Pallium Path: Unpacking the Blessings, Sharing the Love and Faith
- André Escaleira, Jr.
- Jul 2
- 6 min read
As pilgrims return from Rome after accompanying Archbishop James Golka as he received his pallium from Pope Leo XIV, they are filled with a spirit of faith, gratitude and mission.
There’s plenty to do when returning from a trip. Where did I put my house keys? How do I even start doing all this laundry? Do I really have to unpack my suitcases?
Post-pilgrimage, however, there is a lot more to consider. What was God saying to me during this time? How did he move in my heart? What are the things I’m being called to give thanks for?
As the archdiocesan Pallium Pilgrimage comes to a close and pilgrims arrive back home, they’re unpacking the graces, challenges and blessings of the pilgrimage throughout Rome with Denver Archbishop James Golka — and like the heaps of laundry awaiting them, there’s no shortage of beautiful experiences to process.
A Divine Invitation to Mission
For Dan Kurtenbach, one of the archbishop’s cousins who attended the pilgrimage, the trip was a no-brainer. But, having been to Rome before — and with Archbishop Golka, to boot! — he wasn’t sure what God was going to say or do in his life.
“I had a feeling deep down that I was supposed to go again — which meant, I assumed that there would be something new there for me,” he said.
But, as the pilgrimage went on, Kurtenbach stopped looking and found his heart and eyes open to what God wanted to do.
“Near the end, I stopped looking, and that is when God showed me what I had found in the course of our pilgrimage week: a group of people who loved their Church, who practiced their faith daily and who talked freely and joyously about what God had done in their lives,” he shared. “I realized that what I needed were role models to show me that I could be comfortable in my own Catholic skin.”
Falling in Love with the Faith
Every pilgrimage is an exciting experience — walking in the footsteps of saints and encountering the Church in a new place is an incredible thing! But heading to the heart of the Church, Rome, offered Marielena DeSanctis a new view of her faith and the Church.
“I traveled to Rome expecting to learn more about the Catholic Church. Instead, I fell more deeply in love with her,” she shared, recalling the humanity of her fellow pilgrims and the seminarians, priests and bishops she met along the way. “The Church I encountered in Rome was more human than I expected, and because of that, even more beautiful.”
For DeSanctis, each stop along the way struck her in a particular way. Having the opportunity to lector at Mass at St. Mary Major, reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans in Rome, was powerful, she said.
“Scripture suddenly ceased being something I was reading. It became something I was living,” she remembered.
But no experience struck her more than ascending the Holy Steps. According to legend, these stairs were the ones that Jesus ascended to meet Pontius Pilate on his way to Calvary. St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, brought them back to Rome along with various other relics and holy items, according to legend.
As DeSanctis prepared to begin her journey up those stairs, she was overcome with emotion.
“For the first time, the Passion was no longer simply a Gospel account I had read hundreds of times. It had become a place,” she remembered.
“Sometimes the holiest moments of pilgrimage are not the ones we expect. Sometimes they begin simply by standing still in the presence of a mystery too great for words,” she continued. “In that moment, I understood that pilgrimage is not ultimately about reaching holy places. It is about allowing those holy places to reach us.”
Now, as she returns home, DeSanctis can’t help but see her heart transformed.
“I traveled to Rome hoping to learn more about the Catholic faith. I am returning home more deeply in love with the Catholic Church. Not because I found all the answers. Not because I discovered her leaders are perfect,” she concluded. “But because I encountered a Church that is ancient yet alive, majestic yet humble, human yet holy. A Church that continues, in every generation, to invite ordinary people into extraordinary lives of service.”
Heavenly Unity
As pilgrims walked, prayed and ate together, a spirit of unity grew, bringing together faithful from the Archdiocese of Denver, the Diocese of Colorado Springs and the Golka family.
“Our small pilgrim group was a reflection of the broader Church,” said Ed Blieszner, a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Denver. “We, though diverse, are united in following the Good Shepherd. We were pilgrims from Denver and Colorado Springs and relatives from Nebraska and beyond, but we were all united in praying with and supporting Archbishop Golka on his journey. Our group was diverse, but our archbishop united us as members of the universal Catholic Church. And we, in turn, though strangers before, became united through our prayer and support of him on his journey to meet our earthly shepherd, the Holy Father.”
The experience of unity was a powerful one for Blieszner, who was struck by the kindness and support of those who have had to bid farewell to their beloved bishop and brother. That sort of tight-knit warmth, though, speaks to Archbishop Golka’s heart, he said.
“It also speaks to the charism of Archbishop Golka to have had on this trip those who have to say goodbye to him as their bishop show their support for him by joining those of us who are welcoming him to our diocese,” Blieszner reflected. “This coming together and our common prayer and journey showed how we are indeed blessed to have him as our pastor and spiritual leader.”
Accompanying the Shepherd
Walking, dining and praying beside Archbishop Golka, pilgrims had the chance to encounter Northern Colorado’s shepherd in a deeper way. They shared life; they laughed a lot; they commiserated over the heat. Most of all, though, pilgrims were offered a glimpse of the archbishop’s heart for Jesus Christ.
“Archbishop is always looking to bring people to Jesus. I have heard him say dozens of times that from an early age he was fascinated with Jesus and from the very first time my response has always been, ‘I want what he has,’” said Deacon Matthew Brend of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Castle Rock, part of the Diocese of Colorado Springs.
Deacon Brend and Tracy, his wife, were among a sizeable delegation from the Diocese of Colorado Springs that joined faithful from the Archdiocese of Denver in accompanying Archbishop Golka to Rome. In that spirit of unity and support, pilgrims prayerfully rallied around the archbishop, entrusting him, his ministry of service and those he will serve to the Lord.
“It was such an honor to be at the Pallium Mass, to pray with and especially for the archbishop. It was a joy to receive him as our bishop and such a loss when he was taken away,” Deacon Brend shared. “But my joy returned at the Pallium Mass, knowing that while he is no longer my bishop, he is my metropolitan and is exactly where God wants and needs him to guide his whole region. Seeing Pope Leo place the pallium on the archbishops is a beautiful reminder that the Holy Father does not only know us abstracted, but personally through our metropolitan and our bishops.”
Reflecting on the mad dash to get into and out of the Pallium Mass, Deacon Brend found himself grateful for the whole experience, even for the jostling in the crowded basilicas.
“After reflecting, it brings me joy that people were scrambling to get a seat at Mass,” he concluded. “I wish every Mass had people with such fervor to get in. We were blessed to even be there and the liturgy was unforgettable. How amazing.”
A Heartfelt Thank You from the Golkas
As the archdiocesan Pallium Pilgrimage draws to a close, Archbishop Golka’s youngest adult cousin is filled with gratitude, visibly moved with emotion reflecting on the experience.
“We know that he is loved by his family, and we see that every time we get together with him,” said Maria Kavan of Hastings, Nebraska. “But to know, to hear and to see what we have seen and experienced here has been amazing. I’m so grateful to know that he is loved and supported so much by the Church, by the people of this archdiocese and the Diocese of Colorado Springs and Grand Island, Nebraska. We just feel honored and blessed to be here and to see and to know that he has the love and support that he has.”
