THE BISHOP'S CROZIER: Bringing God’s work to completion in the Diocese of Colorado Springs

By Bishop James R. Golka

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As January turns to February, we are observing some important things.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity took place Jan. 18-25. This is a time to make our own Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper “may they be one, Father, as you and I are one.” The unity of Christians is an important effort of our times because it is our Lord’s desire, and it helps the Church better proclaim the Gospel in the world. The true communion of Christians can be a powerful sign of the loving presence of Jesus at work in the world. I hope we all continue to pray for and work towards authentic unity among all the baptized.

Jan. 23 marked the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn. Although Roe v. Wade has been overturned, Colorado continues to legally allow ending the life of an unborn child up until the moment of birth. The Colorado legislation goes even further to say that “a fertilized egg, embryo or fetus does not have independent or derivative rights under the laws of the state.” We are in a dangerous place when the state tries to bestow or deny fundamental rights to any human being.

After the overturning of Roe, there have been many acts of vandalism and violence against Catholic churches and pregnancy centers in response. Thanks to the hard work of our Respect Life Apostolate and the many people who pray for and witness to the inviolable dignity of every life, we continue to advocate for those who have no voice of their own. Jesus calls us to build a culture of life that embraces the goodness of life at every stage.

On Jan. 29, we began Catholic Schools Week. During this week, I traveled to every Catholic school in our diocese to offer Mass, visit the students and teachers, and see the great work that is happening all over. It has been a great blessing to meet so many faith-filled teachers and volunteers at our Catholic schools. They work hard to provide a Christ-centered environment that is academically excellent and mission oriented.

I am grateful for the many families and individuals who sacrifice to make Catholic education possible for our children. This is something that we can all support. Every Catholic child should be able to attend a Catholic school. Such a thing is only possible when everyone, even families without kids at home, supports their parishes and schools spiritually and financially.

Thanks to the generosity of so many in our diocese, we are able to offer tuition assistance and scholarship help that enable our young people to get an excellent education and, more importantly, an opportunity to grow as disciples of Jesus. I can hardly think of a better way to invest in our youth.

The first weekend in February you will hear from me in the Diocesan Ministry Appeal video shown at Masses in your parish. One of the most important things I can say about this is that as a local Church, we have a big job to do. We have a mission with lots of moving parts. The things I mentioned above are just a few of them. As the local Church, Jesus has entrusted these tasks to us. We were born in this time and place for a reason.

God equips us to accomplish the work he has set before us. But we need all hands on deck. As Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Lk 10:2) I am grateful for the many who labor tirelessly for the sake of the Gospel, and for those whose generosity makes it possible in a variety of ways. May God bring his work to completion in us and help us to work for his greater glory!