New Episcopal pastor in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, takes church to the streets

The Rev. Catie Greene serves as associate for young adults and youth at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Steamboat Springs, and she often works outside the church building to reach young people and the congregation. “I think what I bring to the younger age group is the ability to meet them where they are,” Greene said of her position, which began in June.

Greene said her approach is to listen to young people and to share whatever experience, resources or wisdom she has gained, so that she can help guide them in ways that are most life-giving for them. “I think that is just what I love to do,” she said.

Her responsibilities extend beyond the church’s youth ministry. Greene directs the Centennial House, where the Episcopal Service Corps interns live, and she leads the local initiative for the national Episcopal Service Corps program. She also leads a weekly discussion called Drinks & Divinity from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays at McKnight’s Irish Pub & Loft. Greene said all are welcome, whether they are believers or nonbelievers.

The program places four interns, ages 22 to 32, in Steamboat for a year of work at local nonprofit agencies sponsored by St. Paul’s. Those agencies are Partners in Routt County, the Boys & Girls Club of Steamboat Springs, LIFT-UP of Routt County and Yampatika. Interns work about 35 hours a week at their assigned locations. Greene explained that the purpose of the program is to be present in the Steamboat Springs community, and that Centennial House was built around the idea of a single congregation, a notion she said is not commonly found across the nation.

Greene, who comes from a Colorado family, previously worked on Bishop Rob O’Neal’s staff in Denver and has lived in Denver since 2008. After graduating from the University of California, San Diego, in 1994, she moved to Steamboat to take a variety of jobs, including a stint as a ski shuttle driver. She later felt called to the priesthood, attended Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Chicago and became an ordained Episcopal priest in 2002.

The Rev. Scott Turner, who spoke about Greene’s appointment, said the church was “extremely blessed to have someone of Catie’s talent and experience to lead St. Paul’s priority community outreach.” Greene said the service she envisions could take many forms, including work with the poor, with children or with the environment, and she described it as a way of modeling discipleship in today’s world. As the interns learn their communities, they will be required to identify and develop a community project that St. Paul’s will help implement, a practical step of charity and hospitality (Hebrews 13:16).

Michael Mazzarella, an intern who works at LIFT-UP, said he has been part of the Episcopal Church his whole life. He and the other interns described Greene as a strong mentor who is understanding and helps them adjust to living in a new place. Greene said the program took three years to launch and that each intern was chosen for a reason. “It’s important for Steamboat because it allows these organizations to grow with qualified young people at a very inexpensive cost,” she said. “I feel that what we have to offer by supporting these young people in this journey can be a great need to the community at large.”

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