Priest Convocation

IC photo/Marie Mischel

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Priests from throughout the Diocese of Salt Lake City gathered Oct. 8-11 for their fall convocation. The primary topic was “Cultivating Unity,” which is a pastoral initiative between the National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy and the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. During the convocation, the priests identified issues, priorities and ways to build fraternity. In addition, the priests gathered daily for prayer and for Mass. During the convocation, Bishop Solis said it was important for the priests to invest time in gathering and getting to know each other to build solidarity. In addition, he stressed the importance of the Pastoral Plan, which was released Sept. 15. “This is our common mission,” he said. He also suggested that the priests take advantage of the gifts of the laity in their parishes. “Don’t try to do it alone,” he said. “We have tremendous resources in our laypeople,” particularly those who have been certified through the diocesan lay ecclesial ministry formation program in English and Spanish, who are “partners in the mission of evangelization.”