Year of Faith Pilgrimage: Saint Mary Catholic Church

Intermountain Catholic

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Vestments that were worn by the Jesuit priests who served the parish from 1957 to 2010 are on display in the hallways. IC photos/Marie Mischel

(Editor’s note: For the Year of Faith, which ends Nov. 24, Bishop John C. Wester has designated 12 churches in the Diocese of Salt Lake City as pilgrimage sites. This article is one in a series about the sites. More information can be found at http://www.dioslc.org/images/year-of-faith/pilgrimage/Year%20of%20Faith%20Passport%20Booklet%20Version%20English.pdf.)

WEST HAVEN — Although Saint Mary Parish in West Haven was heavily influenced by the Jesuits, the parish’s beginning was in 1945 as a mission of Saint Joseph Parish in Ogden, to serve the 147 Spanish-speaking families on the city’s west side. A former Civilian Conservation Corps administration building at 22nd Street and Reeves Avenue in Ogden was remodeled to serve as a chapel for Santa Maria de Guadalupe Mission. Father Ramon Guerras provided pastoral care, and members of the Sisters of the Holy Cross taught catechism at the mission for the first two years.

Then, in 1947, Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters arrived; they served the parish for the next 40 years.

By 1954 the mission was serving an estimated 1,000 people. Father Louis E. Kern, of the Society of Jesus from the California Province, began his ministry there that year. Two years later, construction began on the church-rectory at 2740 Pennsylvania Ave. in Ogden. On Sept. 8, 1957, Saint Mary Parish was dedicated by Bishop Duane G. Hunt to serve all Catholics living in Riverdale/Hooper areas; Fr. Kern was the founding pastor.

Santa Maria de Guadalupe was kept as a mission of the parish until the 1990s, when it was closed because of the Hispanic ministry offered at St. Joseph Parish.

Fr. Kern had served in Brigham City for the two years previous to his ministry at St. Mary; he also taught at Saint Joseph High School with his associate, Jesuit Father Neale Herrlich.

Fr. Herrlich, who followed Fr. Kern as the parish’s pastor, taught for 31 years and was the founder of the high school’s Booster Club. At St. Mary, he oversaw the installation of 12 stained-glass windows, which were blessed by Bishop William K. Weigand in 1983. The great west choir window, also the work of Jenkyn A. Powell of Powell Brothers and Sons, was blessed and dedicated by Bishop Joseph Lennox Federal in 1985.

When the new church was built on its current 10-acre site in West Haven, the choir window was installed at the entrance. Jesuit Father Martin I. Rock, who became pastor in 1992, oversaw the move. The new church and rectory were dedicated in 2008 by Bishop John C. Wester.

The Jesuits withdrew from the parish in 2010, recalled by their province. At that time, Father Gustavo Vidal became the parish’s first non-order pastor, a role he continues to fill. He has honored his Jesuit predecessors by displaying their vestments in the church entrance and hallways.

Religious education has played a large part in the parish. In 1989, upon the dedication of the new religious education center, Bishop William K. Weigand praised the congregation for making religious education a priority. This continues today; enrollment for religious education classes was underway the Sunday I visited, and the church was filled with families waiting to sign up.

Bishop Wester also had occasion to comment upon this aspect of parish life. In his Feb. 12, 2010 blog, he wrote: "Several weeks ago I had the marvelous experience of visiting many of the religious education classes at St. Mary Parish in West Haven. … I chatted with about 10 classes. The children ranged in age from 8th to 12th grade. Some were preparing for their Confirmation and others were still participating in the religious education program long after their Confirmations. I was extremely impressed with the dedication of the staff. Quite a few of the religious education teachers give up their Monday nights week after week to pass on the faith to our young men and women. The classes were all well prepared and the students were really into their studies. … "

IF YOU GO:

Saint Mary Catholic Church is at 4050 South 3900 West, West Haven. Daily Mass is at 8 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, with an additional Mass at 5 p.m. Friday. A communion service is offered at 8 a.m. Monday. The Saturday Vigil is at 5 p.m. Sunday Masses are celebrated at 8 a.m. in Spanish, and 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. in English. The church is located in a rural residential area about five miles west of I-15; motels and restaurants are located nearby.