Deacon Dan Cook
Episode 395
31 AUG 2026
He has participated in fundraising events as a cyclist since the 1980s and was a member of a committee that started a cycling event called Elephant Rock in Castle Rock, Colorado. He later would participate in other events such as Ride the Rockies, the Copper Triangle, the Courage Classic and the Road Ramble. From October 4 – November 16 he and eleven other cyclists on Team Samaritan will take part in the Ride Across America, pedaling more than 2900 miles from California to Florida. On the faith side, he is a convert to Catholicism and has a story about being called to the diaconate in 2011.
Notable guest quotes:
“They took me to Protestant churches as a young child. I was in the typical Bible studies, in Sunday morning classes for the kids and they baptized me as a young child. But (my parents) themselves never really formally attended church.”
“I get to campus that first day of class… And as God’s Providence would have it, (my roommate) was also Catholic. I had several other Catholic men on my floor where I lived. And I noticed right from the start that they were a little different.”
“I noticed that Catholic men just had this more respect for women. And just a different idea about what dating was about.”
“I then didn’t know anything about the Catholic Church. I thought of it as pretty much like just another church. And I was blown away by the Mass and by the number of students who came on a Sunday morning when most students were sleeping in late with a hangover or whatever. And here is all these Catholics at Mass celebrating in a way I had not really seen before. And so, I was drawn to the faith and converted that year.”
“We’re standing there kind of bummed out, what else is there nearby because it’s already getting late in the day. And so, what can we do with our time since the Basilica (of Santa Clara) is obviously closed. And we’re standing there literally with hundreds of other tourists and we’re just kind of peering into our guidebook and this nun walks up to us – and with the full habit on and she walks up – and kind of gets the attention of my wife and I and she says, ‘Do you want to go inside’ and she kind of points over to the Basilica… And she said, ‘Follow me’.”
“And that’s when I heard a voice very clearly say to me, ‘I want you to work for my church’.”
“I think real well on my bike. And so, I remember the day I went out to do a bike ride, and I was going to think about it; okay, am I really being called to the diaconate? Is something I can really do?”
“This is the first time I really had stopped and had a conversation with anyone who was homeless. And I had a lot of preconceived notions that I still think are very prevalent, that they are drunks or drug addicts or criminals… And he comes up to me and he says, ‘Would you do my tax return’?”
“When he came back he was with his daughter again and he said, ‘She’s agreed to help me get things straightened out.’ And so, it was something that made a mark on my heart.”
“I look back on how providential that event was where I my first met this man who went from being a CEO to being homeless and went from being probably, more importantly, one of the most self-confident people in Denver to having shame – so much shame that he couldn’t even walk into my office that night because he was afraid I’d be offended by his appearance and his smell.”
“I’ve always tried to stay active, and I guess that’s one of the reasons I’ve been involved in charity cycling just to try and stay active and I get lots of benefits because I get the gift of being able to help out a charity and I also get to maintain some physical fitness.”
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