Vatican City – The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral governance of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Denver presented by Archbishop Samuel Joseph Aquila, and has appointed Bishop James R. Golka as Metropolitan Archbishop of Denver, transferring him from the Diocese of Colorado Springs.
The decision, announced in the Holy See Press Office Bulletin of 7 February 2026, brings a lengthy period to an end. Archbishop Aquila, having reached the age limit set by canon law for the submission of a resignation (75 years), had tendered his resignation some months ago; the Pope’s acceptance now formalises the handover at the helm of the metropolitan Church in Colorado.
The new metropolitan archbishop, James R. Golka, was born in Grand Island (Nebraska) on 22 September 1966. After studying at Creighton University in Omaha (Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy) and completing ecclesiastical formation at the Saint Paul Seminary in Saint Paul (Minnesota), obtaining a Master of Divinity, he was ordained to the priesthood on 3 June 1994 for the Diocese of Grand Island. In his ministry he has held pastoral and leadership roles: parochial vicar, parish priest, then Vicar General and Rector of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On 30 April 2021 he was appointed Bishop of Colorado Springs, receiving episcopal ordination on 29 June of the same year. The new archbishop’s installation is scheduled to take place at a Solemn Mass on Wednesday 25 March 2026.
fr.B.M.
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