foot-washing and vigil that runs roughly 8pm to 6am, Good Friday services at 7am, noon, and 7pm, a Holy Saturday Quiet Morning hosted by the Daughters of the King, the Great Vigil of Easter at 7:30pm, and Easter Day liturgies at the regular Sunday times.
Fr. Chris and the People Who Lead the Parish
The Reverend Christopher Ditzenberger was called as rector in 2005, returning to the south Denver suburbs where he grew up in Littleton. He is a native son: an alumnus of Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, with a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary. He was ordained to the diaconate in June 1999 and served a curacy in rural Northumberland County, Virginia, before becoming associate rector for discipleship at Christ Church, Greenville, South Carolina. He and his wife CJ have two adult children, and the bulk of his ordained ministry has been spent at St. Gabriel.
Fr. Chris preaches from a wide reading - he often quotes C. S. Lewis, Fleming Rutledge, Scotty Smith, Edmund Burke, Eugene Peterson, Wendell Berry, and Malcolm Guite - and writes a regular online reflection called Around the Common Table. He also celebrates a monthly Eucharist at Holly Creek, a retirement community in the area.
Barbara Russo serves as Pastor for Faith Formation. A fifth-generation Coloradoan with a Master of Divinity earned in 2001, she has pastored and taught in several Denver-area churches and is the author of Welcome to Confusion, a surprising doorway to God. Meg Stern is the Parish and Family Administrator, the point of contact for baptisms, memorial services, the children and youth program, and Arts Camp. A native of England, she came to Colorado in 1989 and previously worked for the Diocese of Colorado in the Office of the Bishop. Mark Kelly is the Organist and Minister of Music, leading the Adult Choir and the Archangel Consort. A graduate of Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, with a minor in music performance, he has served six congregations across the South and Colorado over the past 33 years and also works in the cybersecurity industry. Nicole Heifferon is the Communications Director, a 2015 graduate of Colorado Christian University with eight-plus years in Denver nonprofit and ministry communications. Amy Kirsch, the New Member Coordinator, has been an Episcopalian her whole life and rejoined the parish in 2022; she serves on the Altar Guild and as an acolyte and is a member of the Daughters of the King.
Music That Sings the Story
Music at St. Gabriel is taken seriously and is described, accurately, as "eclectic." The Adult Choir sings anthems at the 10:15am liturgy during the school year and on a looser schedule in the summer, with additional appearances at Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, and the Advent Service of Lessons and Carols. Rehearsals are Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30pm in the St. Cecilia Room; choir warm-up is at 9:30am Sunday mornings in the same room.
The Archangel Consort is the parish's instrumental ensemble, drawing on members, friends, and students to provide orchestral and small-instrument support at the major seasons. The group rehearses as needed and welcomes inter-generational participation.
The Saint Gabriel Concert Series opens the building to collegiate groups, community choirs, and visiting artists for free concerts that are part of the church's outreach to the southwest Denver metro area. A soon-to-arrive baby grand piano, donated to the parish, will live in the parish hall alongside the existing instruments.
Children, Youth, and the Family Table
The Children, Youth, and Family Ministry (CYF) is more than Sunday morning, by design. The church's own statement of purpose is worth quoting: "We support the family household as the primary context for faith formation. Therefore it is our goal to be more than a Sunday-only ministry for children and youth. We strive to be a ministry for the whole family where everyone's gifts will be valued."
Children ages four through fifth grade are invited during the 10:15am service to follow the kids' banner out to the Godly Play classroom downstairs, where teachers lead an imaginative Bible-story time. The children return to the service before Communion. The nursery for children six months through four years is currently closed while the parish seeks a reliable nursery worker; the search is open. Middle and high school youth meet twice a month from 10:00am to noon in the youth room, taking part in parish life along the way - reading at Palm Sunday, hosting the Mother's Day tea, and occasionally putting on a coffee-hour spread.
Arts Camp fills one week each summer with art-making and Bible story. In 2026 it runs June 8-12, 9:00am to 2:00pm, for children who are kindergarten through fifth grade (or potty-trained and able to participate fully). Junior counselors in grades 6-8 serve as helpers and make their own art; high schoolers can apply to lead. The cost is $125 per camper, with lunch included and counselors at half price.
Adults Growing in Faith
Adult formation is woven into the week in several forms. The Wednesday Morning Bible Study meets at 10:00am from fall through May in the parish hall. A separate Wednesday morning group gathers for Morning Prayer and breakfast at 8:00am year-round. The Men's Small Group Bible Study meets on the first and third Wednesdays of the month during the school year, with all men of the parish welcome.
On Sunday mornings between the two services, the rector has taught adult courses on the Letters of John, the Gospel of John, and other books of the Bible. An Alpha Course - an eleven-week series of honest conversation about life's biggest questions, including "Who is Jesus?" "Why and how do I pray?" and "How does God guide us?" - is offered about twice a year. Walking Group hikes meet once a month on Fridays or Saturdays at nearby parks and trails (dogs welcome), Solo Angels gathers single adults for monthly lunches, and Supper Circles host monthly meals in homes, signed up for in four-month blocks.
Daughters of the King, an order for women rooted in prayer, service, and evangelism, has a chapter at St. Gabriel that prays the parish prayer list daily, welcomes guests each Sunday, supports the Prayer Quilt Ministry, hosts receptions after memorial services, and sponsors children in Haiti through the Colorado Haiti Project.
Reaching Out, Inside and Out
Congregational Care supports the church's "inreach" - making sure no one stands alone. Practical expressions include cards and phone calls to homebound parishioners, meal trains, special Christmas services for those who cannot come to the building, prayer ministry, and the Holy Comforters quilting group, which meets on the third Friday and fourth Saturday of the month to design and make quilts for those going through difficult times. Pastoral care is coordinated by Fr. Chris.
The Outreach Committee organizes the parish's wider work. Each year the parish packs thousands of pounds of beans and rice for Metro Caring, sorts surplus medical supplies for clinics in developing countries, prepares meals for residents at Providence Network's recovery house, and volunteers at the St. Francis Center shelter in Denver. A Christmas toy drive, weekly food donations, and recurring jeans drives extend the work into the holiday season. The annual SGROW (St. Gabriel Reach Out Weekend) sends groups to serve with partners across the city; recent years have included a morning at Project Cure in Centennial.
Long-term mission partners include Metro Caring (nutritious food access), Locally Haiti (accompanying families in Petit-trou de Nippes, the parish's sister community in rural Haiti), St. Francis Center (homelessness services in Denver), Village Resource Center (South Denver families in crisis), and Providence Network (recovery and survivor support). The parish also tithe 10 percent of plate and pledge income to the Office of the Bishop of Colorado as a matter of diocesan practice.
A measured snapshot from one recent year: 3,500 pounds of beans and rice packed, 135 pairs of jeans collected, more than 2,000 pounds of food donated, and "countless toys and medical supplies shared."
Marking Life's Passages
As the parish notes, the great Christian rites of passage - baptism, marriage, and burial - are kept in continuity with the trinitarian scriptural story of Creation, Fall, Redeeming Covenant, and New Creation.
Baptism is described as "God's grace enacted; God's embrace experienced, and God's Spirit sealed." Baptisms are always joyful, and are scheduled in coordination with the clergy. A moveable wooden font has been designed in keeping with the altar and retable so that baptism can take place at the altar rail, where it is most visible to the gathered assembly - and visible, too, to those watching through the livestream.
Marriages are prepared with pre-marital counseling and a published set of guidelines that the parish believes helps couples "prepare for a lifelong union." Funerals and memorial services are arranged with the rector, often using the liturgies in the Book of Common Prayer. A columbarium on the church grounds gives members a place for inurnment, and the parish offers a Legacy Journey planned-giving program to support those who wish to remember St. Gabriel in their estate plans through the church's Endowment Fund.
How a First-Time Visitor Walks In
Entering the building is straightforward. Parking surrounds the church; visitors enter the worship space through the doors on the west side of the building, where ushers greet and hand out a service leaflet. The building and most restrooms are wheelchair accessible; wheelchairs and walkers fit at the end of the pews, and ushers are ready to help. Coffee and conversation follow the service, but no one is pushed to stay.
For families, the path is simple: at the 10:15 service, children ages four through fifth grade may follow the kids' banner out to Godly Play and return before Communion. Middle and high school youth meet twice a month in the youth room. The nursery is currently closed while the parish seeks a worker; families with younger children are encouraged to contact Meg Stern with leads.
After a few visits, the next step is the Connection Card. Filling one out adds a newcomer to the mailing list for the Trumpet, the weekly newsletter, and to the invitation list for the Newcomer Mixers the parish hosts two or three times a year. The Alpha Course, walking group, supper circles, and adult formation classes are the main on-ramps into the life of the parish; membership itself is simply the matter of presenting a baptismal certificate or transferring a baptismal record from another Episcopal church.
A Building That Is Being Cared For
St. Gabriel has been steadily investing in its physical home. A teak bench has been installed on the northeast side of the building in memory of longtime member Sue Baker. The parish hall is being refreshed by the Denver design group Grammar of Ornament, with a new bulto niche background, baseboard border, knee wall treatments, and sconces. Stucco and sidewalk repairs are underway outside. Inside, a moveable wooden font is being built to echo the altar's design, and oil candles, an incense bowl, and other liturgical items have been replaced through memorial gifts.
The building also hosts prayer ministry at the rail after each service, an Advent dove tree during Advent, an Easter Egg Hunt on the church grounds on Easter morning, and the Trunk or Treat each October. The Holy Comforters meet in the parish hall, the Adult Choir rehearses in the St. Cecilia Room, and the Greeting Garden west of the entrance has become a favored spot for outdoor coffee hours in good weather.
A Congregation of Believers Across the Spectrum
Fr. Chris has written openly about the fact that St. Gabriel is, in his word, a "purple" congregation - politically, economically, and theologically mixed. He has reflected on the church as a place where people who "may differ in many other respects - socially, economically, and politically" come together voluntarily for a common purpose: "to worship and serve the Lord - and one's neighbor." That posture shapes the parish's public life as much as its private life, and it is part of why the church continues to emphasize that the Eucharist is a common table where all are fed.
The church's vision, drawn from John Stott's reflection on "A Living Church," names five marks: a biblical church, a worshipping church, a caring church, a serving church, and an expectant church. Each is taken up in turn in the parish's teaching and in the rhythms of the year.
Joining In
For those wishing to give, online giving is available through Vanco, with one-time gifts and recurring pledges both welcome. Sharon Stewart in the office can answer questions about giving.
For those who would like to pray, the parish maintains a prayer list through the Daughters of the King and offers prayer ministry at the rail after Sunday services. A Prayer Requests and Needs form on the church's site lets members and visitors ask for prayers or pastoral contact.
For those who wish to serve, the parish has named open doors in nearly every area of life - Altar Guild, choir and Archangel Consort, lectors and acolytes, Godly Play teachers, youth leaders, Daughters of the King, Holy Comforters, Outreach, Congregational Care, the vestry, and the Endowment Committee. The church's own invitation stands: "Where might God be calling you to fulfill your vocation as a Christian? It may be in the marketplace, among those with whom you live and socialize, it may be in places where you volunteer your time and talent, or it may be here within the church walls."
St. Gabriel the Archangel Episcopal Church is a parish that takes the historic liturgy seriously, makes space for formation across the lifespan, sends its members out to serve in Denver and Haiti, and welcomes those who walk through its doors with the words that begin every service of the people: hope, reverence, joy, welcome, love.