Archdiocese of Denver
Denverien(sis)
Metropolitan see · Latin Church · Denver, Colorado, United States
The Archdiocese of Denver is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese in northern Colorado. Erected as a diocese in 1887 and elevated to an archdiocese in 1941, it is the metropolitan see for the province of Denver, with Cheyenne, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo as suffragans. Archbishop James R. Golka was installed on March 25, 2026.
The see
- Rank
- Metropolitan see
- Tradition
- Latin Church
- Erected
- 16 August 1887
- Latin
- Denverien(sis)
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception
- Annuario code
- 001001290
The see in figures
- Catholics
- 550,000
- Population
- 3,807,037
- Catholic share
- 14.4%
- Priests
- 297
- Catholics per priest
- 1,852
- Extent
- 104,192 km²
- Catholics per km²
- 5.3
of the people living within its bounds
Figures as recorded in the register, from the Annuario Pontificio and the see's own published statements. Shares and ratios are computed from the two figures shown beside them.
The bishop
- Archbishop
- James R. Golka
- Born
- 24 September 1950
- Birthplace
- Burbank
A see whose chair stands empty is recorded as vacant rather than filled with a guess. On what a bishop is, see the bishop.
The cathedral
Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception stands in Denver, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.
On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.
The province of Denver
This see is the metropolitan of its province.
The sees of this province:
- Diocese of CheyenneCheyenne
- Diocese of Colorado SpringsColorado Springs
- Diocese of PuebloPueblo
On how the Church is ordered into provinces, see the diocese.
History
Northern Colorado in the United States is served by the Archdiocese of Denver (Latin: Archidiœcesis Metropolitae Denveriensis), a Latin Church jurisdiction within the XIII Conference Region. It counts 113 parishes, 307 priests, and an estimated 550,000 lay Catholics. The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver is the mother church of the metropolitan archdiocese, which since March 2026 has been led by Archbishop James R. Golka.
What is kept by invitation
The record above is published because it is public: what this see is, when it was erected, who holds its chair, and where it stands among its neighbours.
The working record is not. The chancery's address, telephone and email, the clergy of the see, and the hours of Mass, confession and adoration in the parishes within it are kept for members, and a person reads every request.
Sources
The see's own website · Wikipedia
This record is compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. On the method, see the keeping of the record. Whoever finds an error is asked, in charity, to write: [email protected].