The 'Intermountain Catholic' – A Vehicle for Our Mission of Evangelization
Greetings of Christ’s peace and love! I am truly excited to share with you my joy and hopes for our Diocese of Salt Lake City. My first seven months here in Utah have been exciting and inspiring. It has been a blessing to have the opportunity to visit with and get to know my brother priests, deacons, women and men religious, the people of God of our local Church and, most of all, to be able to celebrate the Holy Mass in the different parishes, missions and school communities throughout the diocese. It is a source of pride to let you know the Catholic faith in Utah is much alive. I personally witnessed and felt the enthusiasm and joy of the faithful everywhere I went.
In my Pastoral Letter, “A Springtime of The New Evangelization,” I presented to you my humble vision and direction for our diocese in the coming years to embark on a renewed effort in our mission of evangelization. The five pastoral priorities I offered are intended to guide our endeavor to a personal experience of God’s presence in our lives that will bring forth rebirth in our faith and in the Church. We hope that the grace of God encourages each one of us to become witnesses of God’s love and enables us to be His missionary disciples, always ready to proclaim the Good News of our salvation with joy and enthusiasm.
The key to our mission of the New Evangelization is to foster a culture of engagement and accompaniment. The pastoral priorities are but the basic components of parish life that set the groundwork for this process. It calls everyone to a spirit of Christian stewardship that challenges us to invest our God-given gifts of time, talent and treasure in helping to build a vibrant, believing, worshipping and serving community. This opens the door of hospitality to welcome and accompany our brothers and sisters in our spiritual journey, in their full ecclesial integration and communion as active members of our Church.
The Church affirms the significant role of media in evangelization. The present age offers technology, social media and communication as pastoral tools in spreading the Good News. Our diocese has integrated various means of communication, digital and print media to engage our churches and parishioners in the mission of evangelization. In particular, the Intermountain Catholic, our weekly diocesan newspaper, serves this purpose by providing catechesis, inspiration, spiritual guidance and pastoral ideas that connect individuals and communities within our readership. It is a forum for us not only to share the Word of God, but also to highlight news and events from around the world at national and regional levels, and stories that affect the life of the Universal Church, the wider society and our own local Church in Utah.
It is for this reason I invite and encourage all our parishes, business establishments and members of our faith communities to support the Intermountain Catholic with your subscription. It is a form of catechesis and a source of religious information and updates that connect us and help build our communion as Body of Christ. Let us make it available to every parishioner, to our family members, friends, in the marketplace and in every parish, school and home. Support our diocese by supporting the Intermountain Catholic.
Furthermore, I wish to inform you of some forthcoming special diocesan events. Come and join us in celebration of our faith in worship.
St. Francis of Assisi Parish’s 125th Anniversary
7 p.m., Oct. 6
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Orem
Catholics Can Mass (Diocesan Commission for Persons with Disabilities)
2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 7
St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, Park City
CCS 50th Anniversary Dinner
5 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 10
St. Vincent de Paul dining hall, Salt Lake City
Red Mass (celebrating the legal community)
Noon, Thursday, Oct. 11
Cathedral of the Madeleine
Holy Mass celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima
7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 12
Cathedral of the Madeleine
*After the Mass will be a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament and a Prayer of Consecration to Our Lady of Fatima.
CCS’ Humanitarian Awards Dinner
6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 25
Little America Hotel, Salt Lake City
Sincerely yours in Christ,
+The Most Rev. Oscar A. Solis
Bishop of Salt Lake City
Editor’s note: To subscribe to the Intermountain Catholic, click on the 'subscribe' tab at the top of the page.
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