Message from Bishop WesterDear Friends,
I pray this message finds you and your family well. Hopefully you were able to take some time for relaxation and spiritual renewal during the summer months. I want to speak to you today about our Catholic missions in rural Utah. It has been a tradition in our diocese to begin missions in "home churches." Mass is held in a local residence, and then when possible, a home is purchased and renovated to celebrate Mass and hold religious education classes. Several missions are still in renovated houses today: Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha in Fort Duchesne, Saint Jude in Ephraim, Saint Sylvester in Escalante, and San Pablo in Beryl Junction. I am extremely pleased to announce a new Catholic mission in Utah. Our Lady of the Light Mission will serve Catholics in Beaver. Our Lady of the Light is the Patroness of Leon, Mexico, and the painting of her, Mother of the Light, has been venerated in the cathedral since 1724. With the generosity of our Catholic community, through the Diocesan Development Drive, the diocese was able to purchase a house for this mission. The community of Beaver is growing in population, with an increased number of Catholics moving into this area. Sister Yvonne Hatt, CSC, from Christ the King Parish, has already begun First Communion classes at the Beaver City Library. We are planning to complete renovations on the house by the end of summer and begin offering Mass and religious education classes. Another area of increasing population is Elberta. San Isidro Mission was established in 1985 to serve a small number of Catholics. Today, the number of Catholics in this area has grown substantially. We recently remodeled the mission to meet the needs of this growing community. The worship space and sacristy were enlarged, with updates to several areas including the kitchen, mechanical and electrical. Additional parking was installed as well. The diocese, with the help of our Catholic community through the Diocesan Development Drive, Catholic Church Extension Society and the Committee on Home Missions, subsidize most of our missions on a yearly basis. The parishioners in our mission areas are not able to provide substantial financial resources to build, update or sustain a mission. Priests travel to each mission monthly to serve Mass and sacraments, with deacons, religious and laity providing catechetical instruction and community faith development. I ask everyone in our diocese to participate in the Diocesan Development Drive. No gift is too small, since every gift is important in order to maintain the vitality of our local Church. May the grace and peace of Christ be with you and with those you love. With warm, personal regards, I remain Sincerely yours in the Lord,
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