Maria Cruz Gray selected as Lumen Christi finalist

IC file photo

+ Enlarge

Maria Cruz Gray, shown leading the rosary at the 2017 Intercultural Marian Celebration held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Orem, is a finalist for this year’s Lumen Christi award, given by Catholic Extension.

SALT LAKE CITY — Maria Cruz Gray, director of the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry, has been named a Lumen Christi award finalist. The award, presented by Catholic Extension, is “given to people who radiate and reveal the light of Christ present in the communities where they serve,” according to the organization’s web page.

In June the news broke that Gray was nominated for the award. Of the 41 nominees, seven were selected as award finalists; among them was Gray.

“During her 24 years as director of Hispanic ministry in the Catholic Church in Utah, Maria-Cruz Gray … has left no community of the state untouched, no matter how small or remote. The result is that she has become a visible manifestation of the Church’s presence and care to 200,000 Hispanic Catholics,” states the Catholic Extension article about Gray. The article can be found online at https://www.catholicextension.org/stories/why-do-200000-hispanic-catholics-in-utah-know-this-woman/.

Among the other finalists were Brother Dale Mooney, FSC, who has been president of the De La Salle Blackfeet School in Browning, Mont. for the past 11 years; Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great from the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, who minister in the Ukrainian war zone; and the St. María Eufrasia Home from the Diocese of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, which offers support to girls in crisis pregnancies.

Each finalist received $10,000 to support and enhance their ministry.

“I am here by God’s grace,” Gray said. “I am only doing my job. … This is an honor I didn’t look for; neither did I expect it, but being nominated has been a blessing.”

The national recognition the award brings to the Diocese of Salt Lake City is one of the most valuable aspects of the honor, she said, and “because of that I don’t mind it being my name that is out there. But in all honesty this award is a recognition for all the Hispanic leaders that we have in our diocese, for all the hardworking people who, despite being in the shadows, don’t give up and do their best for their families. … I know that my brothers and sisters are being recognized through me.”

Hispanics comprise an estimated 70 percent of the population of the Salt Lake diocese, which encompasses nearly 85,000 square miles with more than 60 parishes, missions and stations.

Gray’s journey with the Catholic Church in Utah has been a family affair. Her late husband, Deacon Forrest Gray, ministered in the diocese from 2004 until his death in 2020. Their youngest son, Father Christopher Gray, was ordained to the priesthood in 2013 and is now pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Park City.

In her work, Gray has made sure to reach out not only in the metro areas but also in remote communities without resident priests. Instrumental in her outreach have been the 116 Hispanic lay ecclesiastical ministers whom Gray has formed through the EMAUS lay ecclesial ministry program in Spanish.

“The dedication and work that the Hispanic leaders do is amazing,” Gray said. “If it wasn’t for this great team that I have, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.”

The motivation for her ministry comes from the Holy Spirit, she said.

“When I saw how my brothers and sisters were in pain, I could not understand why they could not have food on their tables, why they could not have the dignity of life that we all should have; this is the land of God,” she said.

Gray’s vision, service and pastoral outreach has benefited the diocese, said Bishop Oscar A. Solis.

“Her indefatigable spirit, vision and good works have benefited the diocese as a whole and, in particular, the Latinos,” the bishop told Catholic Extension.

Msgr. Colin F. Bircumshaw, vicar general, agreed. “On top of all she does in terms of teaching and ministering, her personal service to the poor is quiet and as hidden as is possible, but consistent and generous over all the years she has served in leadership for the diocese,” he said in an interview with Catholic Extension.

In the fall, the 2023-2024 Lumen Christi Award recipient will be selected from among the seven finalists and will receive a $25,000 grant. An additional $25,000 will be given to the nominating diocese.