Bishop Solis celebrates eighth-grade Mass

IC photo/Laura Vallejo

+ Enlarge

Bishop Oscar A. Solis distributes Communion during the Sept. 27 eighth-grade Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

SALT LAKE CITY — The tradition of the annual Mass for eighth-grade students in Utah Catholic Schools returned to the Cathedral of the Madeleine on Sept. 27.

The Mass was paused for some years due to the pandemic.

In his opening comments at the Sept. 27 Mass, Bishop Oscar A. Solis welcomed the students to the Cathedral of the Madeleine and thanked them “for all being here to celebrate as a faith community, representing the People of God.”

Concelebrating the Mass were Father Martin Diaz, the cathedral’s rector; Monsignor Colin F. Bircumshaw, vicar general emeritus; Father John Evans, vicar general; and Father Eugenio Yarce, pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish in Kearns. Deacon George Reade, chancellor, assisted.

Sept. 27 is the memorial of St. Vincent de Paul; the Gospel reading for the day was Matthew 9:35-38, an account of Jesus teaching, proclaiming and healing in towns and villages. Focusing his homily on both of these, Bishop Solis said that “the grace of God is always with us when we celebrate the Holy Eucharist; this is a reminder that he is always with us.”

Talking about how Christ fed the poor, helped the sick and cared for the needy, Bishop Solis said that “St. Vincent de Paul gives us a great example of how we can show our love to one other and especially the ones in need.”

In Salt Lake City’s St. Vincent de Paul dining hall “the homeless are fed seven days a week; the love of God continues, and we are witnesses here at the Diocese of Salt Lake City,” the bishop said.

“Everyone can be a saint; everyone can be holy,” he added. “The world needs people who care.”

“Whenever you feel down, always remember that someone that never, never abandons is Jesus Christ,” Bishop Solis concluded.

The Utah Catholic Schools system is comprised of 19 schools: 12 elementary schools, three high schools and three day cares located in Ogden, Bountiful, Salt Lake City, Kearns, Sandy, Draper, Riverton and Tooele.