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(Photo courtesy of Holy Family High School) For parents of eighth graders, the approach to high school can feel like it arrives all at once. One moment, your child is navigating middle school lockers and homework; the next, you’re weighing decisions that will shape their intellectual, spiritual and personal formation during some of the most influential years of their life. Recognizing how weighty that moment can feel, the Archdiocese of Denver’s Office of Catholic Schools has

(Photo: Pannonhalma Archabbey, courtesy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) As Catholics begin the penitential journey of Lent, the Church once again invites the faithful to unite prayer, sacrifice and generosity in a special way. On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, parishes across the United States will take up the Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, an annual appeal sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that has brought healing an

Let Lent lead us into love through Catholic Charities. Catholic Charities offers several opportunities to get involved and give back this Lent, from Fort Collins to the Denver Metro, from the Western Slope to your own neighborhood. (Photo provided) Lent arrives every year like an invitation, quiet but impossible to ignore. The ashes on our foreheads remind us that life is brief, and love is meant to be shared widely. You may be thinking about what to give up, but Lent also as

On Saturday, February 7, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV had accepted Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila's request to retire and had appointed Most Reverend James R. Golka , currently Bishop of Colorado Springs, as the sixth Archbishop of Denver. That same morning, the Archdiocese of Denver hosted a press conference to introduce Northern Colorado's newest shepherd at the Cardinal Stafford Library at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. In the conference, Archbi

On Saturday, February 7, Pope Leo XIV accepted Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila's request to retire and appointed Bishop James R. Golka, currently Bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs, as the Archdiocese of Denver's sixth archbishop. (Photo by Daniel Petty/Denver Catholic) “If we don’t pray first, we’re going to be lost. So let’s pray,” Denver’s next archbishop began on Saturday morning.  Mere hours before, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV had accepted Archbishop Samu

(Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Colorado Springs) DENVER — Pope Leo XIV has named Bishop James R. Golka as the sixth Archbishop of Denver, the Holy See announced early February 7, 2026.  Archbishop-designate Golka, 59, is the current Bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs. He will succeed Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, 75, who has been chief shepherd of the Archdiocese of Denver since 2012.  Archbishop Aquila’s retirement — which he offered to the pope upon his 75th birthd

(Denver Catholic file photo) February 7, 2026  My Brothers and Sisters,  As I prepare to enter retirement, my heart is filled above all with gratitude — to God, to the priests and deacons of this local Church, to consecrated women and men, and to the lay faithful who have walked together as missionary disciples in Northern Colorado. From the beginning of my ministry here, I have been convinced that the Lord is at work among us, calling us ever more deeply to conversion, commu

Then-Bishop James R. Golka preaches during Mass at SEEK26 in Denver. (Photo by Grant Whitty/Courtesy of FOCUS) Archbishop-designate James R. Golka was born September 22, 1966, in Grand Island, Nebraska, the fourth of 10 children born to Robert and the late Patricia Golka. He graduated from Grand Island Central Catholic High School and attended Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, from 1985-89, where he earned degrees in philosophy and theology.  He served as a Jesuit lay

Then-Bishop James R. Golka blesses attendees at Mass at SEEK26 in Denver. (Photo by Madisen Martinez/Courtesy of FOCUS) Habemus archiepiscopum! We have an archbishop!  On Saturday morning, the Vatican and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced that Pope Leo XIV had accepted Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila’s request to retire from pastoral governance of the Archdiocese of Denver after nearly 14 years of service. At the same time, the Holy Father appoin

When St. Joan of Arc Parish in Arvada, Colorado, brought more than 70 parishioners to the SEEK conference  in Denver this January, it wasn’t a last-minute decision — it was the fruit of years of discernment, prayer and a renewed understanding of what it means to be a parish on mission in the Archdiocese of Denver. The 74 Fervent Evangelical Warriors from St. Joan of Arc Parish in Arvada (plus a few extra!) gathered for a group photo during SEEK26 in Denver. (Photo courtesy of

37 deacons and 4 priests came together to launch what organizers say might be the first diocesan-sponsored clergy peer support program in the nation. (Photo provided) When Deacon Ernie Martinez took on his role as director of deacons for the Archdiocese of Denver three years ago, he brought with him an insight few clergy possess: 40 years of experience with the Denver Police Department, where he witnessed firsthand how peer support could save lives. That experience has now tr

Together, as one Body in Christ, the Church is called to an active love, which flows from encounter and compassion, just as it did for the Good Samaritan. Locally, that compassionate care will take shape at the annual World Day for the Sick Mass on February 15. Denver Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodríguez anoints a Massgoer during the annual World Day for the Sick Mass at Holy Ghost Parish in Denver. (Photo by Daniel Petty/Denver Catholic) It’s an uncharacteristically warm winter

Speaking on his recently published Pastoral Call to Peace , the Denver archbishop urged the faithful and all those of goodwill to return to civil discourse, rooted in a biblical worldview and in the human dignity inherent in every person. (Photo: Denver Catholic file photo) As tensions run high nationwide in response to immigration enforcement and recent violence, Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila joined the Dan Caplis Show to urge a return to the peace that only Christ can

As the archdiocese’s newest deacon was ordained, the Denver archbishop called him and each of the faithful to deeper faith, surrender, and hope in God. Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila greets newly ordained Deacon Enrique Cruz Bautista during the ordination Mass on January 31, 2026. (Photo by Daniel Petty/Denver Catholic) Denver’s newest transitional deacon — and indeed all of us — have a renewed challenge from our spiritual father: put God first. During his homily at Deacon Enriq

Justice Department urges Court to reverse Colorado’s exclusion of Catholics from “universal” preschool program (Photo: Denver Catholic file photo) Catholic preschools in the Archdiocese of Denver have been seeking equal treatment for more than two years, in the face of Colorado's exclusion of religious schools from their "Universal" Preschool Program (UPK). The fight began in August 2023, when a team of lawyers from Becket filed a lawsuit  against Colorado on behalf of two of

Students, parents and educators celebrate educational freedom — and renewed support for parents as primary educators. Priscilla Rahn, headmaster of Excalibur Classical Academy, speaks during the School Choice Week rally at the Colorado State Capitol on Tuesday. (Photo by Matt Walker) By Matt Walker Hundreds of students, parents and educators gathered at the State Capitol on Tuesday to celebrate National School Choice Week, making visible a fraction of the hundreds of educatio

Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila prays during a November 2025 Stations of the Cross held outside the ICE Detention Facility in Aurora. (Photo by André Escaleira, Jr.) Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila issued a public letter calling for peace in the face of increasing violence, anger, anxiety and harmful rhetoric following recent violence in Minnesota and continued suffering around immigration and public life. His letter, printed in full, follows below. A Pastoral Call to P

A Catholic vision of education rooted in dignity, faith and human flourishing. (Photo courtesy of Holy Family High School) A robust Catholic Education should be available to everyone who wants it, but, unfortunately, for a long time, families of students with moderate to severe educational disabilities have struggled to find their place in Catholic schools. Thankfully, many devout men and women have stepped up to change that, driven by the conviction that Catholic education s

At Shrine of St. Anne Catholic School in Arvada, love, inclusion and faith are helping a second-grader with autism blossom. Krash, Karvey and Kal Krogh outside of Shrine of St. Anne School in Arvada. (Photo provided) Shortly after Krash Krogh of Arvada turned two, his parents, Meagan and Josh, had the heartbreaking realization that he was not speaking. Diagnosed with severe autism, Krash has been non-verbal for much of his life, except for a short breakthrough when he was fou

The new facility at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver inspires seminarians to holiness through discipline and brotherhood. The sun rises over the newly completed and blessed Monsignor Glenn Center, a recreation center for seminarians at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver. (Photo courtesy of Horizon West Builders) Despite frigid temperatures, dozens of donors, seminarians and archdiocesan staff gathered together Friday to warm, inaugurate and bless the newly completed Monsi