One of these days atop a 14,000-foot peak in Colorado, you might just spot two men in white robes, the wind blowing those vestments, their fingers cold on the chalices that are smaller than those typically seen on an altar — smaller for the pack on the way up.
That’s Father John Nepil and Father Sean Conroy, of the Archdiocese of Denver.
“There’s nothing I love more than Mass on a fourteener summit,” Nepil said.
That explains why the St. John Vianney Seminary vice rector has celebrated Mass on all of Colorado’s 54 fourteeners.
Nepil marked the journey complete in October — fittingly atop Mount of the Holy Cross. Alongside him was Conroy, his priestly pal similarly mountain-crazed.
Conroy, Our Lady of Lourdes parochial vicar, has climbed with Nepil for several mountaintop services. Joined by anywhere from a few friends and parish members to more than a dozen, Mass at 14,000 feet has played out just as it has in sanctuaries: the introductory prayers, the readings, the consecration of bread and wine.