Episcopal Diocese of Utah to hold annual convention at St. Mark's Cathedral

SALT LAKE CITY — Another religious gathering is taking place in the month of October, this time centered around the Cathedral Church of St. Mark as the Episcopal Diocese of Utah holds its 121st annual convention.

The convention will bring clergy and members of the church from 22 different congregations to Salt Lake City to conduct church business, elect representatives to diocesan leadership positions, consider resolutions and discuss priorities for the upcoming year.

The Cathedral Church of St. Mark and the neighboring Episcopal Retreat and Conference Center, located at 75 S. 200 East in Salt Lake City, will host the two-day convention.

The Episcopal Diocese of Utah, which stretches across the state and into northern Arizona, announced the theme for this year's convention as "Uplifted by Grace."

"These are times that are really hard for folks, all the way around," said Right Rev. Phyllis Spiegel, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah. "God's grace is ever-present, and we enter into that. When we do, we are changed. When we share that with one another through service, prayer or sitting with people, that uplifts all of us."

Friday will largely be filled with church business as the representatives from the congregations vote on leadership for the upcoming year. Bishop Spiegel said each congregation holds its own annual meeting, and the international Episcopal Church hosts similar meetings every three years.

Saturday's schedule includes workshops for members to attend, all focused around the convention's central theme. The workshops will be hosted by members of the Episcopal community, rather than paid ministers.

On Saturday, the Episcopal Diocese of Utah will also hold a special Eucharist for attendees as they install new officers for the diocese across Utah. Bishop Spiegel said part of the service would be held in Dinka, as some attendees to the convention would be from South Sudan.

Bishop Spiegel said she is excited to read a passage out of the Old Testament in Dinka as part of the Saturday service.

"I think that part of God's grace is that we're invited into his diversity," she said. "When we are worshipping in another's language, that's often less comfortable for English speakers, but it's more comfortable for the native speaker. And that is entering into grace, and we are all uplifted by that grace."

Both days of the convention are open to the general public, but Bishop Spiegel said Saturday would potentially be more interesting for people outside the faith.

"We love to talk with people about their faith and discuss the commonalities that we all share," she said.

Interfaith Forum

The Episcopal Church of Utah's annual convention will be taking place during the 2026 Annual G20 Interfaith Forum, which will be held at locations across the city from Thursday to Saturday.

Bishop Spiegel said it was "really sad for our folks" that their annual convention was taking place the same weekend as the Interfaith Forum, but the Episcopal Church of Utah bylaws require an annual meeting for members of church leadership.

Bishop Spiegel said they would likely move their annual convention to a later weekend in October to prevent future overlap.

However, while the leadership will be unable to attend, the Episcopal Church of Utah "highly supports" the Interfaith Forum, and Bishop Spiegel said they would be offering prayers that the forum is a success for all involved.

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