A Journey of a Catholic Pilgrim venturing through Utah’s Catholic Churches and Missions
I'm on a quest for a Spiritual and Catholic Pilgrimage while traveling through my home state of Utah. My ultimate goal is to attend mass, journal and photograph all 82 locations! They consist of 48 churches, 20 missions, 3 chapels, 5 stations, 3 Newman Centers, an abbey, a monastery, a jail and our cathedral. This form of "jumping around" is referred to as Church-Hopping. One may ask, "What does the Bible say about Church-Hopping?" Well, according to my resource at http://www.gotquestions.org/church-hopping.html, the Bible does not address church-hopping. The early church consisted of small groups of Christians meeting in homes or in public places... there is no indication in Scripture that towns or cities had more than one group of believers meeting there. . In addition, the church is where the members of the body of Christ exercise their spiritual gifts (Romans 12:6-8: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 1 Peter 4:10-11), given by the Spirit “for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Before the journey begins there needs to be a starting point and St. Francis of Assisi Parish located in Orem, Utah was mine. I attended, made friends and was spiritually involved at St. Francis of Assisi Parish for ten years. Celebration of the Eucharist used to be in a gym, but years later, it is now in a beautiful church. The gymnasium is now used as a social hall. The unforgettable and spirit-filled Dedication Ceremony took place on February 19, 2011. An amazing event, complete with pomp and circumstance and Archbishop John C. Wester as the main celebrant. The parishioners recently celebrated 125 years of a Catholic Presence in Utah Valley. This incredible anniversary was celebrated by Bishop Oscar Solis along with clergy, both current and some from the past.
A few years back, I was contacted by the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City regarding this blog. They were impressed with my photos and details. They asked if they can use my photos on the website that they were developing. Today, their website features my photos on their "Parishes" page, of the churches, missions and stations. There used to be a link, to my blog on their "Parishes" page off to the right, but sadly, it has been removed.
I'm on a quest for a Spiritual and Catholic Pilgrimage while traveling through my home state of Utah. My ultimate goal is to attend mass, journal and photograph all 82 locations! They consist of 48 churches, 20 missions, 3 chapels, 5 stations, 3 Newman Centers, an abbey, a monastery, a jail and our cathedral. This form of "jumping around" is referred to as Church-Hopping. One may ask, "What does the Bible say about Church-Hopping?" Well, according to my resource at http://www.gotquestions.org/church-hopping.html, the Bible does not address church-hopping. The early church consisted of small groups of Christians meeting in homes or in public places... there is no indication in Scripture that towns or cities had more than one group of believers meeting there. . In addition, the church is where the members of the body of Christ exercise their spiritual gifts (Romans 12:6-8: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 1 Peter 4:10-11), given by the Spirit “for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Before the journey begins there needs to be a starting point and St. Francis of Assisi Parish located in Orem, Utah was mine. I attended, made friends and was spiritually involved at St. Francis of Assisi Parish for ten years. Celebration of the Eucharist used to be in a gym, but years later, it is now in a beautiful church. The gymnasium is now used as a social hall. The unforgettable and spirit-filled Dedication Ceremony took place on February 19, 2011. An amazing event, complete with pomp and circumstance and Archbishop John C. Wester as the main celebrant. The parishioners recently celebrated 125 years of a Catholic Presence in Utah Valley. This incredible anniversary was celebrated by Bishop Oscar Solis along with clergy, both current and some from the past.
A few years back, I was contacted by the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City regarding this blog. They were impressed with my photos and details. They asked if they can use my photos on the website that they were developing. Today, their website features my photos on their "Parishes" page, of the churches, missions and stations. There used to be a link, to my blog on their "Parishes" page off to the right, but sadly, it has been removed.
