Romero House is ...

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Romero House is a Regis University student residence located in the Highlands Neighborhood of Northwest Denver, a predominately Hispanic neighborhood. Inspired by the lives and sacrifices of Jesuits working with the poor in Central America, Fr. Vince O’Flaherty, S.J., established Romero House in 1992 as an opportunity for students to experience the connections between one’s faith, education, and the life experience of the poor.

Romero House presents an opportunity to live in an intentional community while sharing one’s academic experience, exploring questions of faith, sharing in a commitment to social justice, and encountering the challenge to live simply while serving others.

An intentional community

Romero House is an intentional community whose spirit relies upon the commitment of all its members to openly give and receive support. Romero House consists of 4-5 students and one Live-in House Coordinator. The community organizes its own social justice exploration, spiritual reflection, social activities, house responsibilities, and meals. Community decisions are made by a process of group discernment and consensus.

The Romero House community is not simply a living arrangement with roommates. Rather, the common goal of all members is to nurture spiritual growth in one another and to support each other while striving for a deeper understanding of social justice. Romero House is also a place of hospitality, open to both the Regis community and to friends and family.

Service To Others

Service is an integral part of the way participants live as members of Romero House. Through direct service with the poor and marginalized students will encounter the arduous reality of poverty, injustice, and discrimination. Additionally, it is likely that their experience of service will be a source of joy and hope.

The Center for Service Learning helps connect participants with service opportunities that best meet their personal and professional goals.

Commitment to Social Justice

Romero House is concerned with voicing a vision and hope for a society of dignity, peace, and basic resources for all people.

Engaging with others through service allows us to ask the critical question, "Why?". Why is the world not as it should be? Why are people poor or marginalized? At Romero House, we explore the causes of injustice in our world and the connections between social problems and the systems that perpetuate them. As a community and as individuals we seek to discern the role that we can play in both standing up against injustice and living out a vision of a more just world.

During the academic year, Monday evenings are specifically designated as "Hospitality Nights." House members, students, and others gather to explore issues of social justice and faith. Romero House participants work with the Live-in House Coordinator to plan these evenings. During the summer, participants engage in weekly education seminars on varying social justice issues with community leaders and Regis faculty.

An Exploration of Faith

Throughout the year at Romero House, participants are challenged to identify and nurture core values and, from this understanding, reflect on how best to live out faith in today’s world. Particularly, students have opportunities to explore connections between faith and work toward justice.

Romero House participants during the academic year take a modified Religious Studies class (RS 471L Topics in Spirituality: Engagement in the World) in which they explore the connections between spirituality and social engagement. Requirements of this 3 credit class will span the entire year and will include assigned reading, discussions, and journaling that will culminate in an individual portfolio and presentation.

Throughout the year, students also have the opportunity to participate in opening, winter and closing retreats that help frame faith experience at Romero House. Other elements of spiritual exploration include house reflection days and evenings, a monthly celebration of mass in the Catholic tradition during Hospitality Nights, and regularly meeting with a spiritual "companion".

Living a Simple Lifestyle

Romero House asks students to live on a modest stipend and in a lower-income neighborhood to become more aware of the daily realities of those with whom they will be working. Living simply challenges community members to focus less on money and the consumption and consumerism of our American culture. Living simply in a community involves making consensus decisions on how to spend resources, how and where to make food purchases, recycling, boycotts, appliance usage and other issues that relate to the connection between faith and justice.

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