The lives and witness of St. Peter and St. Paul were woven throughout the episcopal ordination and installation Mass for the new bishop of Colorado Springs and also had a place in the solemn vespers the evening before.
On June 29, the saints’ feast day, Bishop James R. Golka, 54, became the third bishop of the 37-year-old diocese that spans 10 central and eastern counties of Colorado. A native of Grand Island, Nebraska, he was named by Pope Francis April 30 to succeed now-retired Bishop Michael J. Sheridan.
The evening before his episcopal ordination, the new shepherd of Colorado Springs started his homily by explaining that he had been fascinated by the life of St. Paul ever since choosing him as his patron saint for the sacrament of confirmation at age 15.
“I’m struck by how much St. Paul suffered,” he said during solemn vespers at St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Colorado Springs. “St. Paul never stopped – he kept on going. St. Paul himself says three times he was beaten with rocks, once he was stoned, three times he was shipwrecked, he spent a night and day adrift at sea, yet he kept on going.”
The challenges that Catholics face in evangelizing the culture today are similar to those St. Paul faced, he said.
“St. Paul went into Gentile territory; that means he went into communities and cultures that did not know much of Jesus Christ. I’m struck that maybe that’s what we’re called to do today again,” Bishop Golka said. “I think we admit that, for much of our culture, we cannot assume any more that they all know the story of Jesus.
“In our Catholic tradition, we cannot assume that they know their Catholic faith, nor that they are practicing it. So in a sense, we are sent into mission territory – an apostolic mission to somehow proclaim who Jesus is, for me and my life and for you and yours.”
In the weeks leading up to his episcopal ordination, he had spent a lot of time praying about the life of St. Peter.
At the June 29 Mass of installation at Holy Apostles Church, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, read a letter from Pope Francis stating: “Dear Bishop Golka, we pray that you may be a lover of God, following in the footsteps of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, proclaiming the good news of salvation and giving your life for Christ.”
Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver also pointed to the example of St. Peter and St. Paul in his homily.
“You, my dearest brother, will be one who points to Jesus Christ, not to yourself,” he said. “As you shared with us beautifully yesterday, you have experienced Jesus washing your feet; you have put your faith in him. Know that what you are entrusted with today is to wash the feet of all of the faithful of the Church of Colorado Springs.”
“We live in similar times to those of the great apostles,” Archbishop Aquila said. “They lived in pagan times in which there were all sorts of different gods, but they gave witness to Christ, no matter what the cost – even their own lives. We too live in a time in which Christendom is dead.
“Our society and culture are no longer built on Judeo-Christian principles. We see the abandonment of God. And yet we must be those who, in falling in love with Jesus, point to him and proclaim the good news of the Gospel and bring the joy of the Gospel to others.”
Archbishop Aquila, who was the principal consecrator for Bishop Golka, praised Robert and Patricia Golka for instilling the Catholic faith in their 10 children. The couple is celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary this year.
“It was your witness, Mr. and Mrs. Golka, to Jim when he was a child that planted that seed of faith, and planted it in the hearts of all of your children,” Archbishop Aquila said. “You were the domestic Church; you were the ones who taught Jim about Jesus and gave witness to Jesus. It is an incredible gift, and you do not know how your children will receive it. I’m sure that when James was a child, you never thought you would be here today.”
Bishop Sheridan and Bishop Joseph G. Hanefeldt of Grand Island, Nebraska, and Bishop Michael J. Sheridan were co-consecrators.
Over a dozen other bishops and archbishops from around the United States were in attendance, including Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Archbishop George J. Lucas of Omaha, Nebraska; Bishop Steven R. Biegler of Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Tucson, Arizona.
On June 30, Bishop Golka was received at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Prior to Mass, he knocked on the Church doors and was greeted by Father David Price, rector, who presented him with the keys to the cathedral. In his homily, Bishop Golka reflected on his episcopal ordination the day before and compared it to the sacrament of matrimony.
“Being ordained a bishop, the union was not just between Christ and I but between myself and all of you,” Bishop Golka said. “I would say to Colorado Springs, ‘I promise to be faithful to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.’”
Noting that June 30 also was the feast of the First Roman Martyrs, Bishop Golka said that he had in mind the many people today who are martyred for their Christian faith.
