Pastor Assignments/Father Kenneth Vialpando

Friday, Jul. 04, 2025

Father Kenneth Vialpando was born in Tooele, where he attended high school. After serving three years in the Marine Corps, he entered Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon in 1983. When he graduated from Mount Angel, he transferred to Saint Thomas Seminary in Denver where he studied for a year before going to the Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Mount Angel and a Master of Divinity from the Josephinum. 

He was ordained a priest on Aug. 24, 1991 by the Most Rev. William K. Weigand, seventh Bishop of Salt Lake City. His first assignment was as teacher/chaplain at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City. This was followed by assignments as parochial vicar at Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Parish in Midvale and Saint Ambrose Parish in Salt Lake City. He then served as administrator of Saint Pius X Parish in Moab and Saint Joseph Parish in Monticello before being appointed pastor of those parishes. Following this, he served as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Salt Lake City for seven years, then Saint Joseph Parish in Ogden for 12 years.  

After a two-month sabbatical to study Spanish in Mexico, he returned as pastor of Saint Joseph’s in Ogden. From there he was assigned to Saint Marguerite Parish in Tooele for three years, from 2016 to 2019.  In 2019 he was appointed the diocesan Vicar for Clergy. On Aug. 1 he will be pastor of Saint Marguerite in Tooele for the second time.

In addition to his pastoral assignments, Fr. Vialpando has served as a member of the diocesan Native American Commission, diocesan assistant to the Scout chaplain, a member of the Spirituality Advisory Board, a member of the priests’ personnel board and the Presbyteral Council, Dean of the Northern Deanery, and several terms as Diocesan Consultor. 

Utah Catholic Schools presented him with the Christ the Teacher Award in 2012.

Fr. Vialpando truly believes the old saying that time flies when you’re having fun, particularly when you really love who you are and what you’re doing as a priest, he said. “I love being a Roman Catholic priest because of the fact that I get to walk, work and worship with brother priests, parishioners, family, friends, co-workers, etc., in a ministry where no two days are the same, and where every ministry and assignment encourages me to be a better priest, brother and friend.”

Fr. Vialpando is very grateful for all the assignments he has served and for the relationships he has developed over the years, particularly now to be serving as pastor at St. Marguerite’s again “because I get to return as a pastor for the second time to St. Marguerite Parish, where I received the sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation and even the Sacrament of Holy Orders,” he said. 

In his spare time Fr. Vialpando enjoys spending time with family and friends, “but I also appreciate the quiet evenings where I can pray, read, write, kick back on the recliner, rest, relax, eat dessert, think about exercising, take a cat nap, play with the dog, and call it a day,” he said.

Fr. Vialpando has a gym membership because he loves to swim but “because I haven’t been taking advantage of that opportunity, I feel like I am donating money to a worthy cause,” he said.