Bishop's Dinner benefits Cathedral of the Madeleine

Friday, Aug. 26, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY — For more than 100 years, the Cathedral of the Madeleine’s massive gray stone towers have reached toward the sky in Salt Lake City, providing not only a place to pray but also a site for diocesan activities such as ordinations and the Sacrament of Confirmation for adults, as well as for public events such as concerts. 

“It’s a special space where people can gather,” said Father Martin Diaz, rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, pointing out that the classical concept of a cathedral is as a place that “supports the arts and supports the community.”

The Cathedral of the Madeleine does this by offering the Madeleine Festival of the Arts and Humanities and the Eccles Organ Festival each year, and also by providing the Good Samaritan Program, which every day offers sack meals to all who come to the door.

In addition, the cathedral represents all of the other parishes in the state to tourists who visit Salt Lake City, Fr. Diaz said. “At the 11 o’clock Mass on Sunday – the Mass with our choir – half the people are visitors. Often people have gone to Temple Square for the Music and the Spoken Word [program], and then come to the cathedral for the 11 o’clock Mass. It’s one of the things to see in downtown Salt Lake City, so we have hundreds if not thousands of visitors. That makes us a special Catholic church – a sign of Catholicism in Utah.”

All of these efforts to make the cathedral a sign of the presence of Jesus come at a cost.

“We’re not just a parish church, we are the church for the entire diocese, and a cathedral needs funding beyond what a parish is able to provide,” Fr. Diaz said.

The annual Bishop’s Dinner is a response to that need; it is an evening fundraiser that gathers people from the diocese and the wider community for a fine meal, entertainment and a keynote speaker.

Because the cathedral serves the whole diocese and the community at large, everyone is asked to support the cathedral as they are able, Fr. Diaz said. Members of various faith communities attend the Bishop’s Dinner as individuals to support the cathedral, and “we’re very fortunate that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are very generous in buying tables.”

Many Catholic parishes also purchase a table for the Bishop’s Dinner, and “the Knights of Columbus has been generous in their support,” Fr. Diaz added. “It’s a wonderful gathering, and it’s something to which every Catholic in the state is invited to join us and to celebrate their cathedral. It is our gem, and we get to present that to the community year after year, and every Sunday, too.”

This year, former Utah Jazz coach Frank Layden will be the master of ceremonies. Greg Glenn, the cathedral’s director of liturgy and music, will be the keynote speaker.

With Layden, “I imagine there will be a little more levity than in years past,” and “Mr. Glenn is a very thoughtful speaker. He very much touches on not only spirituality and the spiritual aspects of being Catholic but the history of the cathedral and living your faith in everyday life,” said Patricia Wesson, the cathedral’s director of development, who is organizing the dinner.

The memory of Anna Campbell Bliss will be honored at the dinner. Bliss, a longtime cathedral parishioner, was a member of the committee that oversaw the building restoration in 1992, and also was a well-regarded artist.

WHAT: Bishop’s Dinner

WHEN: Sept. 15; reception opens at 6 p.m. Dinner is at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Grand America, 555 S. Main St., SLC

COST: Tickets are $150 per seat; a table of 10 is $1,500

The event will feature Frank Layden as master of ceremonies and Gregory Glenn as the keynote speaker. Anna Campbell Bliss will be honored in memoriam. 

For tickets, contact Patricia 801-328-8941 ext. 108  or pwesson@utcotm.org.