Utah Catholic Conference to gather Catholics from across Utah

DRAPER — The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City will be hosting its third annual Utah Catholic Conference in Draper on Saturday, inviting Catholics from across the state to gather together.

Bishop Oscar A. Solis of the Diocese of Salt Lake City will preside over the conference, which will take place Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Skaggs Catholic Center in Draper.

"The Utah Catholic Conference is a special opportunity for us to come together as one church, learning, growing, praying and strengthening our faith," Solis said.

Crystal Painter, the director of the diocese's Marriage and Family Life Office, said she was "very excited" for this year's conference, which is themed "Sacred Heart, Heart of the Mission."

"I think that for Catholics, we all look forward to coming together from throughout the state," Painter said.

Originally, the conference was reserved only for leaders in the Diocese of Salt Lake City as a training opportunity for them, but the bishop opened it to the public three years ago.

"It's grown each year," Painter said. "It's really the bishop's vision for our diocese. What he really highlights is comprehensive faith formation, and that applies to everyone, no matter what stage of life they are in."

Painter said attendees can park at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper before traveling to the Skaggs Catholic Center nearby for a morning Mass with the bishop and several priests.

Following Mass, two introductory keynotes will take place: one in English by Michael Barber, and one in Spanish taught by Rev. Dempsey Rosales Acosta. Following the opening keynotes, attendees will break off into different workshops to learn, grow, pray and strengthen their faith.

After lunch and another workshop, attendees will gather for a final, bilingual keynote address from Rev. Acosta.

Catholic youth in 6th through 12th grades will have their own dedicated session running parallel with the adults, taught by Cooper Ray. The youth will rejoin the adults for the final keynote address.

Painter said they currently have more than 1,100 registrations for the conference. She plans to leave the reservations open until the morning of the conference, as she anticipates registrations will continue throughout the week leading up to it.

"It's really important that we let people come, because we don't want anyone to be left out, so registration stays open," Painter said.

Painter has helped to plan and run the conference with other Diocesan staff, and she said it was a big experience to put together.

"For myself, it's also a gift because I talk to a lot of these people on the phone, but to see them in person is always something that I look forward to," she said. "Seeing the people that I work with, being able to be with them in person, is a great gift."

Adult registration is currently $35 to attend, while youth registration is free.

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