2018: Year in Review
Jan. 2: Cathedral of the Madeline parishioner and former Third District Juvenile Court Judge Christine Decker died.
Jan. 3: Virginia Biediger, a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and wife of Deacon Doug Biediger, died.
Jan. 4: A team from St. Olaf School took third place in the SIMFA Foundation’s Stock Market Game, a statewide competition, and was honored at an awards banquet.
Jan. 15: The Diocese of Salt Lake City sponsored an interfaith prayer service to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and to pray with members of other faiths to end racism.
Jan. 18: A diocesan-wide five-week Prayer for Life instituted by Bishop Oscar A. Solis ended with a Mass for the Unborn celebrated at the Cathedral of the Madeleine by the bishop.
Jan. 21: The Diocese of Salt Lake City sponsored the annual Respect for Life bilingual rosary at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery.
Jan. 24: Internationally renowned motivational speaker and originator of the Red Shoes concept Lonnie Mayne shared his philosophies with the Judge Memorial Catholic High School community and the public.
Feb. 3: Five Diocese of Salt Lake City men — Gregory Werking, Thomas Devereux, Robert Cowlishaw, Jeremy Castellano and Jeffery Allen— underwent the Rite of Admission to Candidacy for the Order of Deacons at a Mass where Bishop Oscar A. Solis presided.
Eleanor Bouley, a St. Olaf’s parishioner, was the first young woman in Utah to receive the Ad Altare Dei award from the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. She was among the eight scouts to receive the award from Bishop Oscar A. Solis and Fr. Kenneth Vialpando, pastor of St. Marguerite Parish.
Feb. 11: Former Midvale Mayor and Saint Therese of the Child Jesus parishioner JoAnn Seghini was honored on her retirement at a retirement party at the parish and presented with an apostolic blessing from Pope Francis.
Blessed Sacrament Parish celebrated paying off its mortgage with a potluck dinner and document-burning ceremony.
Feb. 17: St. Joseph the Worker parishioners Benjamin and Madeline Archuleta, who have been married for 71 years, were honored as the longest-married couple in the diocese.
Feb. 21: The Cathedral of the Madeleine celebrated the 25th anniversary of its rededication.
March 3: Bishop Oscar A. Solis led Catholics in the diocese in reflection and prayer during the 2018 diocesan Lenten retreat “Raise Up. Sacrifice. Offer.”
Feb. 23: Msgr. Victor Bonnell, a retired priest of the diocese, died.
March 7: The Diocese of Salt Lake City celebrated the first anniversary of the installation of Bishop Oscar A. Solis.
March 15: Mount Angel Seminarians Sergio A. Chavez and Tristan P. Dillion from the Diocese of Salt Lake City were instituted as Lectors.
March 23: Drew Trost, Juan Diego Catholic High School boys basketball coach, was named 4A Utah High School Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year and Region 11 Coach of the Year by his fellow coaches.
March 28: Adan Batar, Catholic Community Services director of Immigration and Refugee Services, was recognized as a New Pioneer by the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce American Dream Award Program.
March 30: Maria Farrington, executive director for Holy Cross Ministries since 2015, retired.
April 7: St. Florence Mission celebrated its renovation during a celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation.
April 17: Catholic Community Services of Northern Utah opened a new warehouse that was expected to triple the agency’s storage capacity.
April 27: Father Charles Cummins, chaplain at Weber State University’s Newman Center, celebrated his 50th anniversary of priestly ordination.
May 12: The Judge Memorial Catholic High School soccer team won the 3A UHSAA Boys Soccer Championship defeating Morgan 1-0 with a goal in a second overtime.
May 15: Fr. James Blaine, who served as a priest for the Diocese of Salt Lake City for 41 years, retired.
May 18: John Kaloudis, director of the diocesan Office of Stewardship and Development and Diocesan Development Drive, retired.
May 27: St. Olaf Parish celebrated its 75th anniversary.
May 29: St. Henry Catholic Church in Brigham City broke ground for a new social hall.
May 31: The inaugural Sr. Kathleen Moroney Legal Service Award Luncheon was held.
June 1: Dominican Father Denis Reilly, who ministered for many years in the Diocese of Salt Lake City and oversaw the renovation of St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center and the construction of a new chapel there, retired.
June 28: Former Salt Lake City Diocesan Council of Catholic Women President Kathy Jones died.
June 29: Brother Nicholas (Clarence) Prinster, OCSO, formerly of the Abbey of our Lady of the Holy Trinity in Huntsville, died.
June 30: Arlita Llenares, administrator for liturgy and music at the Cathedral of the Madeline, retired.
July 1: Jose Luis Gomez arrived from Mexico City to become a seminarian for the diocese.
July 15: Sister Suzanne Brennan, CSC, former director of Holy Cross Ministries, celebrated 50 years of consecrated life.
July 25: Emmie Gardner began as CEO of Holy Cross Ministries.
July 26: Father Anil Kumar Kakumanu, who was ordained for the Diocese of Nalgonda, India, arrived in Utah to begin ministry here.
July 27: Father John Hart, a retired military chaplain and priest who served in several parishes in the Diocese of Salt Lake City, died.
July 30: Fr. Dennis Ruane, SSS, who was a counselor at Juan Diego Catholic High School from 2000 to 2009, died.
Aug. 1: Father Dominic Thuy Ha, founding pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, and Father Stanislaw Herba, who ministered as a priest in the diocese for 29 years, retired.
Father Augustine Hilander, O.P., officially began his ministry as chaplain at Salt Lake hospitals.
Kearns-St. Ann’s School opened a year-round childcare center.
Aug. 3: Deacon Silvio Mayo, former chancellor of the diocese, died.
Aug. 13: Sister Patricia Mulvaney, CSC, former director of the Holy Cross Hospital School of Nursing, died.
Aug. 14: Father Ariel F. Durian, a member of the Missionaries of St. Charles Scalabrinians of the Province of St. John the Baptist, arrived in Utah to begin ministry in the diocese.
Father Michael Norieka, SSS, who was pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish from 1999 to 2001, died.
Sept. 4: Father Javier Virgen, pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Parish, celebrated the 25th anniversary of his priestly ordination.
Sept. 6: The Most Rev. William K. Weigand, Bishop emeritus of Sacramento and seventh Bishop of Salt Lake City, was the guest speaker at the 2018 Bishop’s Dinner.
Sept. 8: Father Jose Emilio (Joshua) Santos, who was ordained for the Religious Institute of the Marian Missionaries of the Holy Cross in the Diocese of Balanga, Philippines, arrived in Utah to serve as an extern priest.
Sept. 13: Bishop Solis released a report on the allegations of clergy abuse in the diocese, and the actions being taken to address it.
Sept. 15: The diocese’s new Pastoral Plan was unveiled at the 2018 Pastoral Congress.
Sept. 20: Representatives from Utah participated in the Fifth National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry (V Encuentro).
Sept. 27: Gary Topping, the diocesan archivist, was named a Fellow of the Utah State Historical Society, the highest honor bestowed by the society.
Sept. 29: Judge Memorial Catholic High School’s girls tennis team took its second straight state title, while No. 1 singles player Katherine McPhail finished the season with an undefeated record and an individual state title.
Oct. 5: Blessed Sacrament School Archeology Club members Isabella Pickers and Allison Green gave a presentation to the Utah Rock Art Research Symposium on “Preservation and Conservation of Utah Rock Art” and received a standing ovation.
Oct. 13: Five diaconal candidates were instituted to the ministry of lectors at a Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine.
Oct. 21: Holy Family Catholic Church parishioners celebrated the 10th anniversary of the dedication of the church.
Oct. 25: Dominic Sternhagen, a diocesan seminarian, received candidacy for the priesthood; his ordination as a deacon is expected to be in June.
Oct. 27: St. Joseph’s Villa hosted its final luncheon to honor volunteers who put in many hours at the center. After 59 years, the St. Joseph Villa Volunteers are disbanding due to the advanced age of many of its members and a lack of interest from the public in volunteering at the center.
Oct. 28: Sr. Paula Wellnitz, OLVM celebrated 70 years in consecrated religious life before moving to her congregation’s motherhouse in Indiana.
Nov. 18: A monthly Holy Hour sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Bishop Hunt Council began at the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Nov. 29: Father Patrick Elliott, founding pastor of Holy Family Parish, died.
Dec. 2: The Cathedral of the Madeleine Parish released “The Cathedral of the Madeleine: A Year of Celebration” an illustrated book which celebrates the cathedral and its parish life.
Dec. 8: The Southwest Deanery celebrated a Marian Youth Day with young people in southern Utah.
Dec. 9: Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church welcomed images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego with a procession and enthronement Mass.
Dec. 17: The diocese posted a list of all credible local clergy abuse allegations since 1950.
Dec. 21: A Christmas Mass was celebrated at Oxbow Jail. Prior to the Mass, the Sacrament of Reconciliation was offered.
Dec. 24: Bishop Oscar A. Solis began the Christmas season by celebrating Midnight Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine.
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