Diocese of Colorado Springs

The Diocese of Colorado Springs covers in ten counties of the central and eastern portions of the state: Chaffee, Lake, Park, Teller, Douglas, El Paso, Elbert, Lincoln, Kit Carson, and Cheyenne. ==History==

1800 to 1983 Until the Mexican-American War (1846 to 1849), the Colorado Springs area was controlled by Mexico, with all Catholic missions under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Durango. After the war, the United States assumed control of the region. In 1851, Pope Pius IX created the Apostolic Vicariate of New Mexico, including Colorado. The Vatican converted the vicariate into the Diocese of Santa Fe in 1853. In 1868, Pope Pius IX removed territory from the Diocese of Santa Fe and the Diocese of Grass Valley to form the Vicariate Apostolic of Colorado and Utah. In 1870, the pope erected the Vicariate Apostolic of Colorado, covering only the state of Colorado. On August 16, 1887, Pope Leo XIII converted the vicariate into the Diocese of Denver. On November 15, 1941, Pope Pius XII separated territory from the Archdiocese of Denver to form the Diocese of Pueblo. 1983 to present Pope John Paul II created the Diocese of Colorado Springs from territory separated from the Archdiocese of Denver and the Diocese of Pueblo in 1983. He named Auxiliary Bishop Richard Hanifen of the Archdiocese of Denver as the first bishop of Colorado Springs. in September 1984, Hanifen designated St. Mary's Church in Colorado Springs as the diocesan cathedral and launched The Catholic Herald, the monthly diocesan newspaper. He emphasized collaboration with the laity, appointing them to leadership positions within the diocese to ease the burden of the clergy. Hanifen also supported ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, co-founding the Center for Christian-Jewish Dialogue in Colorado Springs with Rabbi Howard Hirsch. When Hanifan retired in 2003 as bishop of Colorado Springs, Sheridan automatically succeeded him. Sheridan retired in 2021; Pope Francis appointed James R. Golka of the Diocese of Grand Island to replace him. Golka was appointed Archbishop of Denver in 2026. Sexual abuse On October 16, 2020, it was revealed that the three Catholic dioceses in Colorado, including the Diocese of Colorado Springs, had paid $6.6 million in total compensation to 81 victims of clergy sex abuse within the past year. On December 1, 2020, it was revealed that at least two priests were accused of abuse while they were serving in the Diocese of Colorado Springs. ==Coat of arms==

Bishop Hannifen in 1984 designed the coat of arms for the Diocese of Colorado Springs. It features a shield divided vertically into three regions; • The top region displays a purple mountain, snowcapped in argent (silver or white), on a blue and green background. The mountain represents Pike's Peak in the diocese. • The middle region shows blue and argent ripples, representing the natural springs in the area. • The bottom region has three interlocking circles of or (gold or yellow) on a blue background. They represent the concepts of mutuality, community, and prophecy. ==Bishops==

Bishops of Colorado Springs • Richard Charles Patrick Hanifen (1983-2003) • Michael John Sheridan (2003–2021) • James R. Golka (2021–2026) Coadjutor bishop • Michael John Sheridan (2001–2003) ==References==