Mission Received, Mission Given: Archbishop Golka Installed as Archbishop of Denver, Sends the Church On Mission
- André Escaleira, Jr.
- 11 minutes ago
- 9 min read
In his first homily as the shepherd of Northern Colorado, the newly installed archbishop called the Church to know Jesus more deeply, listen to his Word and go on mission to preach the Gospel.
March 25: a day of intense joy for the global Church. The day when Mary’s “yes” echoed through eternity, bringing forth humanity’s savior. In a homily on this very day, St. Bernard of Clairvaux emphatically describes how the world waited with bated breath for Mary’s response. Her “yes” evoked an explosive, near-incomparable joy in Heaven.
But this March 25, there was a measure of that transformative joy as the Archdiocese of Denver welcomed its ninth bishop and sixth archbishop, Archbishop James Golka, amid the devoted prayers and ecstatic applause of thousands gathered at the CoBank Arena at the National Western Complex in Denver.
“Pope Leo has blessed our church with a new Archbishop, one whose heart is deeply conformed to the heart of Christ, one who has a deep love for our Blessed Mother, whose feast of the Annunciation of the Lord we celebrate today,” said Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila as he introduced his successor during the Installation Mass. “It is under her mantle and her protection, especially under her title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, that I place the entire Archdiocese of Denver, and especially Archbishop Golka, as he begins his ministry here.”
Officially taking up the pastoral care of the local Church, Archbishop Golka received the Apostolic Letter of Pope Leo XIV, proclaimed and delivered by Christophe Cardinal Pierre, the apostolic nuncio or papal representative to the United States.
“In the providence of God, you are called to this new responsibility,” the cardinal told the new archbishop. “Your ministry has been marked by attentiveness to the will of God and a life rooted in prayer. You have spoken of the importance of listening, first to the Lord, and then to those entrusted to your care. This discernment, this docility, to the voice of God will be essential as you begin your ministry here.”
Noting that the Church begins not in human plans or efforts, but in prayerful encounter with Jesus and devoted discernment, Cardinal Pierre offered Archbishop Golka advice and encouragement at the beginning of his ministry, and invited the archdiocese to receive him warmly.
“Remaining united to him, we serve with confidence, not in ourselves, but in the grace of God. Brothers and sisters, a bishop is called not only to teach and to live, but to listen, to pray, and to walk with his people,” he said. “I encourage you to receive your new Archbishop with openness and trust, and to support him with your prayers. May this local church continue to grow in communion and be a witness in the joy of the Gospel.”
Apostolic Succession in Action
Following his profession of faith and oath of fidelity during Solemn Vespers Tuesday evening, as well as his presenting the Apostolic Letter to the archdiocese, his receiving the crosier, or shepherd’s staff, and his enthronement in the cathedra, the bishop’s chair, Archbishop Golka officially took the helm of Colorado’s largest diocese.
But as he did so, both Cardinal Pierre and he expressed great gratitude for the giants on whose shoulders the new shepherd stands.
“For many years, you have served this local church with dedication and generosity,” Cardinal Pierre said to Archbishop Aquila. “You have encouraged the faithful of Northern Colorado to remain rooted in Christ, to grow as missionary disciples, and to place encounter with Jesus at the center of their lives. On behalf of the Holy Father, I express sincere gratitude for your ministry as bishop and priest.”
Looking both to J. Francis Cardinal Stafford and Archbishop Aquila, who served the local Church devotedly for decades, the new Denver shepherd offered his own heartfelt thanks, asking the archdiocese to join him in gratitude.
(Photos by Rachel Moore/Denver Catholic)
Sixth Archbishop: ‘Go Forth’
His mission received, Archbishop Golka was quick to give the faithful across the archdiocese their own: know Jesus, love Jesus and preach Jesus.
“Every Mass is a stronger encounter, communion with our Lord Jesus Christ. Every Mass should send us forth on mission. We are not Catholics who sit around. We are Catholics on mission to go out and do what God wants us to do. Each individual, each marriage, each family, each parish, each diocese, and the whole Catholic Church,” Archbishop Golka said. “We are made for mission. The mission is God's. God thinks enough of us to recruit us and to call us to follow Christ and to live for his purposes. I'm all in, I'm ready. How about you?”
But that mission necessitates more than mere words, the archbishop noted. It requires an intimacy with Christ that impels.
“I think Catholics are experts at going through the motions. Let's stop that right now,” Archbishop Golka challenged those gathered. “When you pray the Our Father, you're in front of the Father who made you. Jesus is with you; it is his prayer. Pray it like he would pray it. Don't go through the motions anymore.”
The danger of not drawing near to Jesus in prayer is real, Archbishop Golka emphasized. In fact, it’s his biggest fear as the newly installed Archbishop of Denver.
“Now, brothers and sisters, as your archbishop, what fears me the most is if you do not let Christ claim you,” he shared. “If you do not let him claim you every day, as Catholics, if you're never going into the confessional, never receiving the Holy Communion, never talking to him before you bless a meal, I'm afraid at that moment of your death, you might be utterly alone, and that would be terrifying. Let Christ claim you. That will make all the difference in the world.”
Indeed, if the entire people of God throughout Northern Colorado took this call seriously, the archbishop said, the state, archdiocese and world would be a profoundly different — and more Christlike — place.
“As your archbishop, my plan, my dream, my goal for this archdiocese is that each Christian, each day, has a goal of listening well to the will of God to understand and say yes to his plan. Imagine our archdiocese, our state, if every Christian, every Catholic were trying to live according to the will of God, not just ours. Imagine how God can change our state, our archdiocese and our lives,” he said.
(Photos by Grant Whitty/Denver Catholic)
Excitement, Hope and Gratitude
For the thousands gathered, “who are here for joining me to implore God's help for me and for our diocese,” as Archbishop Golka said in his homily, the Installation Mass was a moment of profound grace. The newly minted honorary members of the Golka (spiritual) family, adopted by the new archbishop himself in his homily, couldn’t help but feel excitement, hope and gratitude in welcoming their new shepherd.
“Thanks be to God, because he’s given us a new archbishop, a shepherd for our Church in Denver. It’s a blessing,” said Sr. Claudia with the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit. “Listening to the archbishop, I really feel a deep sense of hope. It’s a real joy to be with Archbishop Golka.”
“It was marvelous. I feel really hopeful to have met our new archbishop. I feel really blessed to have received his first blessing at Mass. Everything was really beautiful,” added Felipe Avina, a parishioner at Queen of Peace Parish in Aurora.
“Archbishop Golka’s new start gives me a lot of hope, especially with everything he’s gone through before getting to this point, with his mom and dad passing away,” shared Mina Gutierrez, a parishioner of St. Michael Parish in Aurora. “But it gave me a lot of joy to see his family, who came to support him. I feel a lot of hope for the Hispanic community, especially as he entrusted himself to Our Lady of Guadalupe in his words in Spanish.”
In short, explained Betty Scheetz, a parishioner of St. John XXIII Parish in Fort Collins, “It’s just good to be Catholic and be able to celebrate something this spectacular.”
“I want to give a warm welcome to Archbishop Golka. What a beautiful celebration today! I’m proud to be a Catholic in this archdiocese,” agreed JoAnn Seaman, executive director of the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden.
As they look ahead to the new shepherd’s ministry in the Archdiocese of Denver, the faithful can’t want to see what the Holy Spirit brings about through Archbishop Golka’s prayerful example.
“I'm excited about the archbishop's humility in the way that he said that he is with us,” said Deisy Muñoz, a parishioner of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Northglenn. “It's a new chapter in the Archdiocese of Denver, and so I'm excited about what's to come and the emphasis on intimacy with Jesus that the archbishop talked about in his homily.”
“I’m leaving with hope and an excitement to have an archbishop who speaks Spanish and encourages us to stay in communion with the Father,” added Aracely Saenz, a parishioner of St. Joseph Parish in Denver.
(Photos by Dan Petty/Denver Catholic)
A Warm Welcome
The energy in the CoBank Arena was electric all day long, with the thousands in attendance eagerly welcoming their new spiritual father. When asked what welcome message they had following Mass, the faithful couldn’t contain their enthusiasm.
“Archbishop Golka, I’m so excited for you and your time here,” said Keith Parsons, who served as archdiocesan chief operating officer for 11 years before moving out of state last year. “You’re going to be an amazing leader, and I pray for you daily as you go forward.”
“Welcome, Archbishop Golka! We’re really excited for your Jesuit connections and for the ways that you want to continue to unify our archdiocese and the wider Church as a whole,” added Olivia Britt, a teacher at Arrupe Jesuit High School in Denver.
“We’re so happy and excited to have you. You are a huge blessing, and I’m so excited to see what you do with the youth. We’ve only heard really good things about you,” shared Kayla. “We can’t wait to have you continue being here in Colorado. You’re welcomed with open arms, and we already love you!”
“I can’t wait to see all the missions and support that you give our community all over Denver and the archdiocese! Welcome!” added Alicia Vazquez.
Amid all the excitement was a bittersweet twinge, especially for those faithful from the Diocese of Colorado Springs who were losing their beloved shepherd. Yet, for Chris Scurto, the chairman of the diocese’s Catholic Foundation, any tears shed were rooted in gratitude and enthusiasm for the Denver Archdiocese.
“I’ve had the lovely experience of working with Archbishop Golka now for four years. He’s meant so much to me,” he shared. “He’s made me a better Catholic. He’s made me want to be a better Catholic. And I certainly appreciate his stewardship, his shepherding, his humility and his love. Today, my tears are tears of joy for the Archdiocese of Denver. You’re so lucky to have this man leading you.”
Just Say Yes
As he begins his ministry as the head shepherd of the Archdiocese of Denver, Archbishop Golka only has one agenda item in mind: listen to God. On the Solemnity of the Annunciation, this plan takes on a visible character in the Virgin Mary.
“On this day of the Annunciation, the Archangel Gabriel said to Mary, ‘God has a plan for you, a plan to receive a powerful baby called Son of God, Jesus Christ. Mary says she does not understand, but the angel says it’s God’s plan. And how does Mary respond? Yes,” Archbishop Golka explained. “For me, this is very important because it’s the center of the Christian and Catholic life. We must learn to say yes to the will of God. But, to say yes, we first must listen to the Word of God to understand his will, his plan. And when we can listen and receive his will, his plan, we can say yes and live that yes.”
Only by knowing Jesus, loving him and saying yes to his loving plan can we be saved, the archbishop continued. Thanks be to God, Mary shows us how — on the Annunciation and every day.
“We make a point of remembering this day because the single moment of encounter between the young Mary and the messenger Gabriel contains for me the first and foremost lesson of being a Christian,” he said. “Everything else hinges on this. Our salvation depends upon our consent to be claimed by Christ, to be saved by Christ.”
But that “yes” is not — cannot — be a one-and-done reality. It is a “yes” that must permeate down to the Christian’s core, appearing in word and deed, every single day.
“This consent must be given over and over and again. That's why our Catholic faith says, practice your faith. That will help you be claimed my Christ,” Archbishop Golka noted, pointing to Eve’s listening to the devil, and Mary’s listening to God, becoming the New Eve. “The enemy continues to talk and tempt us in our world today. Believe me, I know it, I have felt it. I'm not afraid of Satan. I'm afraid of not looking at Jesus.”
But of course, there is nothing really to fear here, since Jesus has won the war and has rescued us from sin and death. All we have to do is just say yes.
“We must assent to let God save us. We must give our assent to let God claim us. We can't just sit there and expect that God will take care of it on his own. God loves us so much he wants us to assent,” Archbishop Golka said.
