Daylong conference to offer fellowship, faith formation to adults and older youth

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SALT LAKE CITY — For the first time in five years Utah Catholics will gather in person for an annual conference that previously was known as the Pastoral Congress.

Last year, instead of the congress, the diocese held a Eucharistic Revival at the South Town Expo Center that drew about 10,000 Catholics from throughout the state. From 2020 to 2023, because of the pandemic, the event was held remotely, with the faithful participating by Zoom or in small groups at their parishes.

This year the event returns to an in-person format on Sept. 21 with a new name: the Utah Catholic Conference. It will offer a full day of faith activities for all participants in both English and Spanish.

“The word ‘conference’ suggests something for everyone, and that’s really what this is,” said conference co-chairperson Nevah Stevenson, who is executive director of the Catholic Foundation of Utah. “It’s offering a way to supplement your faith journey, and it’s for all Catholics — for everybody to come and join, to come together.” 

The theme of the conference, an extension of the diocesan Pastoral Plan, is “Our Faith Moves Mountains.”

“We really want to educate, empower and embark: to give them tools for education, empower them to love their faith, to grow in their faith, and then to embark, to go out and spread the message, to be missionary disciples and spread the Gospel news,” said co-chairperson Nikki Ward, who also is associate superintendent of Utah Catholic Schools.

The conference will open with a Mass that will be celebrated by Bishop Oscar A. Solis. Following the Mass there will be keynote speakers for the adult participants, one in English and one in Spanish. 

Mark Hart, chief innovation officer at Life Teen International Catholic Youth Ministry, will present in English. Dr. Jose Antonio Medina, an instructor at University of Santo Tomas in Houston, Texas and the Center for Studies for Religion and Spirituality at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Calif. will offer remarks in Spanish. 

At the same time speaker, author and radio host Jon Leonetti will address the youth. 

Adult participants will then be able to choose from five workshops in English or Spanish. After a break for lunch, there will be two afternoon workshop sessions, each with five offerings. The workshops will address a variety of topics in the areas of faith formation, liturgy and worship, marriage and family life, stewardship and vocations. 

The youth will participate in combined workshops during these hours.

‘It’s an opportunity for people to build on their faith experience and to meet them where they are,” Stevenson said. 

At the conference lay ministers can find new ways to serve in their ministry, while Catholic education teachers should gain inspiration and different ways to infuse their Catholic faith into how they educate children, she added. “Similarly, if you’re just a parishioner who wants to feel more engaged and more connected to your faith community, both your parish and the Catholic universal [community] in the belonging sense, I think that’s what we want people to get out of this conference.”

Throughout the day there will be exhibits and vendor booths in Juan Diego Catholic High School’s great hall. 

Bishop Solis recently sent a letter to all diocesan priests encouraging them and their parishioners to make attending the conference a priority. The organizers hope that participating in the conference will deepen the faith of those who attend, and that they will share their experiences and act on what they learned when they return to their parishes.

“I think if we could empower them and inspire them to go out and say, ‘Oh, I can do this; I can go, and pass this on,’ that would be a big win for me,” said Peri Flanagan, another of the co-chairpersons and director of the diocesan Office of Faith Formation.

“So many people go to Mass weekly, but they’ve stopped growing in their faith outside of that weekly Mass,” Ward said. “My hope would be that people would see this as an opportunity to grow in their faith.”

The Utah Catholic Conference will be Saturday, Sept. 21, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Skaggs Catholic Center, 300 East 11800 South, Draper. The cost is $30 if registered by July 31, $40 by Sept. 20; $50 through Sept. 21. Day of registration is $65. Some scholarships are available; contact your pastor for information.  Youth are free but must be registered and have parental consent. 

The conference is open to all Utah Catholics 12 and older. Visit https://www.dioslc.org/conference/adult-registration to register. For assistance in registering, contact Nikki Ward, nikki.ward@dioslc.org or 801-456-9330.

WHAT: Utah Catholic Conference

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 21, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE: Skaggs Catholic Center, 300 East 11800 South, Draper

COST: $30 if registered by July 31, $40 by Sept. 20; $50 through Sept. 21. Day of registration is $65. Youth are free but must be registered and have parental consent.

The conference is open to all Utah Catholics 12 and older. Visit https://www.dioslc.org/conference/adult-registration to register. For assistance in registering, contact Nikki Ward, nikki.ward@dioslc.org or 801-456-9330.