Diocese begins effort to address teen suicide

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LAYTON — The Diocese of Salt Lake City has undertaken a three-year effort to involve youth in the Church and to stem youth suicide.

In December, diocesan personnel, directed by Bishop Oscar A. Solis and in conjunction with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Eucharistic Renewal, began the Joshua Project.

“The Joshua Project addresses one of the biggest concerns seen in the diocese by Bishop Solis, which is teen suicide,” said Ruth Dillon, director of the diocesan Office of Worship, in a letter to the diocesan clergy.

The hope for this project, Dillon said, is that by “sharing in a supportive church community, young adults will feel connected and empowered.”

Father Gustavo Vidal, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish and chairman of the diocesan Liturgical Commission, is heading this project, which is intended to reach young adults throughout the diocese.

Diaconate aspirant Michael Edwards is the project co-chair.

In the first meeting with the bishop, it was noted that “the local Church was not doing anything regarding the youth who were committing suicide,” Fr. Vidal said.

As the discussion progressed, the bishop “suggested that I talk to the other priests so we could together create the support for our youth,” Fr. Vidal said, adding that one of the goals of the Joshua Project is that the youth will become more aware of how to prevent suicide.

Among those involved with the project are people who are trained in suicide prevention.

“The purpose of all this is that we want the youth to have a real encounter with Jesus” who “is the answer to all the questions of the human being, especially the emptiness” that people can feel, Fr. Vidal said. “We all have troubles, difficulties, challenges, but the youth sometimes don’t know how to manage these situations,” and as a result they can resort to suicide.

“We want to show our youth that Jesus is the response to all our needs, especially to our emptiness,” Fr. Vidal said. “This of course doesn’t mean that all the problems will disappear, but at least we will know how to confront them, and we will have Jesus by our side.”

The Joshua Project will host its first youth rally on Feb. 18 at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Layton. All diocesan parishes and missions have been invited to send youth leaders, and encourage their youth ages 14-18 to attend.

“This really is a way to plant seeds in our youth so they start growing and having results as time passes,” Fr. Vidal said.

The rally is part of the ongoing diocesan Eucharistic Revival.

“We have to approach and teach our youth that we have a treasure in our Church: the Eucharist, where we Catholic Christians can have a very beautiful and profound experience with our Lord Jesus Christ,” Fr. Vidal said. “Each time that a Catholic goes to Mass, they encounter Jesus.”

The patron of the Joshua Project rally is Carlos Acutis, servant of God, who died of leukemia at the age of 15. He is known for creating a website that documented Eucharistic miracles around the world.

A second youth rally in conjunction with the Joshua Project is planned for April 22 at the Skaggs Catholic Center in Draper.

“The youth will be learning about Acutis, about how a young person like them emulated the Gospel and was a beacon of light for others,” Fr. Vidal said.

The Joshua Project is in need of volunteers, all of whom must have current safe environment training. Volunteers are needed to help with various aspects of the April 22 rally as well for the set up and clean up at both events.

In preparation for the rallies, a group of about 40 people has been fasting every Friday, and Fr. Vidal invites all the faithful to do the same.

“We are offering this so suicide disappears, so our youth become free from their addictions, and when asking them at their encounter with Jesus they can say ‘yes’ to him," Fr. Vidal said.

In addition to fasting on Fridays, “we go to Mass and offer a Holy Hour. … All this we are doing in favor of the conversion of our youth,” he said.

There will be no cost to attend the rallies; both will be presented in English, but with some bilingual translations.

Also in preparation, Fr. Vidal is planning two days of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church before the July 9 diocesan-wide Eucharistic Rally at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy.

“Here at Saint Rose we are going to have 24 hours of Adoration a day before the rally and we are inviting other parishes to do the same,” Fr. Vidal said. “We know that the spiritual warfare that our youth are facing right now is not an easy one, so we have to pray and fast a lot for them.”

Dillon said that the Joshua Project rally “will be a spark for other youth in your parishes to get involved as we head into the Eucharistic Rally on July 9.”