Fr. Hernando Diaz discusses his pastoral work experiences in the Catholic missions of Utah

Friday, Jun. 17, 2016

By Fr. Hernando Diaz

Pastor, St. Bridget Parish

As I go into retirement from pastoral work after 32 years ministering in the Diocese of Salt Lake City through different assignments, I want to express my gratitude to the Good Lord and to the three bishops I have collaborated with, and the three vicars general, starting back in 1984.

I have been blessed because I have known so many parishioners in different parishes and missions of the diocese. I have seen the growth and development of the diocese. I remember, in my first assignment as parochial vicar with Father James Semple at St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish in Midvale, during the Sunday Spanish Mass the attendance was about 40 people; and at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Kearns with Fr. Louis Fisher, the attendance was about 80 people; and on Monday evening in Wendover the number of people attending Mass was 25.

At the very beginning I had a big language barrier communicating with the people in a new country. Bishop William K. Weigand sent me to take an English class at Westminster College. When I was assigned as administrator of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, I went to the University of Utah for the whole year and that was it; the rest was my daily practice and writing. Now people understand my English but my accent stays for life.

I have enjoyed my different assignments: six-year terms at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Sacred Heart Mission, St. Bridget Parish, St. John Bosco Mission and Holy Family Parish – beautiful communities. 

The most difficult assignment I experienced was serving the combination of St. Elizabeth Parish in Richfield, St. Jude Mission in Ephraim, St. Anthony of the Desert Mission in Torrey and San Juan Diego Mission in Gunnison, including serving at the state prison. It was exhausting Sunday afternoon when coming back home, but for a good missionary and good servant of the Lord that tiredness brings great joy. We need to be priests really convinced and humble to keep working and traveling in the daily apostolate. 

I ministered to these missions for four years. It was rewarding and I keep goods friends there, and good memories too.

Working in the missions of the diocese brought me great satisfaction. I was appointed the first permanent priest serving San Felipe Mission in Wendover, and I saw the great influx of immigrants coming to work at the casinos and in construction there. From 1995 to 1997, San Felipe increased from one Mass on Sunday afternoon to four Masses for the weekend, and it has become a very delightful and flourishing parish.

I loved the tradition at Sacred Heart Parish of having the noon daily Mass and benediction; so many people used to come at this time for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and blessing. The Hispanic community grew a lot and we had to open two more Masses at the time for the great crowds, but later the Cathedral of the Madeleine began a Spanish Mass on Sundays at 3 p.m., and last year Saint Ann Parish also included a Spanish Mass. That has been great and I admire so much progress and service to the many believers.

Sacred Heart Parish is the only one I have ever seen with all the calendar booked for the whole year for weddings, baptisms, quinceañeras and wedding anniversaries.

I remember with great gratitude working as a transitional pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Ogden with the beautiful church and two loving communities very faithful to the Church.

One great memory I keep in my heart is the people of St. Marguerite Parish in Tooele, because in the two years I served as pastor people were very enthusiastic to get the fundraising for building the new school.

People pledged and finally the school was finished with the help of the Skaggs family. Great community, is St. Marguerite.

For the last six years I have been serving and living at St. John Bosco Parish in Delta, the nicest place for me in the diocese, small but good. From here I have been serving the wonderful Holy Family Mission in Fillmore, which was the first capital of Utah, before Salt Lake City. There are only 55 families but they are very well connected and they treat the pastor as a precious jewel. 

Oh, Holy Family Mission is a great community that we cannot ever forget and it is hard to depart from them.

And I cannot forget the wonderful community of St. Bridget. For many years, until 1993, Milford was a passenger train station where people of the surrounding towns used to catch the train for anywhere in America. 

Fr. Joseph Valine, OP, “the donut priest,” served for 40 years and built the actual Saint Bridget church; he used to go to Panguitch and Bryce Canyon as well. The parish became smaller when they opened Our Lady of the Light Mission in Beaver – that had been part of Saint Bridget. Now it is kind of resurging, with the Circle Four pig farm and the new mine. We have nowadays mostly Hispanic parishioners, many of them from Guatemala and Mexico. The place keeps alive and it is a very nice community. 

The two founders of the church, Marie Brinkman, who is going to be 100 years old, and Barbara Hacking, 94, receive Holy Communion every Saturday. I have tried to keep the church alive and beautiful.

My health has declined but I try to keep busy visiting families, teaching the Confirmation class in Fillmore for six years and gardening at least one day of the week in my lovely house in Delta. My heart is full of gratitude and I pray for all the people I have served throughout the diocese. 

I thank the diocese and the vicars for having provided for me all I have needed.

I’ll continue living in Salt Lake City and serving the parishes; whenever they need my presence I’ll be  available.

What: Retirement celebration for Fr. Hernando Díaz

When: July 10, starting with Mass at 1 p.m. followed by a potluck, reception and dancing

Where: Territorial Statehouse social hall, 50 W. Capitol Ave., Fillmore