Parish Leadership

Rev. Chance Billmeyer | Parish Deacons | Parish Staff | Finance Council | Pastoral Council

Rev. Chance Billmeyer

We are blessed to have Rev. Chance Billmeyer as our pastor!

Fr. Chance Billmeyer has been working in health, counseling and human services since 1989 — 10 years within homeless outreach and 14 years as the owner of his own health clinic in San Diego. Fr. Billmeyer returned to the seminary after hearing his call a second time and became a seminarian for the Diocese of Honolulu before transferring to the Diocese of Colorado Springs to be near his family. Fr. Billmeyer’s father lives in Security, his mother in Skyline, and his youngest brother in Manitou Springs.

The core of his education came from his studies as a communications and biology major at SDSU. After graduating, Fr. Billmeyer worked with a phenomenally dedicated Irish priest named Fr. Joe Carroll. He helped create the St. Vincent de Paul Village, one of the largest homeless shelter and rehabilitation programs in the United States. During that time, he served as the headquarters’ Communications, Public Relations and Business Development Director. This agency operated in San Diego, Palm Springs, Arizona and Las Vegas. It continues to transform lives today with over 530 employees and over 1500 volunteers.

Fr. Billmeyer later became the Communications Director for several large international corporations including: Novartis, EchoLink AOL Interactive, Time Warner, and Next Proteins. Later he opened his own health center and served the people of San Diego to restore health and to improve lives for 14 years. The health center offered naturopathic medicine, chiropractic, acupuncture, psychological counseling, nutritional therapy, physical and physio therapy, and dermatology. The center continues to be recognized as San Diego’s leaders in overcoming illness and finding peace.

After this time within the secular world, Fr. Billmeyer felt called to a deeper relationship with Christ and the Church. He sold his business and moved to Hawaii. It was here that our Mother Mary spoke to him and said “return to me.” Fr. Billmeyer re-entered the seminary, obtained his master’s degree from Mt. St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, MD and was ordained by Bishop Sheridan on May 30, 2020. He continues to study, to teach, to inspire and to bring people to Christ. The vision or mission for each of us is to encourage and empower “neighbors to help neighbors,” especially those who are in need. To that end Fr. Billmeyer works as the chaplain and exectutive board member for the Diocese at: Catholic Engaged Encounter Colorado Springs, the INFERNO Men’s Group, and Catholic Charities of Central Colorado.

There is plenty of work to do in this vineyard. I can’t think of a better way to give glory to God and to live my priestly Christian life. As Isaiah 6:8 says, ” And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” Here I am, here we are, let us work in the vineyard of God so that we may all meet again on that final day in heaven.

cbillmeyer@diocs.org

Deacon Dave Illingworth

dillingworth@diocs.org

Deacon Mark Thuli

mthuli@diocs.org

Parish Staff

Dianne Buchholz

Director of Liturgy and Stewardship

dbuchholz@olwp.org

Linda Densmore

Director of Music

ldensmore@olwp.org

Ellen DePatie

Director of Faith Formation

edepatie@olwp.org

Finance Council

The bishop heads the diocese and appoints a priest as pastor to serve and manage each parish community on his behalf. The pastor is ultimately responsible for all parish finances. Church Law ( Canon 1280 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law ) and diocesan norms recognize the tremendous responsibility given to pastors in the realm of parish finances. Accordingly every parish is required to have a parish finance council. The pastor is responsible for assembling the parish finance council. The parish finance council is an advisory body whose membership should include individuals skilled in finance, civil law, construction/engineering or business.

Members are appointed by the pastor. The parish finance council will:

Assist in the preparation of the annual budget.
Assist in monitoring financial reports and the annual budget on an ongoing (at least quarterly) basis.
Assist the pastor in assuring that the financial statements are presented to the parish community (at least annually).
Assist in the implementation of acceptable internal control practices including reviewing and implementing diocesan policies.
Assist the pastor in evaluating the impact on parish finances and administration of leasing parish properties to an outside organization.

Steve Ruder

Interim Chairman

Justin Curlee

Ken Barton

Ed Monjesky

Chuck Craig

Chris Schwester

Art Wannlund

Dave Luetkenhaus

Pastoral Council

The Parish Pastoral Council members function as an integrated body of the faithful that forms a dynamic, consultative resource to the pastor and to Teller County Catholic Community. United as a leadership team their goal is to achieve our parish mission.

Pastoral Council activities focus on nurturing our individual and collective lives in the living Christ by:

Actively bond parishioners into a cohesive community.
Establishing plans, goals, and policies in collaboration with the Pastoral staff, Finance Council, and parish committee leaders to live the Gospel.
Coordination and consistent review of the effectiveness of parish ministries, projects, processes and systems toward achieving goals, as well as recommending changes as appropriate.
Guiding our faith community in living our Christian call to be evangelists and practice good stewardship of time, talent, and treasure.