Bishop’s Dinner celebrates 20th year with Cardinal Robert McElroy as keynote speaker

Intermountain Catholic

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SALT LAKE CITY — The annual Bishop’s Dinner, a fundraiser for the Cathedral of the Madeleine, will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the Grand America Hotel on Sept. 4. This year’s keynote speaker will be His Eminence Robert Cardinal McElroy, Bishop of the Diocese of San Diego.     

A fifth-generation San Franciscan, Robert W. McElroy was born in San Francisco on Feb. 5, 1954. He received his undergraduate education at Harvard, and earned a master’s degree in American history from Stanford in 1976. Entering the seminary for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, he was ordained a priest in 1980 and served as parochial vicar in two parishes there.

He went on to pursue studies in the field of Catholic social teaching and received a doctorate in moral theology from the Gregorian University in Rome as well as a doctorate in political science from Stanford in 1989. He then served the Archdiocese of San Francisco as vicar general and, for 15 years, as pastor of St. Gregory the Great Parish in San Mateo. In 2010 Pope Benedict appointed him auxiliary bishop of San Francisco. Five years later, Pope Francis appointed him bishop of San Diego and elevated him to cardinal on August 27, 2022.

Cardinal McElroy has written two books: The Search for an American Public Theology and Morality and American Foreign Policy. In addition, he has written a series of articles on theology and public policy for a variety of journals.

Cardinal McElroy is a member of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

Along with hearing from Cardinal McElroy, those who attend the Bishop’s Dinner will view a video produced by cathedral staff. In this year’s video, Monsignor Joseph M. Mayo, one of the founders of the Bishop’s Dinner, will talk about its origin; and several religious leaders from across the community will address the subject of unity.

Bishop Oscar A. Solis also will speak at the dinner.

Proceeds from the event will help fund the maintenance of the cathedral, which recently underwent a $50,000 drainage and piping retrofit to help preserve the structural integrity of the edifice. The fundraising goal for this year’s dinner is $475,000.

WHAT: Bishop’s Dinner 2024: A Benefit for The Cathedral of the Madeleine

WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 4, 7 p.m.

WHERE: The Grand America Hotel, 555 S. Main St., SLC

COST: $200/individual seat; tables of eight available

A social hour in the courtyard will precede the dinner.

Visit thebishopsdinnerslc.org for reservations or information.