Year in Review

Friday, Jan. 08, 2016

By Marie Mischel

Intermountain Catholic

From the reassignment of the Most Rev. John C. Wester to the ordination of two priests to the opening of a Holy Door at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the past 12 months have seen many developments in the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

Perhaps the most significant change to the diocese in 2015 was the appointment of the Most Rev. John C. Wester, ninth Bishop of Salt Lake City, to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The announcement of his new assignment was made on April 27; he was installed as Archbishop of Santa Fe on June 3. 

Archbishop Wester served in the Diocese of Salt Lake City for eight years, and he had come to consider it home, he said in his final message to the faithful in Utah, and added that he hopes to return again and again to the Cathedral of the Madeleine and to the people “who have been and always will be such an important part of my journey.”

After Archbishop Wester’s departure from the diocese, Msgr. Colin F. Bircumshaw, who had been the vicar general, was named diocesan administrator. He will continue to serve in that position until a new bishop is appointed.

The first phase of the diocesan Pastoral Plan was completed in February; implementation awaits the new bishop. Before he left, Archbishop Wester said he was disappointed that he would not be present to see the plan come to fulfillment. 

2015 also saw the ordination to the priesthood of Joseph Delka and David Trujillo. Both men grew up in Utah; after discerning their vocations they entered Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict, Ore. Fr. Delka also attended the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. After ordination, he began studies for an advanced degree in moral theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Fr. Trujillo is now a parochial vicar at St. Joseph Parish in Ogden.  

Vocations to the priesthood and religious life were the focus of a special period of Eucharist adoration undertaken by the diocese in 2015, and during the year six young men entered the seminary: Giancarlo Gazani, Anthony Shumway, Andre Sicard, Romnel Tan, Luis de Dios Hernández and Dominic Sternhagen.

Also in the area of vocations, the 17 candidates for the permanent diaconate ministry of the Diocese of Salt Lake City celebrated the Admission to Candidacy rite on April 18. Furthermore, the diocese began new cadres for the formation of lay ecclesial minsters; this will be the third program for certification for English-speaking LEMs since 2005 and the second for the Spanish-speaking EMAUS program. For this most recent four-year program, 64 people are in EMAUS and 17 in the English sequence.

The faithful in Utah also participated in international Church activities. For example, many from the Beehive State volunteering in various ways during Pope Francis’ visit to the United States in September. In addition, the publication of the Holy Father’s encyclical, Laudato Si’, brought plenty of attention locally, with various members of the diocese making presentations on it to ecumenical groups. Moreover, vowed religious who are serving in the state were recognized with a Mass celebrated Feb. 8 in the Cathedral of the Madeleine in honor of the Year of Consecrated Life.

On Dec. 13, as requested by Pope Francis, the diocese celebrated the Year of Mercy with the opening of a Holy Door at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, and many parishes, schools, organizations and individuals are planning undertakings to coincide with this Jubilee year.

Utah Catholics also joined a national trend by organizing the state’s first Mass Mob on Jan. 17 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Salt Lake City, which drew more than 150 members of the diocese’s young adult community.

A number of renowned Catholics made appearances in Utah in 2015. Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput spoke at Brigham Young University’s “Lectures on Faith, Family and Society” series on Jan. 23; Dominican Father Augustine Thompson spoke on St. Francis of Assisi at St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center’s Dominican Forum March 8; Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, gave the keynote address at the 2015 Mormon Studies’ Conference at Utah Valley University on April 13; Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, author of Dead Man Walking, spoke at Westminster College as part of the Tanner-McMurrin Lecture Series on March 24; and Catholic apologist Patrick Madrid gave a workshop April 18 at Blessed Sacrament Parish.

Meanwhile, several local Catholics were lauded on the international, national and statewide level in 2016. Among them were Dr. Maureen Condic, who was appointed a corresponding member for the Pontifical Academy for Life; Dee Rowland, who served 26 years with the diocese as a social justice advocate, was the recipient of the 2015 Servant of Justice Award from the Roundtable Association of Catholic Diocesan Social Action Directors; Judge Memorial Catholic High School assistant coach Luther Elliss was appointed to the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame; the Diocese of Salt Lake City received the Quality Diocesan Committee Award from the National Catholic Committee on Scouting; Blessed Sacrament parishioner Pat Voorhes received the 2015 Judy Midelfort Memorial Award from the Society for Transplant Social Workers; Juan Diego Catholic High School science teacher Dr. Christine Fogarty Celestino received the Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology; and Pat Bayer, coordinator of logistics and special projects at JDCHS, was recognized as a Volunteer of the Year by AARP Utah; JMCHS was named a PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Lab; JDCHS freshman Garrett George took first place at the international level of the Knights of Columbus alcohol and substance abuse poster contest; and Madeleine Choir School graduate Matthew Yost won the Catholic University of America’s School of Music’s composition competition and heard his piece open the music school’s 50th Anniversary Gala Concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In addition, Catholic Community Services’ Refugee Resettlement Program received the national Freedoms Foundational at Valley Forge; Holy Cross Sr. Catherine Kamphaus and Sr. Genevra Rolf received the 2015 Neil D’Amour Award from the National Catholic Educational Association; and Steve Cramblitt, retired JDCHS baseball coach, was inducted into the Utah Sports Foundation Hall of Honor for Distinguished High School Coaches.

Utah also was the destination for Catholics who attended the 2015 convention of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network and the 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions, both of which were hosted by Salt Lake City.

The diocese had plenty to celebrate in the past 12 months, with the 75th anniversary of St. Helen Parish in Roosevelt and the 25th anniversary of St. Florence Mission in Huntsville, and the 20th anniversary of the lay Dominican St. Catherine of Siena Chapter. Also, Holy Cross Sr. Catherine Kamphaus, assistant superintendent of Utah Catholic Schools, celebrated her 50th anniversary as a vowed religious.

In addition, nearly 2,000 Catholics from throughout the diocese gathered March 21-22 for a healing encounter organized by the diocesan Renovations Charismatic Group and Office of Hispanic Ministry; St. Joseph Parish in Ogden opened a new, two-story religious education center; St. Thomas More Parish opened its doors to the Greek Orthodox Mission Parish; the Deacon Douglas R. Sliger Knights of Columbus Council was formed at Hill Air Force Base; the Lantern House opened in Ogden; the Southwest Deanery held its first retreat since it was established last year; renovations began to the Madeleine Choir School’s Jacquelyn M. Erbin Hall; the Society of St. Vincent de Paul started service to the needy in the diocese; St. Jude Maronite Catholic Church hosted the relics of St. Sharbel; and St. Catherine of Siena celebrated an inaugural interfaith Christmas service. 

The year saw some new faces at leadership levels in the diocese: Deacon George Reade was named chancellor, Maria S. Farrington was chosen as the new director for Holy Cross Ministries, Deacon Bob Hardy was appointed as director of ongoing training for the permanent diaconate, Randy Chappell is the new CCS Northern Utah director, and Dominican Father Lukasz Misko was assigned as pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center.

Not all of the news was cheery. Our Lady of the Holy Trinity Abbey in Huntsville was sold, and Catholic Community Services closed its St. Mary’s Center for Recovery due to lack of funding. 

Some familiar faces have moved on: St. Joseph CHS volleyball coach Ray Franklin retired after 20 years; Sr. Catherine Kamphaus stepped down as superintendent of Catholic Schools and was replaced by Mark Longe, former principal of St. Vincent de Paul School; Dominican Fr. Carl Schlichte, who had served as pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center, was reassigned as pastor of St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Berkeley, Calif.; Karen Nelson, the diocesan projects coordinator, retired; and Marcy Valdez, director of CCS Northern Utah, resigned. Also, Fr. Donald E.  Hope, pastor of Notre Dame de Lourdes Parish, retired from active ministry. Deacon Forrest Gray, director of ongoing training for the permanent diaconate, also retired. 

The diocese marked the passing of Msgr. Matthew O. Wixted, whose funeral Mass was celebrated Jan. 5; he died Dec. 26, 2015; diocesan benefactor Aline Skaggs, diocesan benefactor; and Benedictine Sr. Danile Knight, former prioress of St. Benedict’s Monastery.