Hispanic community of Salt Lake City says goodbye to Archbishop John C. Wester during May 24 celebration

Friday, May. 29, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — On May 24 the Cathedral of the Madeleine was awash with bittersweet emotions. The church and courtyard were filled with people from throughout the diocese holding banners expressing their love and best wishes for the Most Rev. John C. Wester who, after eight years as Bishop of Salt Lake City, will be installed June 4 as the 12th Archbishop of Santa Fe.

That celebration happened to occur on Pentecost Sunday, so a good number of parishioners arrived wearing red clothing.

“Thank you very much for everything; I am very touched by your displays of support and love,” Archbishop Wester said at the beginning of his homily.

“Thank you, God, for letting us being here,” said the archbishop, who reflected on the words of the Gospel, that Jesus Christ said “I will be with you forever.” 

“Jesus completed this promise when he sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost,” said Archbishop Wester.

He continued by saying that the Holy Spirit is in “each one of us, showing us Christ resurrected, and  the Holy Spirit announces Jesus to us, meaning that the Holy Spirit shows us all the love that Jesus has for us and that we are one in Christ resurrected; we are reminded that we are one in Jesus.”

Sometimes people say how much they would like to see Jesus return, the archbishop added, but “the truth is that Jesus is here right now, today. He invites us to be with him in his resurrection. It is very important to remember that the Holy Spirit teaches Jesus to us in many ways today.”

Archbishop Wester also expressed his appreciation to the Hispanic/Latino community “because you have been a monument of the Holy Spirit in my life and in my ministry,” he said. “Through you, Jesus Christ has touched my heart. …What do I mean by that? First, you have taught me that people are more important than things. Over and over you have reminded me that the most valuable things are that we are to be with each other, always helping … I believe that each one of you will continue working; I believe that being part of the Hispanic/Latino community is more important that being itself.”

Archbishop Wester said that he also was continually reminded that “the material things, the power, the prestige and the positions lose importance ... They are very much less compared to the love that we feel for our family, for our friends, for the community. God is love; Jesus comes to us to tell us that God’s love is more powerful than anything.”

Referring to a popular Mexican saying, “Tell me who you are with and I will tell you who you are,” Archbishop Wester said he will always be grateful for the time he spent in Utah with the Hispanic-Latino community.

He added, “You have taught me that love expressed without words its more important than the words themselves. Despite the uncountable mistakes that I made with my Spanish, you have always accepted me. … You always accepted me the way I am, mistakes and faults included. … Through you, the Holy Spirit has shown me once more Jesus’ teachings, and the actions of Jesus Christ. You have shown me once again the importance of love – more than words, more than anything, the love that is in your hearts.”

The ancient Greeks had two different concepts of time: “chronos,” which is related to minutes and months and years; and “kairos,” which is God’s time. 

Referring to this, the archbishop said the Hispanic/Latino community taught him that kairos time is more important than chronos. 

“This Pentecost Sunday, I thank you for allowing the Holy Spirit to talk through you, reminding me that people are the most important thing, that love is more important than words themselves, and that the present is very important. I will always remember you,” he said.

As the archbishop completed his homily, the entire congregation erupted in applause.

Father Martin Diaz, pastor of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, said he felt very grateful that God sent Archbishop Wester to the Diocese of Salt Lake City, and now that he has been appointed to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, “it’s a great lost for us, but a great win for them.”

At the conclusion of the Mass, a chasuble with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe  was presented to the archbishop as a token of the love felt by the Hispanic/Latino community.

As part of the farewell, a group of dancers from Saint Joseph Parish performed, framed by the beat of a drum and the small bells that surrounded the dancers’ ankles.

“Thank you, Archbishop, for everything,” said Maria Cruz Gray, director of the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry. “We all love you and are very grateful to you. We want to thank you with all our hearts for all you have done for the Hispanic/Latino people here.”

After the Mass, hundreds of parishioners gathered in the Cathedral’s courtyard to celebrate the archbishop and to show him their appreciation. The celebration included many varieties of Hispanic/Latino dishes for people to enjoy while many of them formed a line to speak with the archbishop, who greeted them one by one.

“I will always remember him as the best shepherd we could ever have had,” said Dominic Gutierrez, a parishioner of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who stood in line to greet the archbishop.

“He was a real blessing for all of us. We are a different and a better community because of him,” said Maria Elena Balladares, a Cathedral parishioner.