Our Priests
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is staffed by the Order of Friar Servants of Mary (Servites) and has been since 1904. The order started in Florence, Italy, where seven prosperous men gathered as a society to honor Mary, the Mother of God. They eventually left their extravagant ways behind and moved into a dilapidated building outside of Florence in order to seek a contemplative life. Their holy and penitential lifestyle attracted the attention of people wanting spiritual advice and prayers, so the seven moved to a secluded area atop the nearby Mount Senario.
Others joined the seven men on Mount Senario and the group soon became known as the “Friar Servants of Mary.” The bishop of Florence approved the Friar Servants of Mary as a religious order sometime between 1240 and 1247. It wasn’t until 1304 that the Holy See gave definitive approval.
The Order of the Servants of Mary, arrived in the United States around 1852 when Father Antoninus Grunder started working with German Catholics in New York City and eastern Pennsylvania. During the First Vatican Council in 1870, Joseph Melcher, the first bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin, invited the Servites to join his diocese. Four Servites took charge of St. Charles Church in Menasha, Wisconsin that same year. Bishop Foley asked the Servites to come to Chicago in 1874 and after that, Chicago became the center of Servite activity in the United States.
Today, the Servites are present in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Like the Seven Founders, the Servites go where the needs of God’s people demand, seeking the perfection of the Gospel way of life under the protection of Mary, the Mother and Servant of the Lord.
The Servite logo. The ‘M’ and ‘S’ stand for “Servants of Mary” while the crown on top represents the Blessed Mother. The seven flowers atop the crown represent the Seven Holy Founders.
Rev. Hugh M. Guentner, OSM
Pastor
Fr. Hugh M. Guentner, O.S.M. was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. He is a first-generation American, Born on May 8, 1941. His parents, John and Anna (Koller) Guentner, were from Austria Hungary.
He attended St. Joseph Servite High School Seminary, St. Charles, IL. and spent thirty years as a professional Servite Brother. Ministering in Servite high schools, seminaries, and parishes, mostly in Denver. Father received a BA from Cardinal Stritch College, Milwaukee, WI, and M.Div. from Sacred Heart School of Theology, Hales corners, near Milwaukee.
He was ordained a Deacon at Holy Trinity Parish, Westminster, CO by Archbishop Francis Stafford, September 14, 1990 and ordained a Priest at Annunciation Parish in Chicago by Bishop Wilton Gregory, May 4, 1991. He has held the following positions since his Ordination:
Pastor, St. Rita Parish, Portland, OR – 1991 to 1994
Assistant Pastor, Assumption Parish, Denver/Welby, CO – 1994 to 1997
Administrator, Holy Trinity Parish, Westminster, CO and Our Lady of Visitation Mission, Denver, CO – 1997
Pastor of Assumption Parish, Denver/Welby, CO – 2000 to 2003
Past year on sabbatical; Fall 2003, at Redemptorist Renewal Center, near Shrewsbury, England; Winter and Spring 2004 at St. Ignatius Servite Parish El Paso, TX; June and July, 2004 six week Ignatian Retreat, Los Altos, CA.
Pastor, St. Patrick’s, Minturn, Red Cliff & Vail, CO 2004-2010
Pastor, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Denver, CO July 1, 2010-Present
Rev. Mark M. Franceschini, OSM
Servite in Residence
Originally from Chicago, Father Mark Franceschini was ordained in Rome on March 30, 1959. After various assignments as parochial vicar in the Chicago and Denver areas, he was appointed pastor of St. Catherine Parish in Derby, the predecessor parish of Our Lady Mother of the Church in Commerce City. He also served as pastor of St. Marie Du Lac Parish in Ironton, Mo., and St. Joseph Parish in Fountain, Colo. Father Franceschini has also served in Servite missions in Swaziland and South Africa. Currently he is a retired friar and in residence at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.