Year of Faith Pilgrimage: Our Lady of Lourdes Parish

Intermountain Catholic

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The day that Bishop Lawrence Scanlan dedicated Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Salt Lake City, the parish also celebrated the First Holy Communion of 50 children and the Sacrament of Confirmation for 40 people, according to "Salt of the Earth." IC photos/Marie Mischel

(Editor’s note: For the Year of Faith, which ends Nov. 24, Bishop John C. Wester has designated 12 churches in the Diocese of Salt Lake City as pilgrimage sites. This article is one in a series about the sites. More information can be found at http://www.dioslc.org/images/year-of-faith/pilgrimage/Year%20of%20Faith%20Passport%20Booklet%20Version%20English.pdf.)

SALT LAKE CITY — God has the patience of a saint when dealing with me.

That statement is so skewed theologically that my pastor probably will be giving me a call, but honestly, it’s how I feel. I keep wanting things to go the way I envision them, then kvetch about what actually happens, so God has to wait until he can get a word in edgewise to point out that his way is always better than what I had expected.

You’d think after all these years I’d have figured out that I should just skip the complaining and go straight to the acceptance, but I’m kind of like a mule in that you have to knock me upside the head with a two-by-four before I pay attention. (Quick prayer: Dear God, I’ve read examples of your equivalent of a knock upside the head. I’d rather not experience such a biblical thumping, so could you give me a few more chances before you resort to it? Please. I did get your message; I just haven’t been able to translate into action yet. I’m working on it, though. Thank you. Amen.)

Case in point is my pilgrimage last week to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Salt Lake City, which this year is celebrating the centennial of its founding.

The parish’s history is intimately connected with that of Judge Memorial Catholic High School, from which it is separated by a parking lot. The school began as a hospital and home for aged and infirm miners, established by the Right Rev. Lawrence Scanlan, first Bishop of Salt Lake, and funded by Mary Judge. Her husband, John Judge, made his fortune in the Park City mines. After his death, his widow continued his legacy of supporting the Catholic Church in Utah.

The Judge Mercy Hope and Hospital operated from 1910 to 1916; it could accommodate 300 patients. Because there was no church in the area, nearby Catholics attended Sunday Mass in the hospital’s chapel.

The hospital’s existence was brief; fewer miners were in need of its services than had been anticipated and Holy Cross Hospital already served the larger community. By 1920 the building was refurbished to serve as an elementary school. In subsequent years, grades were added and the name was changed to Judge Memorial Grammar and High School. The original building was demolished in 1960, replaced by the current school.

Meanwhile, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish was established at 670 South 1100 East. It was dedicated on June 14, 1914 by Bishop Scanlan in one of his last official acts.

In 1949, the parish took over administration of Judge Memorial Grammar School, which became Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School in 1963 in a new building directly west of the church.

The close relationship between parish and school was evident during my visit; the second collection was for support of local Catholic schools.

I had planned to chat with the pastor, Father John J. Schwall, after Mass, but he had a cold that he preferred not to share. (My sincere thanks, Fr. J.J.)

Then I thought to talk with some parishioners over coffee and donuts, but because my companion that day had just had foot surgery, she wasn’t able to navigate the inside stairs or the steep hill outside to enter the parish hall.

Desperate to find something to write about the parish other than its history, I re-entered the church. It is one of the diocese’s smaller churches, with a warm and welcoming golden glow from its wallpaper. The stained glass windows, which during Mass had seemed merely beautiful art, caught my attention. I recognized most of the depicted saints, but Saint Francis of Rome, widow, and Saint Catherine of Laboure were new to me. The small signs that accompany each window helpfully explained that St. Francis was the founder of the Oblates of St. Francis, and St. Catherine brought us the Miraculous Medal.

It’s hard to ignore the fact that both of these saints were women who heeded to God’s call. That could be a message for me; I should probably follow their example and listen.

(All historical information for this article was taken from Salt of the Earth: The History of the Catholic Church in Utah, 1776-2007, by Bernice Maher Mooney and Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald.)

IF YOU GO:

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is located at 1085 East 700 South, Salt Lake City. The Saturday vigil is at 5:30 p.m. Sunday Masses are at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. A Filipino liturgy is celebrated the first Sunday of the month at 3:30 p.m. Daily Masses are Monday through Friday at 9 a.m. Street parking regulations are strictly enforced; follow posted regulations.