After 14 years leading the Archdiocese of Denver, Archbishop Samuel Aquila will enter retirement on March 25.
DENVER — Over the past 14 years, Archbishop Samuel Aquila has led the Archdiocese of Denver. Appointed to lead the archdiocese in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI, Aquila — who at 75 has reached the customary retirement age for prelates — now prepares to hand the role over to Bishop James Golka, who will be installed as the archdiocese’s new leader on March 25.
During his time in Denver, Aquila has been an outspoken figure — commenting boldly on topics such as abortion and immigration policies — and a faithful leader who has worked diligently in Catholic schools, among the youth, and in the state’s seminary alongside its future priests.
Ordained a priest in 1976 in the Archdiocese of Denver, Archbishop Aquila has had a front-row seat to the growth the Church has seen there and the fruit it is bearing.
Reflecting on the time he has spent in the archdiocese, Archbishop Aquila told EWTN News in an exclusive sit-down interview that he looks back with “deep gratitude for the priests, for the religious, the deacons, the laity, and just seeing the
