Marian celebration honors Our Lady

Friday, Oct. 10, 2025

PARK CITY — Faithful Catholics came from all over the Diocese of Salt Lake City for the Intercultural Marian Celebration, an annual event that took place this year on Oct. 4 at Saint Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Park City.

Participants representing all the world’s continents arrived with images of Our Lady, either statues or banners, in her different representations around the world. These included Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico), Our Lady of Fatima (Portugal); Our Lady of Coromoto (Venezuela); Our Lady of Aparecida (Brazil); Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag (the Philippines);  Our Lady of Vang (Vietnam); and Our Lady of Peace (the Pacific Islands). These among many others packed the parish’ social hall. 

Despite the freezing rain people were eager to pray the rosary, walk in a short procession and attend a community Mass with Bishop Oscar A. Solis presiding.

“Welcome brothers and sisters, and to all the cultural communities throughout the state of Utah,” Bishop Solis said in his opening remarks.

The Intercultural Marian Celebration is a manifestation of “all the diversity and cultural communities that we have in our diocese,” he added.

Emphasizing that the celebration was a beautiful way to commemorate the Catholic faith, the bishop said that “as Catholics recognizing that we have one Body of Christ, different cultures, different races, different languages, nevertheless we are one, united in God.”

He asked all those present to look around, to see each other, and realize what heaven looks like. “Get used to the vision of all the kinds of people that you see, because that’s how heaven would be,” he said.

The celebration acknowledged the many languages spoken by those present. The Glorious Mysteries of the rosary were recited in Tagalog, Spanish, Tongan and Portuguese; the Mass readings were given in Korean and Portuguese; and the Prayers of the Faithful were offered in these languages as well as in Vietnamese.

During his homily, Bishop Solis said that he was very happy to see the church filled “with all these cultural groups, ethnic communities, all united to celebrate our devotion to our Blessed Mother and to give thanks for the blessings that God has given us.”

He added that it was wonderful “to recognize our identity, people from different countries, cultures … professing one faith.” 

Speaking about the virtue of faith, the bishop said that “Jesus does not expect us to believe in the impossible; faith in God opens the impossible that comes from trusting in him.” 

Quoting St. Thomas Aquinas, that “For the one who has faith no explanation is necessary; to the one without faith, no explanation is possible,” Bishop Solis said that Jesus gives reassurance “that he is here, and that with our trust and confidence in him we will survive. … Never fear to ask our Lord to increase our faith, especially in moments of doubt, disappointment, frustration and even despair.”

For Lourdes Jimenez, a parishioner of St. Joseph’s in Ogden, getting to the celebration was itself a test for her faith, she said.

“In the morning, seeing this weather, I started doubting if we should attend, but after I prayed to the Lord, I felt at peace to make the drive despite the conditions,” she said.

The day’s weather was cool, with a high of 54 degrees. In the morning it was foggy and rained heavily; light rain continued throughout the day.

Jimenez has been attending the Intercultural Marian Celebration for many years, and “it always brings me joy to see the representations of Our Lady throughout the world, and to get to see how other cultures unite brings lots of joy to my heart,” she said.