Q & A with Bishop James Golka
Bishop Golka, of the Diocese of Colorado Springs, has taken numerous pilgrimages with Magi over the years. He recently sat with us to discuss travel and his experiences on pilgrimage with Magi.
Q: What is it about travel that appeals to you, both personally and as a religious leader?
A: When I was a seminarian and I got to spend a semester in the Holy Land, and as a student, that was the best semester of my life, by far. That experience taught me that to be in this space has so much more meaning than just reading about it in a book. During that time, I was really aware that I want to come back here again someday, and I want other people to see this. That opportunity opened many doors for me that maybe would not have opened otherwise. I'm a visual learner, but also experiential, so to be in the place really just touched me in a deeper way.
People would joke with me about sites in the Holy Land and say, “Did this really happen here historically?” We can say historically, it sure looks like it. But for me, the important thing is that for 2000 years, people have been gathering in this particular site to celebrate this particular aspect of our faith, this particular biblical event. Having an opportunity to visit those places where so many pilgrims have come before, while seeking a deeper knowledge and experience of Christ, for me, that was always palpable. You could just tell something important has happened here and still does happen here by our presence today.
Q: Was that semester in the Holy Land your first time abroad?
A: That's pretty much the first time. On the way over there, my friend and I traveled separately, and went through Switzerland and Italy, and then through Greece on our way to the Holy Land. Then when we ended, I went down to Tanzania to visit a friend who's a missionary. So I got to visit other places then, but I come from a family that didn't really have resources to be able to travel much, and never really had much opportunity until I was a seminarian, and then subsequently as a priest who had the opportunity to take other people on pilgrimages—a great opportunity and gift to me too.
Q: What’s been your experience traveling with Magi?
A: Magi always has a good itinerary. They give the priest input into making sure that he can get to sites that he wants to see or thinks his people want to see. The hotels are always excellent and in excellent locations, and I've been on other pilgrimages where the hotels were not so quality, and it made a difference. There’s something to be said for being able to come home at night and relax in a place that's beautiful and located near important sites, so I love that Magi does that. The tour guides are always trusted, easy to get along with, and knowledgeable. I would also say that I've been on other pilgrimages with other groups where the tour guides were non-practicing Catholics, and I've never had that with Magi. You always had a person of faith with you, who you could tell was equally drinking in the experience along with you.
Q: Can you choose a favorite pilgrimage destination?
A: I have always rotated between the Holy Land and Italy. That was because I liked those two sites so much, and I usually had new family members who hadn't traveled before, so I wanted them to see those two sites before they saw something else. Greece next year will be my first pilgrimage to a destination other than those two. Rome is magnificent for many reasons, and especially as a bishop. Now, it's even more humbling for me to go to Rome for some reason, but the Holy Land just feels like it's a whole step closer to the experience of the person of Jesus Christ, not that Christ is not in Rome, but to be able to be where he walked and see what he saw, and eat what he ate, and just all of that is a deepened experience.
Q: Is there a particularly memorable or funny story that comes to mind through any of your pilgrimages?
A: My friend and I both hosted a trip together to the Holy Land, and Waleed was our tour guide. We had spent the day along the Mediterranean Sea, and we had a few hour drive back to our hotel in Jerusalem. I went to the bus driver and said, “Is there a liquor store nearby that we can stop and buy some beer for people on the bus?” And he said, “Yeah, I know a place.” So he pulled up, and a couple people in our tour group saw what we were doing, so they jumped off and they bought a whole bar of various drinks. They set up a bar in the back of the bus and started taking orders from the seats. And I looked up at Waleed, our tour guide, and he looked kind of dismayed. And I said, “Waleed, are you okay?” He said, “Well, normally at this point, we pray the rosary.” And I laughed, and I said, “Well, we did that earlier today, so we're not going to do that now.” And he kind of nodded. I said, “Can I get you a drink?” And he said, “Yeah, definitely.” So it was a look on his face like I didn't know if we had scandalized everybody, but it was a really joyful bus for about an hour, and then everyone took a nice nap as we pulled into Jerusalem.
Q: How have you seen pilgrimage play a role in deepening one's faith?
A: For myself, I have always experienced somewhere on a pilgrimage, God inviting me to something new. I think part of that is just by me, geographically, physically moving someplace else. Maybe being someplace that I'm not as comfortable or don't know it as well, allows something in your spirit to be opened up to letting God reveal something new to you; that's happened to me. I've also had people on a pilgrimage, especially husbands, who would say to me afterwards, “You know, I wasn't too excited about the daily Mass thing. I'd never done that in my life, and I thought it would become a burden or a hassle.” And they would say at the end that the Masses were the best part of the pilgrimage for them, like they got to experience Mass in a different way. That was a neat thing to see happen. Just to be on pilgrimage, and I would always stress—even for myself—that we’re not tourists and we're not on vacation…we're on a pilgrimage. God has invited us here for some reason. We want to pay attention to what that reason might be. When people got that distinction, then the group became different, like they became not just curious about seeing cool sites, but they became people in search of and ready to encounter God someplace in this journey.
Q: What's one piece of advice you might give to someone embarking on a pilgrimage for the first time?
A: We often call it the trip of a lifetime, and for many people, it is. You're also going to put some of your own financial resources into an investment in an experience. So I would say that the most important piece is to feel like God has invited you to this. God has initiated this. God has a reason for you to want to be here. God wants to show you something. God wants to deepen God's life within you. And that's the trip of a lifetime. It’s not just traveling to a neat site, but to be able to travel with our Lord in a more intentional way, and just to be attentive to that. It doesn't mean you have to be holy. Every moment doesn't need to be serious. There’s a lot of joy and laughter. Frankly, the down times in a bar at the hotel afterwards, just debriefing the day can be some of the most rich times for people to be able to share and form relationships. So be attentive and open to any of that as a great gift.
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add or share with our passengers?
A: As I was talking earlier, I think that one of the goals is to give the initiative to God. That's language we've been using around the diocese here, that God has a plan for the diocese. God has a plan for the pilgrimage. God has a plan for your life. So let him show you what it is. A great thing about a pilgrimage is you don't have to go make up stuff; God has already done it. And you get to be in places where God has already done incredible things. Then that gives hope and promise and trust to know that he's going to keep on doing wonderful things in your life. Pilgrimage has been a great place to be reminded of that for me.