Letter from Bishop Solis on the diocesan Pastoral Congress and Pastoral Plan

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Bishop Oscar A. Solis

On September 15, 2018, the annual Diocese of Salt Lake City Pastoral Congress will take place at the Skaggs Catholic Center. This is an important venue for all our parish ministers, leaders and parishioners throughout the diocese to gather as a church community to celebrate our Catholic faith, to learn more about how to encounter the presence of God in our life and community, and to avail ourselves of the great opportunity for continuing formation so we can become better ministers of the Gospel, ready, eager and filled with joy to share the Good News of God’s love and salvation.

This year’s theme, – “Enkindle the Fire of God’s Love”– focuses on our diocesan endeavor in charting the course of our diocesan mission of evangelization as a local Church in Utah. It highlights the love of God that calls us to continuing conversion of heart, transformation of our lives and renewal of our faith.

Furthermore, this year’s Congress will be doubly significant. We will introduce and launch our new Diocesan Pastoral Plan for the next five years. The plan is a concrete response to the challenge of building a vibrant Church made up of missionary disciples of Christ who are ready to go out to the world as proclaimers and witnesses of the Gospel. The plan is the result of a long period of data gathering, study, evaluation and consultation on the state of the Catholic Church in Utah. Conducted by clergy and lay leaders from all the parishes throughout the diocese, the collaborative result is the formulation and definition of five pastoral priorities, goals, objectives and strategies giving us the direction on how we can build a church invigorated by a renewed encounter of Christ in their life, and a missionary church of Christian believers with deeper faith, enthusiasm and joy. We are grateful to Fr. Wayne Cavalier, OP, who helped us in collaboration with the clergy, members of the steering committee and other parish lay leaders facilitate the process begun five years ago.

This is truly a very special moment for us. I invite all the people of God in our diocese – all pastors, deacons, Church ministers and parishioners – to participate at our annual diocesan Pastoral Congress. Come, pray and celebrate this blessing together as a community of faith, bonded in hope and united in our mission of building a vibrant Church of missionary disciples inflamed by the love of God toward “A Springtime in The New Evangelization.”

I encourage all pastors to publicize, invite and encourage your parishioners to come and register early. Please contact Susan Northway, diocesan Office of Religious Education, for questions or for more information. Meanwhile, let us pray to God as we prepare for this important celebration so that our gathering will be a moment of grace and source of blessings.

The Most Rev. Oscar A. Solis, D.D., Bishop of Salt Lake City