Diocesan Eucharistic Rally and Mass will be opportunity for all Utah Catholics to gather and celebrate

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SALT LAKE CITY — As July 9 approaches, volunteers from all over the Diocese of Salt Lake City are preparing a celebration for the entire Catholic Church in Utah.

The Diocesan Eucharistic Rally and Mass will take place at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy; Catholics from all the diocesan parishes and missions are invited to participate.

To make this massive event a reality, volunteers from different parishes and missions have donated their time, talents and treasure.

Ruth Penderghast, a Saint John the Baptist parishioner, is one of them.

Being able to celebrate an event like this in Utah is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, said Penderghast, who moved to the state from California. 

“Being able to celebrate the Eucharist as a community is wonderful,” she added. “There are just a few Catholics in Utah compared to California.”

Although in Utah the Catholic community is relatively small, Penderghast said that the community “is very intimate [here]; actually, you go to church and you recognize people, and now it is amazing that we have this opportunity to unite all in one large group.”

The Diocesan Eucharistic Rally and Mass is expecting the participation of thousands of Catholics from numerous ethnicities, languages and backgrounds.

“Sometimes we tend to think ‘all Catholics look like me,’ and the diversity is one of the beautiful things of our faith, that our Church is universal, and to be able to see all the different communities [at the rally] and to celebrate all together, I am really looking forward to it,” Penderghast said.

Being able to share her time, talents and treasure as a volunteer at the event is important for her because “offering myself like that to the community is a way for me to be connected to my fellow Catholics,” Penderghast said.

All Catholics are called to be the hands and feet of Christ, “so because we are his feet and his hands, if we don’t go, he can’t go; if we don’t help, he can’t help; if we don’t serve, he can’t serve; and that to me really just brought my attention to what all are called to do,” she said. “We are all called to serve one another; Christ acts through us. ... That is the biggest reason why I feel like serving at the Church, whether it is at my church or for my diocese, is incredibly important.”

Serving is especially important in Utah, where Catholics are a minority of the population and the distance between parishes is often considerable, Penderghast said.

For example, thinking about the parishes and missions in the Vernal area, “how far they are from the heart of our diocese and how amazing it is going to be for them to see who we are, how many of us really are [at the rally], is going to be amazing,” she said, adding that she is looking forward to all the events that are being planned for the rally and “to see all the diverse Catholics united as one whole community. … This is an opportunity for us to remember why we are Catholics and why the Eucharist is the summit of our faith.” 

Penderghast said that she expects that many Catholics who, due to the Covid pandemic, stopped going in person to church will attend the Diocesan Eucharistic Rally and Mass.

“That is the whole purpose of evangelization – us taking Christ to people, bringing him to people, and hopefully people who have stopped coming to church will  be able to participate,” she said. “And for those that for whatever reason choose not to return [to church], I am hoping that something like this [rally] will encourage them at least to come and see what all is about.”

Emphasizing that  there is always a strength in numbers, Penderghast  said that “when we come together and we remind ourselves of our faith, of the beauty of our faith, the depth of our faith, and we are surrounded by people who believe what we believe in, honor the same values that we do, and we are together as a community, there is such peace  in knowing that we are not alone. We have this faith community to support us.”

As with Penderghast, many people have already signed up to donate their time at the event, said Maria Devereux, who is leading the volunteer efforts.

People already are helping with the rally. In addition to those organizing the event, at the parish level there are volunteer liaisons who are in charge of providing event information to their fellow parishioners. 

The call to action “is prior the rally,” Devereux said. She is asking people to contact her if they would like information about who their parish liaisons are, or if they would like to volunteer to help with the rally.

On the day of the rally, volunteers will greet those attending, direct traffic in the parking lot, and help with the exhibits and presentations, among other tasks.

The Diocesan Eucharistic Rally and Mass will be July 9 at the Mountain America Exposition Center,  9575 State St., Sandy. It will begin at 9 a.m. with morning prayer. Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Confession will be available throughout the morning. The keynote speaker will be Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, who will give presentations in both English and Spanish. The featured speaker in English will be Dr. Timothy O’Malley; the featured speaker in Spanish will be Dr. José Medina. Various activities for children and youth are planned. There will be a break for lunch, then doors will open at 1:25 p.m. for the Mass, which will begin at 2 p.m. Bishop Oscar A. Solis will preside at the Mass.

Devereux can be contacted at mariadevereux1@gmail.com. For information about the Diocesan Eucharistic Rally and Mass, visit https://www.dioslc.org/eucharistic-revival.