Deacon Robert Cropp

Desire to serve, particularly to serve the church, was the motivating factor in Bob Cropp's decision to enroll in the Archdiocesan Diaconate Program. "I also feel I have a calling to preach," says Bob. "It seems that everything that has happened in my life has come together and prepared me to be a Deacon, even the years when I was away from the Church. Those years gave me the perspective of looking at the Church from the outside. That will help in evangelization, since, essentially, I went through and continue in the process of conversion. There's an old saying that God gave us two ears and one mouth so we could listen twice as much as we talk. I'm not very good at that but one day I was trying to listen and it seemed that God was telling me to get off my seat and do something more. Listening is good!"

Peggy, his wife, and he spend time together in praying the Liturgy of the Hours, reading the Scriptures and doing things to help them grow spiritually. "We also like to spend time with our friends but our prayer life has to be the basis for the rest of our life."

Bob and Peggy are from Philadelphia, PA. They left their home for El Paso, Texas in 1966 to serve in the military. He wore out "more than one uniform" before retiring from service after 28 years - 11 of active duty, and 17 in the Reserves. He served in Korea, Vietnam and Germany.

In 1989 the Cropps moved to Denver. St. Thomas More parish was a refreshing experience for them after years of belonging to mission parishes with no permanent priest, first in Mississippi, and then in Dallas, Texas.

They have three grown daughters living in the Denver area. Bob is a Project Manager in the Human Resources office of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.