Bishop Wester dedicates Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

Intermountain Catholic

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Bishop John C. Wester was the principal celebrant during the dedication liturgy at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. See the photo album on Facebook. IC photo/Marie Mischel

OREM — Saint Francis of Assisi Parish celebrated the dedication of its new church Feb. 19 with a ceremony that honored their history while looking toward the future.

"This magnificent, strikingly beautiful and attractive church is your homily. In a very real sense, you do not need to say anything today. You have said it all in this marvelous and remarkable achievement to the glory of God," said the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, in his homily during the dedication Mass. "This building stands as a symbol – a reminder of the larger journey that has Christ as its origin, Christ as the way and Christ as the goal."

In his closing remarks, the bishop thanked all who were involved in the building effort. "For so many generations to come, people will enjoy these fruits of your labor, your generosity and your sacrifice," he said.

Even non-parishioners can appreciate the new church. Garlan and Carolyn Fitzgarrald, who live a few blocks away, have watched the property transform from an orchard to a church. "It’s a beautiful building," Carolyn Fitzgarrald said. "We love to hear the bells."

The new church has several statues of its patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi, including one outside the building that was brought from the church’s original location in Provo. The parish, which was founded in 1892, moved to Orem in 2000.

"This parish has wanted and longed for so many years for a space that would be large enough to accommodate everybody and a space that would enable us to give worthy worship to God. We had a lovely little church in Provo but it was just too small for us," said Franciscan Father Garret Edmunds, who served as pastor from 1990 to 1996. "We had a lovely little church in Provo but it was just too small for us. This has been a dream of the parish; it was my dream when I was here as pastor and to see it finally realized is a real blessing."

Fr. Edmunds joined Bishop Wester in concelebrating the Mass, along with current pastor Father David Bittmenn, parochial vicar Father Jose Rausseo, vicar general Monsignor Colin J. Bircumshaw and vicar general emeritus Monsignor J. Terrance Fitzgerald.

Fr. Edmunds was the first to try seriously to expand church, said Juliana Boerio-Goates, chairperson of the building committee and pastoral coordinator. "He was unsuccessful, but in retrospect, looking at the growth of the parish since then, it was probably the Holy Spirit at work," she said.

That growth was one of the reasons the parish moved to Orem, where they built a gymnasium rather than a church because the gym space was more flexible to accommodate needs like religious education classes, Boerio-Goates said. That decision wasn’t popular with many parishioners even though construction on the church was expected to start within two years, she said.

Instead, plans for construction didn’t get underway until 2008, with the groundbreaking in 2011. Several architectural details were carried from the old church into the new, such as the Stations of the Cross. Also, one side of the new church recreates the front of the Provo church.

The parish community pitched in to raise money for the building fund, including many Hispanic groups that sold food after Mass and English-speaking groups who held dinner dances and organized the Christmas boutique, Fr. Bittmenn said.

"The community knew that it was a challenge and they stepped up and they really worked hard," he said. "This is their place. They’ve built it for them and their children…. We feel like we’ve been on a pilgrimage for a while, from Provo to here to the gym, so finally we’re entering the house of God. This is the culmination of a dream."

The new church "is a miracle. It’s really a miracle," said Florence Barber, who has been a parishioner for 67 years. "It’s so wonderful that I just want to sit there all day and pray."