At funeral, longtime diocesan employee recalled as a reflection of Christ’s light

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Debra Lee Candelaria

SALT LAKE CITY — For 34 years Debra Lee Candelaria served in the Diocese of Salt Lake City Pastoral Center as an assistant, in the finance office “and even as our answering machine, and I say answering machine because her voice has been on the answering machine at the main switchboard and is still on the answering machine, giving us advice on how to connect with others in the Pastoral Center,” said Father Kenneth Vialpando, vicar for clergy, at Candelaria’s funeral Mass on Dec. 14 at the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

The surname Candelaria means candle in Spanish, Fr. Vialpando pointed out, and during the Feb. 2 Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, known as Candlemas, the Catholic Church lights and blesses candles that will be used in the Church throughout the year. Members of the congregation also may bring candles to Mass to be blessed “to light up their homes, their hearts and their souls,” he said, adding that Candelaria, who died Dec. 4, had become a perpetual light with Christ.

Candelaria was baptized on April 7, 1957, received her First Holy Communion on April 25, 1965 and the Sacrament of Confirmation on June 30, 1986, Fr. Vialpando said. “It was during these Sacraments of Initiation that Debra received at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church that Debra received the light of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, which enabled and empowered her reach out to those around her by focusing on others rather than herself,” he said, adding that Candelaria was an independent, strong and hardworking woman who overlooked her own needs, but was quick to lend a helping hand to others.

At the Pastoral Center, Candelaria was always lending a helping hand to improve the Church’s various ministries, he said.

“As priests within the diocese, how many of can say that Debra was just a phone call away to provide us with the financial information we needed?” Fr Vialpando asked, “It goes without saying that Debra was there to answer our calls, to give us her expert advice and to point us in the right direction, so perhaps many of us can say she was an epitome of the phrase, ‘One call, that’s all!”

He added, “Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn is here.”

Bishop Oscar A. Solis presided at the funeral Mass. Concelebrating were Monsignor Colin F. Bircumshaw, vicar general; Monsignor J. Terrence Fitzgerald, vicar general emeritus; Fr. Vialpando; Fr. Langes J. Silva, judicial vicar; and several other priests of the diocese. Assisting were Deacon George Reade, chancellor, and Deacon Lynn Johnson.

During the Mass, Bishop Solis extended his condolences to Candelaria’s family and friends and expressed his gratitude for her service to the diocese.

“We were very fortunate to have met and worked with Debbie, her light now shines next to Jesus. … I want to express my gratitude [to you] for sharing her with us through all these years,” Bishop Solis said.

In an interview, Candice Greenwald, the diocesan CFO, said what she remembers most about Candelaria is her laugh, and “how much she loved working at the diocese. This was her happy place.”

As part of her job, Candelaria handled the accounts payable, “but one of the big things she did was work with all of our priests and our retired priests for all their insurance needs. … She was so good with those priests; and the priests would only want to talk to her.”

As a supervisor, Greenwald appreciated that Candelaria would take the initiative and help with tasks without being asked, and when she was asked to do a task she did it without hesitation, Greenwald said.   

Jacqueline Rivera, who works in the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry, recalled Candelaria as a sister who could always be counted on for everything from the simplest things to the more complicated.

“She always came to our office to see how we were doing, and to see if we needed anything,” Rivera said.

The same feeling was shared by Maria Velez Tuero, the diocesan receptionist, who said that Candelaria would come by her desk every day to see how her day was going.

“One day she came down the stairs and asked me if the coffee standing on my desk was the same one that she had seen hours ago. … She wanted to make sure that I always had fresh coffee,” Velez Tuero said, adding that Candelaria was like a favorite aunt.

Yvonne Martinez, who works in the finance office, said Candelaria “gave her heart and soul” in everything she did, and “She loved to laugh. She always thought of others above herself.”

Candelaria was preceded in death by her parents, grandparents, aunt Mary Sandoval and uncle and sister-in-law Tommy and Joy Duran. She is survived by her son John Jaramillo; sister Cindy Martinez; Jose Guanajuato, whom she considered a brother; and cousin Mary Valerio; grandchild Nicolette; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and godchildren.