'Help Ease the Burdens of Others': Archbishop Golka Encourages Hispanic Parish Leaders at Annual Convocation
- Rocio Madera
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
A simple but profound message marked the second annual Convocation for Hispanic Parish Leaders on August 22: God has a plan, and we are called to seek it and discern it.
At the annual event, held at Most Precious Blood Parish in Denver and organized by the Office of Evangelization and Family Life Ministries, about 100 parish leaders gathered with an attitude of listening, expectation and, above all, openness to the Holy Spirit.
One of the highlights of the convocation was the Eucharistic celebration presided over by Denver Archbishop James Golka, who once again showed his closeness and commitment to the Hispanic community.
“Thank you for your time and your desire to serve the people of God here in our diocese. Thank you for your ministry,” Archbishop Golka said at the beginning of his homily, gratefully acknowledging those who place their gifts at the service of the Church. “What a joy and what an honor to know that Jesus wants to work through our words and actions.
“When we are working in the name of Christ,” the archbishop continued, “every word of life you speak and every action you take are opportunities for Christ to act again and put his finger on the hearts of his people.”
In this way, parish leadership finds its true meaning in serving and accompanying others so that they can encounter Jesus.
“Our ministry is to help ease the burdens of others. Above all, we are servants of a great God,” the archbishop said. “Our desire is that people see Jesus in us more than they see us.”
To conclude his homily, the archbishop pointed to Mary at the Foot of the Cross as an example of remaining close to those who suffer.
“She wants to help us better understand what it means to remain very close to violence, suffering and problems, because everything is there in the Cross,” he said.
He acknowledged that “we cannot save the current situation, but Jesus can,” and emphasized that, as Christians, we are called to walk alongside those who suffer.
Around 100 Hispanic parish leaders gathered for the second annual Convocation for Hispanic Parish Leaders. (Photos by Rocio Madera/El Pueblo Católico)
In short, ministry is more about Jesus than it is about us. For that reason, we need to be rooted in prayer, discernment and faith so that we can foster a spirit of closeness and respond to the needs of our parish communities.
“This year’s convocation focused on discernment, specifically on how we pray to know what to do,” said Alejandra Bravo, director of evangelization for the Archdiocese of Denver. “Our goal was not simply to tell leaders what is important, but to begin showing them how to put it into practice.”
And how can they put it into practice? For the parish leaders who attended the convocation, the answer may not be immediate or simple. Still, they left with several tools to take back to their parishes and strengthen their communities.
“The process of discerning certain things within your community, your group, your ministry and your movement has opened up a broader vision for us to know how to continue along the way,” said Charly García, a leader in the Kairos movement.
As they learned to discern more deeply, parish leaders said they also experienced a strengthening of their faith, a renewal of their commitment and the reassurance that they are not alone in the mission.
“Hearing that we are moving in the same direction, with the same mindset and idea — I love that!” said Paolo Fontani, director of evangelization and discipleship at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Fort Collins.
“It invites you to belong to a community and helps strengthen your foundation, your roots,” said Angélica Martínez Caldera of Annunciation Parish in Denver, who attended the convocation for the first time. “Many times, we feel anxious or cannot see beyond what is in front of us. At gatherings like this, we are filled with Christ and the Holy Spirit, and that comforts us, gives us peace and helps us move forward courageously.”
For María Elisa Olivas, youth ministry specialist for the Archdiocese of Denver, one of the most important fruits of the convocation is for leaders to allow themselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit and to accompany others in their own discernment.
“If they did not take away any other message during the day, it would be ideal if they simply understood that their ministry must be guided by the Holy Spirit and that they need to take time to discern, with the Holy Spirit, both their personal plan for life and the plan for their movements within their community,” she said.
With this purpose in mind, Olivas hopes this discernment will also become a path toward discovering new vocations.
“May the leaders who work in youth ministry, with teenagers and young adults, help their young people discern God’s plan for their lives, both in their communities and in their families, so that there may be more vocations,” she concluded.
