The Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in West Jordan
Editor’s Note: This is the last of the profiles of the three diocesan parishes named after the foster father of Jesus: St. Joseph Parish in Ogden, St. Joseph Parish in Monticello and St. Joseph the Worker Parish in West Jordan. For the Year of St. Joseph, Bishop Oscar A. Solis has dedicated each of these as a pilgrimage site.
Michael L. Courtney
Archivist, Diocese of Salt Lake City
The parish community of St. Joseph the Worker, West Jordan, originated from the parish community of Holy Rosary, Bingham Canyon and the Immaculate Conception Parish, Copperton. When the mines in Bingham Canyon closed in the early 1960s, many community members moved to West Jordan.
One group from Holy Rosary Parish that journeyed from Bingham Canyon to West Jordan was the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement, who came to Holy Rosary Parish to catechize community members. When Holy Rosary Parish closed in 1958, the Sisters moved their convent to Copperton and continued to teach religious education at Immaculate Conception Parish and St. Joseph the Worker Mission, later a parish. In 1975, the Sisters moved their convent again, to St. Joseph the Worker Parish, and became an integral part of parish life. They remained there until 2009, when ill health forced the last Sister to retire.
In January 1945, Bishop Duane G. Hunt, fifth Bishop of Salt Lake City, wrote Mother Monica Francis, Mother General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement, inviting her to send members of her order to Utah to teach religious education at Holy Rosary Parish and provide pastoral ministry in the area. He explained that “… you do precisely the kind of work that is most urgently needed in Bingham. We need Sisters to do Social Service work, to visit the homes, to teach Catechism and bring back those who are careless and fallen away.”
Mother Monica Francis agreed to Bishop Hunt’s request, and in 1946 sent four Sisters to Holy Rosary Parish. There, they provided religious, pastoral and social care. In a 1948 report to the Chancery Office, Sr. Helena, superior of the Holy Rosary Convent, stated the four sisters taught 343 children; held 22 religious education classes; visited 641 homes; made 48 hospital visits; distributed 851 pieces of literature; and led a senior sodality club, junior sodality club and an altar boy club. They held five picnics, hosted nine parties and put on two plays, as well. In later years, the Sisters also held clothing and food drives for the poor and vacation schools during the summer.
Within 30 years, two important changes took place in the Franciscan Sisters’ ministry at Copperton and West Jordan. First, the Sisters core mission changed from offering both religious education and social services to focusing only on religious education. Second, to better serve the spiritual needs of St. Joseph the Worker Parish, the Sisters moved their convent from Copperton to West Jordan.
Over the years, numerous sisters served at St. Joseph the Worker Parish. Of all the Sisters who assisted at the parish, Sr. Fabian Uriot, S.A. is best remembered; she ministered there longer than any priest or Sister.
“Many current parishioners have known her since they were children,” said Anne Kurek, parish secretary. “She has seen many of our children from infancy to adulthood. And, amazingly, she could remember everyone’s name.”
Sr. Fabian arrived at St. Joseph the Worker in 1982 to work on the parish census. She became involved in the parishes’ religious education program because another religious asked for help. Feeling guilty, Sr. Fabian started teaching religious education and eventually took over the role of religious education director. Over the years, she particularly enjoyed watching the children live their faith, it was reported
When ill health required Sr. Fabian to announce her retirement in November 2009, many in the community remembered her fondly. Fr. Patrick Carley, pastor from 2006 to 2016, stated that “she was in every way a parish associate and a valued voice on all our councils.”
One parishioner recalled Sr. Fabian made her daughters “comfortable in class, but also joked with her father each Sunday before he passed away. That was [a] pleasant thing before Mass.”
Another parishioner stated that Sr. Fabian was a motherly figure: “She’s been … taking care of me, keeping me from doing the wrong thing.”
Yet another parishioner stated that she converted to Catholicism because of Sr. Fabian: “When I called the parish – this was before I ever started taking classes – she was the person that answered the phone. … She was this kind, loving, accepting person for who I was at that point in my life. That made me want to become Catholic.”
In a biography written for her retirement program, the author summed up Sr. Fabian this way: “Sister Fabian has shown us by her example how to live the values of our patron Saint Joseph the Worker. She has been hard working, faithful, dedicated, and kind – not for personal glory or gain but to serve others.”
Sr. Fabian died on April 21, 2011 at the age of 86. She was the last Franciscan Sister of the Atonement at St. Joseph the Worker Parish and in the State of Utah. The parish hall is named in her honor.
Although the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement no longer serve at St. Joseph the Worker, their pilgrimage with the people of the parish will never be forgotten.
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