THE BISHOP'S CROZIER: A New Pastoral Vision

By Bishop James R. Golka

As we begin the holiday season, it is important to remember that we are entering into a holy time in the life of the Church. Thanksgiving is a day in which we thank God for all the goodness and blessings in our lives that only come from him. We also call to mind that the Eucharist means “thanksgiving” and at every Mass we give thanks to the Father for sending his Son to save us. We then begin the holy season of Advent when we prepare our hearts to celebrate the Incarnation of Jesus at Christmas. Through his Incarnation, Jesus “has truly been made one of us, like us in all things except sin.” (Vatican II, Gaudium et spes, 22) By shattering the darkness of sin and death, Jesus restores in us our great dignity as sons and daughters of God created in his image and likeness. My prayer is that this holiday season is an opportunity for all of us to grow closer to Jesus and become more like him so that he can use us to accomplish his holy will in our families, our parishes, and in our diocese.

This is also a providential time to listen more attentively to the voice of our Lord and the plans he has for our diocese. On Nov. 1, the Solemnity of All Saints, I announced an important endeavor for the Diocese of Colorado Springs. As you may remember, in October of 2021, Pope Francis called the entire Church to participate in a process of Synodality to strengthen the Church’s unity and co-responsibility among her members for the sake of mission and evangelization. Over the past four years, the diocese has been participating in this Synodal process as a way of strengthening our local Church through a series of meetings and listening sessions to better understand the signs of the times and the pastoral needs and concerns of our diocese. Pope Leo XIV has now called the Church to participate in the final Implementation Phase of the Synod, where he has asked each diocese between June 2025 and December 2026 to take concrete steps to implement the work of the Synod in the life and mission of the diocese. Therefore, the Implementation Phase of the Synod is a providential opportunity for the Diocese of Colorado Springs to continue our Synodal path and embark on the creation of a three-year diocesan pastoral vision centered around humility, unity, and charity. The mission statement of this pastoral vision is as follows:

Centered on the missionary renewal of the Second Vatican Council and “reinvigorating its prophetic force for today’s world” the diocesan pastoral vision will seek to increase the baptismal identity of all the faithful to become missionary disciples of Jesus Christ. The pastoral vision will focus on three pathways of renewal: By growing in humility through a personal encounter with Christ and strengthening the unity of the Body of Christ the Church, we are sent by Christ in charity to proclaim and witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world.

The Implementation Phase in the diocese will formally begin on Dec. 8, 2025, the 60th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. The phase will conclude on Dec. 12, 2026, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of our diocese, at which time the pastoral vision will be formally promulgated. During this Implementation Phase, there will be a process of diocesan-wide prayer, discernment, and formation that will serve as pastoral preparation for the entire diocese as well as assist me and our Diocesan Synod Team in formulating the pastoral vision. More detailed information will be coming in the next few weeks.

Finally, I felt that the Solemnity of All Saints was an opportune time to announce the formation of a diocesan pastoral vision because it will be entirely ordered towards our calling to become saints of God and “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.” (Ephesians 4:12-13) As we embark on this process, I ask all to please join me in prayer asking the Holy Spirit to inspire and guide us in this important work in our diocese as we continue the mission of the New Evangelization. I especially want to ask for the intercession of St. John Henry Newman, who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on Nov. 1 by Pope Leo XIV. My hope is that his “Fragrance Prayer” becomes a reality in each one of us:

Dear Jesus,

Help me to spread your fragrance everywhere I go;

Flood my soul with your spirit and life;

Penetrate and possess my whole being so completely

That all my life may be only a radiance of yours;

Shine through me and be so in me

That everyone with whom I come into contact

May feel your presence within me.

Let them look up and see no longer me—but only Jesus.

Amen