Mormons, Catholics express common joy at the coming of Christ during an interfaith service

Friday, Dec. 25, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — The inaugural Neighborhood Interfaith Christmas celebration at St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center and the University Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Dec. 20 brought hundreds of people from both congregations together for worship, music and a shared meal, which resulted in a common desire to make the gathering an annual event.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for both of our congregations to get together in the Christmas spirit and experience the joy of seeing the Lord among us, appreciating his work among us and with us – his grace, his love,” said Dominican Father Lukasz Misko, pastor of St. Catherine’s, as he welcomed those who gathered in the parish chapel for the celebration. He thanked the LDS ward members for approaching him with the idea for the interfaith service, which included readings from the prophet Isaiah, brief comments from Fr. Lukasz and Bishop John Pearce of the University Ward, and music by groups from both congregations.

In his remarks, Bishop Pearce described a few of the gifts that Christ has given to the world: hope, peace, an example of how to live, the promise of eternal life and the opportunity for forgiveness of sins. 

“In light of the tremendous gifts that Christ has given us, what could we possibly give him back in return?” the bishop asked, then quoted Scripture: that people should keep the commandments, love the Lord and their neighbors as themselves. 

As a way to do this, he suggested that those present open their eyes to see people who might be struggling or lonely; open their mouths to express love, sympathy and comfort for those who may need it; open their arms so as to better embrace those around them; and open their hearts “so that pure love of Christ might flow both in and out of us.”  

Fr. Lukasz focused on the holy fear that Christmas can bring. 

“Being in this world means that we are pilgrims,” he said. “We hear all the beautiful promises of the kingdom, but we don’t live in that kingdom yet.” 

The hope from those promises grows like a powerful inner voice, but fear challenges that hope, so he advised letting hope transform that into a holy fear. 

“The fear of the Lord is a gift of the Holy Spirit,” he said, and recommended that people let the fear inspired by the Holy Spirit lead them “to work on this world, as broken as it is, to make it a place where hope and joy and faith expand.” 

After the worship service, the congregations walked across to the ward building, where they gathered for soup, sweets and shared fellowship.

Prashant Tathireddy, a St. Catherine parishioner, said he was grateful for the opportunity the interfaith service provided to learn more about his Mormon neighbors. “It turns out that they’re not that different” in the style of worship, he said. “Being able to sing the same hymns – that is just amazing.” 

Tathireddy was accompanied by his wife, Prema, and their 3-year-old daughter.

Prema Tathireddy said she welcomed the togetherness that the service provided because she doesn’t normally experience such closeness with people of other faiths. 

Similarly, Liz Henshaw, a ward member who attended with her husband and young child, said she enjoyed learning more about the Catholic faith and the chance to get to know people. She also appreciated that the preaching was on the Gospel basics shared by both faiths, and “I loved that they sang things that we all knew so we didn’t feel uncomfortable. … Hopefully the friendships that we make here will continue,” she said. 

Others expressed the same sentiment. Martin Buchert, second counselor to Bishop Pearce, said organizers of this year’s event would like the interfaith service to become “a beloved part of the Christmas experience for both of our congregations.” 

The interfaith service came about after a ward member who had attended similar events while living in Washington D.C. suggested having something like it at the University Ward, Buchert said. 

Incorporating Christmas music into the interfaith service was important because “sacred music and the familiar carols at Christmas are a precious part of liturgical practice for both our Catholic brothers and sisters and for our Mormon brothers and sisters, so that’s an element that we expect will help us feel the Holy Spirit and will be just a beautiful element of the experience,” he said.

The interfaith service was particularly poignant because “there’s so much unhappy, hateful stuff going on in the world, and it highlights how much we have to celebrate in common,” Buchert said. “We live and worship side by side, and we just wanted to be better neighbors,” and the hope is that “by worshiping together with the congregation of St. Catherine’s that we can … be better neighbors and love one another better.”

In an interview, Fr. Lukasz said he welcomed the offer of the interfaith service because it was “a beautiful way of emphasizing what we have in common” and was a way to share the “common expression of our joy at the coming of Christ.”