Grand Island native and Colorado Springs bishop steps into new role.
Next month, a new archbishop of Denver will be installed — he’s a Creighton University graduate and a Nebraska native.
The Holy See announced earlier this month that Pope Leo XIV accepted the retirement request of the Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, Denver’s current archbishop, and his successor will be the Rev. James R. Golka, who is currently the bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs.
He has served as the bishop of Colorado Springs since he was appointed by the late Pope Francis in 2021.
Born and raised in Grand Island, Golka attended Creighton after graduating from Grand Island Central Catholic High School. In 1989 he earned degrees in philosophy and theology from the university, according to an article on the Archdiocese of Denver’s website.
Following graduation, Golka brought Creighton’s Jesuit values into the early part of his ministry. He worked as a Jesuit lay volunteer for the Native American Missions in South Dakota from 1989 to 1990, according to the Diocese of Colorado Springs’ website.
He then went on to enter the St. Paul Seminary in Minnesota, eventually earning both a Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Sacramental Theology. In 1994 he returned to Nebraska and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grand Island.
According to the Archdiocese of Denver’s article, Golka, who is fluent in Spanish, has spent his time in Colorado Springs working to increase the involvement and representation of Hispanic Catholics in the diocese. Last year, he created the first shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the diocese’s patroness.
Additionally, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Cross Catholic Outreach, serves as episcopal moderator of the Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference and has worked with Catholic stewardship organizations.
“Bishop Golka has worked with national consultants to better help parishes develop stewardship as a way of life,” the Diocese of Colorado Springs’ website says. “He has offered numerous retreats across the country, preaching the blessings of ordering our lives in recognition that all we are and all we have is a gift from God.”
Some Creighton students from Colorado, who are familiar with Golka, have seen his dedication to stewardship through his care for others.
“He speaks fervently about the dignity of women, and works to uphold the sanctity of all, especially the poor,” Jake Limb, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences from Colorado Springs, said about Golka.
During a solemn mass on March 25, Golka will be installed as the sixth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Denver.
“As we look to the future, I ask you to join me in prayerful support for my brother bishop whom the Lord has called to shepherd this archdiocese: Archbishop-designate James R. Golka,” a thank you letter from Aquila said. “May he be strengthened by your prayers, encouraged by your collaboration and sustained by the grace of the office he will receive. Welcome him with open hearts, confident that Christ himself remains the ultimate Shepherd of the Church.”
As a Creighton alumnus, Golka is part of the growing list of the university’s graduates in Catholic leadership.