COLORADO SPRINGS. The flight from Miami to Guatemala City is shorter than the flight from Denver to Miami. And yet, the social and economic gulf between the U.S. and Central America’s most populous county is immense. Village homes are constructed from scrap lumber and salvaged sheet metal, floors are packed dirt, and rice and beans are cooked over open flame stoves with inadequate kitchen venting.  Political instability, natural disasters, food insecurity, and malnutrition all contribute to a persistently high poverty rate. 

When Father Jason Keas, pastor of Divine Redeemer Parish, and Capuchin Father Alex Diaz, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, first approached me with a vision of uniting the two parishes into a diocesan shrine, I was touched by the prayerful discernment of these holy men, as well as their humility and charity in being mindful of the needs of each parish as well as the diocese.

Cuando el Padre Jason Keas (párroco de Divino Redentor) y el Padre Alex Díaz (párroco de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe) se me acercaron por primera vez con la visión de unir las dos parroquias en un Santuario diocesano, me conmovió el discernimiento orante de estos santos hombres, así como su humildad y caridad al ser conscientes de las necesidades de cada parroquia y de la diócesis.

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Bishop Golka's Reflection on the Third Sunday of Lent

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Bishop Golka's Reflection on the Second Sunday of Lent