Golden Jubilee for St. Joseph the Worker Parish

Friday, May. 09, 2014

WEST JORDAN — In a celebration that honored the past, acknowledged the present and looked to the future, Saint Joseph the Worker Parish commemorated its 50th anniversary with a Mass, special blessings for founding members, recognition of the parish secretary and burial of a time capsule that is scheduled to be reopened in 25 years.

“We give thanks today for all the generous workers and benefactors who have enabled us to set apart this place of worship,” said the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, who presided at the Mass. He recognized the parish founders who were present and the other parishioners “for all that you have done and continue to do to make this such a splendid place.”  

Concelebrating the Mass were Father Patrick Carley, St. Joseph the Worker Parish administrator; Monsignor Matthew Wixted, retired, who was an associate pastor in the parish’s founding years; Father Martin Diaz, pastor of the Cathedral of the Madeleine; and Father Jan Bednarz, pastor of Saint Martin de Porres Parish in Taylorsville.

In his homily, Fr. Carley recalled how the parish was founded by miners who moved from the mountain towns as Bingham Canyon Mine grew. 

“They came together and set about becoming a new people, a new community, a new church under the influence of the Spirit, and they set about making of themselves a parish, and building institutions and in time, building for themselves a new church,” Fr. Carley said.

The parish founders “were a hard-working, devoted people, and that’s why this is St. Joseph the Worker. They were miners, farmers and laborers, carpenters – people who knew the value of and the goodness of work,” he continued. “We cherish them. … We stand on their shoulders. They were people of great faith, great strength, great courage.” 

Fifty years after the parish was formed, the parish has many new families and a new church, “and, we hope, the same spirit of service, the same spirit of prayer and faithfulness,” Fr. Carley said. “For the next 50 years, let us be as faithful in our day as they were in theirs.” 

He also suggested that the parish might revive some ministries that have fallen away, revitalize existing ministries and perhaps start new ones.

After the Mass, Gary Topping, the diocesan archivist, spoke on the importance of creating and maintaining parish archives. He complimented St. Joseph the Worker’s archives, which were overseen by Anne Kurek, the parish secretary.

“I wish every parish had an Anne Kurek,” Topping said; although other parishes in the diocese have archives, “St. Joseph the Worker is way out, several horse lengths ahead of them around the race track.”

The anniversary celebration was Kurek’s last official deed for the parish; she is now retired and plans to travel.

“Anne has been – and you know this – a truly outstanding servant of this parish,” Fr. Carley said. “She put her heart and soul into her work, into her love for the parish, and with that, her many talents. The parish and indeed myself particularly, are deeply in debt to Anne. … Generations to come will bless this day and bless Anne for what she has done.”

As she was presented with gifts, Kurek said, “If I weren’t planning to come back this would be a very sad day, but as it is I’m just going away for a very long vacation.”

After the Mass, the parish archives were blessed and a time capsule was buried in the church courtyard. The capsule contained various items, including letters from students and notes from parishioners.

“This will be really, really fun when the kids open this 25 years from now,” Kurek said.