Msgr. Moore to retire

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Monsignor Terence Moore

By Rachel Kuhr

Special to the Intermountain Catholic

(Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles about the diocese’s priests who are retiring, leaving or are new, or who are taking their first positions as pastors of a parish.)

DRAPER — After 46 years serving the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Monsignor Terence Moore, pastor of Saint John the Baptist Parish in Draper, will retire on Aug. 1. After that date, students at the Skaggs Catholic Center will not receive sacraments and blessings from the grandfatherly priest with the Irish accent and twinkling eyes as often, though he plans to stay close to the community he has led for the past 14 years.

Msgr. Moore hopes to continue his ministry after retirement, caring for members of the community without additional full-time pastoral responsibilities.

His vocation began when he attended seminary in his native Ireland from age 18 to 24, studying philosophy and theology.

His service in the Church began with encouragement from his peers.

"I was always interested in human services," Msgr. Moore said. "I thought I’d either become a teacher or a social worker, but then there were some religious brothers in high school who greatly influenced me toward a vocation in the Church, and then I prayed about it, and it seemed I was being called to the priesthood."

Msgr. Moore was ordained at age 24. Wanting to serve in a place where he could make an evangelical difference in the Church, Moore came to Utah as a missionary priest, leaving Bally Fin, Ireland and his family behind. At the time, Catholics in Utah represented 3 percent of the population. In his years in this diocese, Moore has served as pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Salt Lake City, Saint James in Ogden, Saint Thomas More in Cottonwood Heights, and as a chaplain at the University of Utah before becoming the founding pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish.

On April 21, Bishop John C. Wester helped the congregation burn the parish’s mortgage, which took only 10 years to pay off under Msgr. Moore’s leadership.

Msgr. Moore has "benefited the church by inspiring so many of our parishioners to serve others," Deacon Paul Graham said. "There [are] so many volunteers; we literally don’t know the number. There are hundreds of them. It’s been said that the personality of a parish is a reflection of the personality of the priest. I think we wouldn’t be the way we are if it weren’t for him."

Because St. John the Baptist Parish is on the Skaggs Catholic Center campus, which includes Juan Diego Catholic High School and Saint John the Baptist Elementary and Middle schools, Msgr. Moore has worked closely with students through Masses and counseling, although he says he wishes he could be a more visible entity within the schools.

"You see the goodness when you’re around youth, when you’re around schools. You’re really looking at the future of society and the future of life," Msgr. Moore said. "It’s all very positive, and I just see more and more, the older I get, I just see the goodness in people."

One JDCHS student influenced by Msgr. Moore is freshman Jacob Moore (no relation to Msgr. Moore), who is looking into the priesthood.

"There’s been a shortage of priests, so every time Monsignor brought it up, I thought I was being called to be one," Jacob Moore said. "And he’s a really good example of what a priest should be; I want to be more like him."

During his career, Msgr. Moore headed up the construction of two churches, St. John the Baptist and Saint Thomas More in Sandy. His daily duties include leading pastoral programs, religious education ministry, youth ministry and Masses for the schools and parish. He also visits the sick and coordinates parish organizations such as the Knights of Columbus and the Ladies Association.

Once he has retired from parish administrative work, Moore hopes his successor will invite him back to celebrate Mass and visit the parish, he said. He plans to continue pastoral work, but health concerns will prevent him from working full-time.

Msgr. Moore has chronic myelogenous leukemia and cardiomyopathy (weakening of the heart muscle). He takes medicine daily, including chemotherapy pills, which cause extreme fatigue and can conflict with his work schedule. Despite having two chronic diseases, Msgr. Moore says he feels blessed to be as well as he is.

"I love life. It’s been a great life," Msgr. Moore said. "I’m very happy with having been an active priest all these years. It’s been very rewarding. I wish more young people would look at the priesthood. It can be a very satisfying profession."

Rachel Kuhr is a sophomore at Juan Diego Catholic High School.