Pastoral Congress scheduled for Sept. 17

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The 2022 Pastoral Congress of the Diocese of Salt Lake City will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17.

As with last year, Utah Catholics are invited to gather in their parishes to participate in the Congress rather than at one central location. The sessions will be livestreamed.

The keynote speakers will address the theme “Eucharist: Life, Joy and Thanksgiving.” Michael Murphy, executive director of the International Catholic Stewardship Council, will address English-speaking audiences. José Antonio Medina, Ph.D, a professor of pastoral theology for Saint Thomas University in Houston, Texas and Loyola Marymount University, will address Spanish-speaking audiences.

Discussion questions will be provided for the participants gathered at the parishes. This year’s livestreaming will allow for presenters to answer questions afterwards and to interact with participants. (Last year the addresses were prerecorded).

Murphy is a former attorney who transitioned from the bar association to the seminary and religious formation in the Congregation of Holy Cross. He earned a graduate degree in systematic theology from the University of Notre Dame. Murphy served as director of stewardship and development for the Archdiocese of Detroit for 17 years, and developed a manual for introducing stewardship to parish communities, Called by Christ, Gifted by the Spirit, which has been used in many parishes and dioceses. Currently, he is working on a book that examines the theology of stewardship in the writings of Saint Luke.

Dr. Medina, director of ongoing formation for clergy for the Diocese of San Bernadino, is also a consultant for Liguori Press and a popular author and presenter. A Mexican theologian with extensive academic and pastoral experience in the United States, he has written pastoral and catechetical materials. In addition, he has been a featured conference presenter at archdioceses in California and dioceses in Nevada and Utah, and is an instructor for the Spanish-language lay ecclesial minister formation (Emaús) program in Salt Lake City.

Bishop Oscar A. Solis has asked all pastors and administrators to host the Congress in their parishes. Resource materials for the parishes in both English and Spanish are available on the diocesan website.

Parishes that are unable to gather at the appointed time will be able to access the keynote addresses later on the diocesan website. Some parishes may choose to celebrate a Mass or share a meal together as part of the experience. Contact your parish for information.

Pastoral Congress, which all Utah Catholics are encouraged to attend, is “an important time because it’s going to bring together [two themes] the theme of life, joy and thanksgiving as related to stewardship and the year of Eucharist revival,” said Susan Northway, director of the diocesan Office of Faith Formation, who coordinates the event.