2013 DDD meets $2 million goal
SALT LAKE CITY — The 2013 Diocesan Development Drive Celebration Dinner on Oct. 18 revealed two things: the new director for the Office of Stewardship and Development, and the DDD’s 2014 theme.
Karin Hurley, a Saint John the Baptist parishioner, now heads the DDD as well as the stewardship office. She had been in her new position five days when she hosted the dinner.
"What work is more important or more worthy of our time, our talent and our treasure than building the community of God?" Hurley asked, adding that the DDD is "essential to the vibrancy of the life of the Church in Utah."
The annual DDD supports 30 ministries, programs and services in the Diocese of Salt Lake City, everything from the Bishop’s Office to diocesan administration to seminarian education to youth and young adult ministry to religious education.
As of Oct. 15, the DDD had received $2,059,000 in pledges and collected $1.8 million from 8,278 donors, Hurley said; collections will continue until the end of the calendar year.
"This is a fabulous increase of 1 percent across the board from last year," she said. "By achieving this amazing $2 million goal, what we have become and what we continue to become is the Body of Christ, stronger in faith, firmly rooted in the Pascal Mystery."
Among the programs supported by DDD funds are the offices of liturgy and religious education, which have a shared mission of evangelization and catechesis, Hurley said.
"I would imagine that most of us don’t realize that these two offices arguably, using DDD funds, affect the largest number of parishioners diocese-wide," she said.
They secure high-level speakers for the annual Pastoral Congress, support the lay ecclesial ministry programs, "train catechists, Catholic educators, music ministers, communion ministers, and lectors – all of which helps the people to grow in their faith," Hurley said.
The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, agreed that the Office of Liturgy is essential to the local Church.
"The Eucharist is the source and the summit of all that we do," he said. "There is nothing we do in this diocese that some way or another doesn’t begin and end in the Holy Eucharist."
The bishop thanked all of those who contributed to the 2013 DDD.
"You are so essential to all that we do, and so important to all that we do. You are the ones who make it happen, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts," he said.
Earlier in his remarks, the bishop said Christians are called to follow Jesus by being attentive to one another.
"A parish, a diocese, a church is about the people of God dwelling in community, with Jesus Christ at the center," Bishop Wester said.
Although the Year of Faith draws to an end in November, Catholics must continue to study, live and celebrate their faith, Bishop Wester said. "We’ve got to evangelize and be passionate about our faith. That’s what I love about the Catholic Church in Utah. Catholics in Utah are very enthusiastic. They love their faith. It’s something that is evident."
Following Christ means to become a disciple, Bishop Wester said. "It means that we hear the word of God and we’ve studied it, and listened to it and let it take root in our lives. It means that we follow Jesus by our day-to-day actions, that we live the faith. And finally, it means that we are transformed. A disciple is someone who hears, who lives and is transformed into the Body of Christ, the Church."
© Copyright 2024 The Diocese of Salt Lake City. All rights reserved.
Stay Connected With Us