4 Ways to Pray for the Archbishop Transition in the Archdiocese of Denver

Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila prays during the annual graduation Mass for graduates of the Denver Catholic Biblical School at St. Thomas More Parish in 2024. (Photo by James Baca/Denver Catholic)

Archbishop Aquila’s 75th birthday on Sept. 24 is fast approaching, and with it, the canonically required submission of his resignation.

We may not know who will succeed him, when he will arrive in Northern Colorado or what he will be like, but we do know that Jesus himself has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age (see Matthew 28:19-20).

With the confidence that faith and trust in God give us, we can begin praying for Archbishop Aquila, his successor and the transition even now, entrusting everything to Jesus, through Mary.

1. Pray the Novena to Mary at the Foot of the Cross

Transitions are difficult moments of uncertainty and change. They can often bring with them feelings of anxiety or fear, just as much as they may bring excitement and hope.

Thankfully, we have a perfect person to turn to in these moments with Mary at the Foot of the Cross.

In his 2025 Lenten Pastoral Note, “Standing With Mary at the Foot of the Cross,” Archbishop Aquila noted that Mary “is a model of hope, perseverance and contemplation as we seek to understand and be transformed by the saving actions of Jesus.” By turning to our Blessed Mother in these moments of uncertainty, we can grow in our own hope, perseverance and contemplation and thus draw closer to the Lord Jesus, who desires to give us every good thing necessary for our salvation.

Consider entrusting your fears, anxieties and concerns, as well as your excitements and hopes to our Blessed Mother, leaving them with her at the foot of the Cross of her Son. From her and from there, may we receive the peace that only Jesus can give.

2. Pray the Surrender Novena

In Lent 2022, Archbishop Aquila encouraged each of us to grow in the virtue of trust for God — in surrender to Divine Providence.

In his Pastoral Letter, “It’s All in the Surrender,” he detailed the importance of the spiritual posture and how the Archdiocese was striving to embrace it through the Archdiocesan Discernment Process. At the same time, he called for the faithful across Northern Colorado to join together in praying the powerful Surrender Novena as “a chance for all of us to surrender anew to Jesus … a chance to put him first in our lives, and the more we surrender to him, the more our love will grow for him, the Father and the Holy Spirit.”

What was true then is all the more true now!

Consider praying the Surrender Novena for a greater spirit of unity, peace and trust in the Lord’s will, even around the upcoming archbishop transition in the Archdiocese of Denver.

3. Offer Up Time in Eucharistic Adoration or at Mass

The next time you’re praying before the Lord Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist, whether at Mass or in Eucharistic Adoration, consider offering up some of that time for the archbishop transition.

Each and every time we approach the great sacrament of the Eucharist, we encounter the living Jesus, to whom we can bring all of our fears, hopes and concerns; we encounter him who can help us to grow in love and faith.

Next time you’re headed to Eucharistic Adoration, consider using the John 6 Prayer Resource that Archbishop Aquila announced in his August 2023 Pastoral Note, “You Have the Words of Eternal Life.”

In fact, that August 2023 Pastoral Note and its Advent 2022 predecessor, “Were Not Our Hearts Burning?”, might make for good prayer material themselves!

Whether you use the prayer resource, reflect on Archbishop’s words in either Pastoral Note, or just spend time with the Lord who loves you more than you can imagine, consider offering up a bit of that time with Jesus for Archbishop Aquila, his successor and the transition.

4. Pray to the Holy Spirit

Before ascending to the Father, Jesus promises the Church his presence “until the end of the age” (see Matthew 28:20). Through the Holy Spirit — the blessed third person of the Trinity — God continues to guide, direct and bless his Church by bringing her ever closer to the heart of God, burning with love for his people.

As the Archdiocese approaches this period of transition, consider asking the Holy Spirit for his guidance in your own life, in our communities and in our Archdiocese.

In this way, we may just grow closer to fulfilling the desire Archbishop Aquila expressed in his 2022 Pentecost Pastoral Note, “Truth and Unity: The Mission of the Holy Spirit:”

“As we prepare to celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, I encourage you all to pray for these gifts and fruits.  Ask the Holy Spirit for an abundant outpouring of whatever gift you need the most to grow in friendship with God.  As we move closer to becoming an archdiocese that exists in an apostolic mission way, my hope is that we all come to a greater intimacy with the Holy Spirit so that we may follow his promptings to bring the joy and hope of the Gospel to those most in need, those who are bound by sin and death, who are suffering because they have been tricked into following the ways of the world and the evil one more  than the saving truth of Jesus Christ.”