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Diocese of Salt Lake City

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The Diocese of Salt Lake City (Latin: Diœcesis Civitatis Lacus Salsi) is a diocese of the Catholic Church for the State of Utah in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas. The mother church is the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City. Oscar Azarcon Solis is the bishop.

Diocese of Salt Lake City

Diœcesis Civitatis Lacus Salsi
Catholic
Cathedral of the Madeleine
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryState of Utah
Ecclesiastical provinceLas Vegas
MetropolitanLas Vegas
Statistics
Area84,990 sq mi (220,100 km2)
Population
  • Total
  • Catholics
  • (as of 2020)
  • 3,249,879
  • 324,988[1] (10%)
Parishes48
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedJanuary 27, 1891; 135 years ago (January 27, 1891)
CathedralCathedral of the Madeleine
Patron saintMary Magdalene
Current leadership
PopeLeo XIV
BishopOscar A. Solis
Metropolitan ArchbishopGeorge Leo Thomas
Map
Website
www.dioslc.org Edit this at Wikidata

History

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1700 to 1870

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The earliest Catholic presence in Utah was the 1776 expedition of Francisco Atanazio Dominguez and Silvestre de Escalante from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to California. They were the first Europeans to enter present-day Utah.[2] In 1859, Bonaventure Keller celebrated the first mass in the Utah Territory, for US Army soldiers at Camp Floyd. Edward Kelly purchased the first church property in Salt Lake City in 1866.[2]

During the 1860s, Catholic immigrants arrived in Utah to work in the mines and building the transcontinental railroad.[3]

1870 to 1880

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The first Catholic parish and church were established in 1871 by Patrick Walsh in Salt Lake City. In 1873, Archbishop Joseph Alemany of the Archdiocese of San Francisco sent Lawrence Scanlan to Utah to manage what was then the largest Catholic parish geographically in the country.

Scanlan worked as a circuit rider, visiting the 800 Catholic soldiers, immigrant miners, and railroad workers in the Utah Territory.[4] In 1875, he invited the Sisters of the Holy Cross to Utah. That same year, the sisters founded Holy Cross Hospital in Salt Lake City.[5][6] Today it is Holy Cross Hospital - Salt Lake. They also started St. Mary's Academyn Salt Lake City, which later became College of Saint Mary-of-the-Wasatch.[5] Scanlan purchased property in Ogden in 1875 for Saint Joseph's church, which was dedicated in 1877.[7]

In 1878, Scanlan was named vicar forane by Alemany, making him the superior of the six Catholic priests in the territory.[8] As a Catholic missionary in an area dominated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Scanlan maintained a cordial relationship with the LDS community. In 1879, he was invited by LDS leader John Macfarlane to use the St. George Tabernacle in St. George to celebrate a mass accompanied by the tabernacle choir.[9] Scanlan established St. John's Parish in Silver Reef, a mining town, that same year. At the request of the miners of Silver Reef, he opened the Silver Reef Hospital, staffed by five members of the Sisters of the Holy Cross.[10][11]

1880 to 1900

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St. Mary's Church was constructed in Park City, then a mining town, in 1881.[12]In 1886, Scanlan opened All Hallows College, a minor seminary, at Salt Lake City. He served as a faculty member and lived at the college from 1887 to 1889.[13]

In 1887, Pope Leo XIII erected the Apostolic Vicariate of Utah and Eastern Nevada, taking its territory from the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The pope appointed Scanlan as the apostolic vicar.[14] In 1889, the Marist Fathers assumed control of All Hallows College, operating it until its closure in 1918.[13] On January 27, 1891, Leo XIII suppressed the vicariate and replaced it with the new Diocese of Salt Lake, keeping Scanlan as bishop.[15]

Scanlan broke ground for the new cathedral in 1899. He also opened St. Francis of Assisi church in Provo, the first Catholic church in Utah County.[16] Scanlan established an official newspaper, The Intermountain Catholic, in 1899. Also in 1899, Scanlan opened the Kearns~St. Ann’s Orphanage in Salt Lake City. It was co-named after Jennie Judge Kearns, the wife of US Senator Thomas Kearns; she was a major donor to the project. Scanland started missions and parishes throughout the new State of Utah.

1900 to 1930

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The Cathedral of St Mary Magdalene opened in 1909.[17][2] John and Mary Judge, who owned a silver mine in Park City, established in 1910 the Judge Mercy Home in Salt Lake City, a hospital for miners. Today it is Judge Memorial Catholic High School.[18]Scanlan died in 1915. The second bishop of Salt Lake was Joseph Glass of the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles, named by Pope Benedict XV in 1915.[19]

Glass renamed the Cathedral of Mary Magdalene as the Cathedral of the Madeleine. He also added distinctly Catholic murals to the building exterior.[20] Some observers said that Glass added the images to confront LDS followers, but others said he simply "wanted to teach Utah Catholics the basic tenets of their faith."[21] Glass died in 1926.

1930 to 1950

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In 1926, John Mitty from the Archdiocese of New York was appointed the third bishop of Salt Lake City by Pope Pius XI.[22] Mitty inherited a diocese deeply in debt. Glass had borrowed money to pay the interest on previous debt, and left the diocese owing over $300,000. In 1931, the Vatican transferred the seven counties in eastern Nevada from the Diocese of Salt Lake to the new Diocese of Reno.[15]

To reduce the diocesan debt, Mitty focused on improving the weekly offertory collection. When he left the diocese in 1932, it was beginning to pay off its debts. Mitty's successor was able to finish paying them off in 1936.

After Pius XI in 1932 named Mitty as coadjutor archbishop of San Francisco, the pope appointed James E. Kearney of New York to replace him in Salt Lake.[23] Christ the King Parish was established in Cedar City in 1936.[24]In 1937, Kearney was named bishop of the Diocese of Rochester. Duane Hunt of Salt Lake was selected by Pius XI to replace Kearney.[25]A contingent of Benedictine Sisters from Minnesota opened St. Benedict Hospital in Ogden in 1946.[24]Today it is Ogden Regional Medical Center.

1950 to 1990

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During his tenure, Hunt helped establish fifteen parishes throughout the state.[26] He also invited such religious institutes as the Carmelites, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, and the Trappists to serve in Utah. In 1951, the Vatican renamed the Diocese of Salt Lake as the Diocese of Salt Lake City.[15] Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Federal was named coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City in 1958 by Pope John XXIII.[27]St. George Church was opened in 1958 to serve visitors to the national parks in Southern Utah.[28]

When Hunt died in 1960, Federal succeeded him as bishop.[27] During Federal's tenure, crews replaced the slate roof of the Cathedral of the Madeleine with copper along with some sandstone blocks and gargoyles.[29] In 1970, he ordered the tolling of the cathedral bells when the hearse carrying the body of LDS President David O. McKay passed by.[21] After 20 years as bishop of Salt Lake City, Federal retired in 1980.[27]The next bishop of Salt Lake City was William Weigand of the Diocese of Boise, named by Pope John Paul II in 1980.[30]

1990 to 2000

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Bishop Niederauer (2008)

In 1990, Weigand created one of the strongest sexual abuse policies then in effect in the United States.[31] He led a $9.7 million restoration of the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City from 1991 to 1993.[32] In 1993, Weigand was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento.[30]To replace Weigand, John Paul II named George Niederauer as the next bishop of Salt Lake City in 1994. [33]

2000 to present

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Niederauer became archbishop of San Francisco in 2005.[33] Pope Benedict XVI replaced him in Salt Lake City with Auxiliary Bishop John Wester of San Francisco in 2007.[34] Wester served in Salt Lake City until his appointment as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 2015.[35]

Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Solis of Los Angeles was appointed to replace Wester in Salt Lake by Pope Francis in 2017.[36] In August 2018, the priest Andrezej Skrzypiec was charged with patronizing a prostitute, a class-A misdemeanor, after being arrested in a police sting operation in Salt Lake City. The diocese suspended him after his arrest.[37]

In January 2025, over 17,000 people attended the Seek25 youth conference in Salt Lake City, sponsored by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students[38] The diocese in November 2025 investigated a reported miracle at St. Francis Xavier Church in Kearns. A consecrated host sitting in an ablution bowl began to exhibit what looked like bleeding. The diocese determined in December 2025 that the "bleeding" was actually red bread mold.[39]

Sexual Misconduct

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In February 2003, brothers Charles and Louis Colosimo sued the Diocese of Salt Lake City, stating that they had been sexually assaulted as children by James F. Rapp from 1968 to 1972. The plaintiffs said that the diocese had received previous complaints about Rapp, but took no actions to protect the children.[40] A judge dismissed the lawsuit the same year, stating that the plaintiffs had waited too long to file the lawsuit and had insufficient proof.[41] In 2016, Rapp was sentenced to 40 years in prison in Oklahoma for sexually assaulting boys.[42]

The priest Mario Arbelaez Olarte of Ogden was arrested in May 2003 in a police sting of social media sexual predators. Arbelaez Olerte was changed with a misdemeanor after arriving to meet with a person he thought was 14-years-old, but was instead a policeman. Olerte pleaded no contest to the charge and agreed to leave the United States.[43][44]In December 2018, the diocese published a list of 19 diocesan clergy with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors.[45]

In an August 1993 article in the Salt Lake Tribune, an Ogden family told about reporting to the diocese in 1990 that their 14-year-old son had been sexually abused by Ray Devlin, a Jesuit teacher at St. Joseph's High School. The diocese asked the family to stay quiet about the assault; in return, the diocese would send Devlin away for treatment and never assign him near children again. However, in 1993, the family learned that Devlin was serving at a parish in Virginia City, Nevada, with proximity to children. The family contacted the Tribune. After the publication of the article, the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas removed Devlin from his parish; they sent him to a Jesuit retirement home while permanently suspending him from ministry.[46]

The diocese in August 2025 confirmed as credible allegations of sexual abuse against Heriberto Mejia, a priest from Colombia. The male victim said he had been abused by Mejia during the early 1990s. The diocese stripped Mejia of his right to perform public ministry in Utah in 1991; he returned to Colombia in 1992.[47]

Catholic Community Services of Utah

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Bishop Solis (2015)

Catholic Community Services (CCS) is a ministry of the diocese. It was founded in 1945 by Duane G. Hunt, who wanted to organize the delivery of charitable aide to the poor and the sick. It has four sites in the state.[48] Its programs include:

  • Bishop Weigand Resource Center, a day shelter in Salt Lake City for the homeless[49]
  • Bridging The Gap, a mobile food pantry in Walker and Davis Counties[50]
  • Immigration, to provide legal services to immigrants[51]
  • Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank in Ogden[52]
  • Refugee Foster Care to assist unaccompanied refugee children[53]
  • Refugee Resettlement to help newly arrived refugees in Utah
  • St. Martha's Baby Project to support new mothers in Salt Lake City[54]
  • St. Martha's Baby Project in Ogden[55]
  • St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall to feed the hungry in Salt Lake County[56]
  • St. Vincent's Kitchen Academy to teach restaurant cooking skills[57]

Bishops

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Bishop Glass (1917)

Apostolic Vicar of Salt Lake

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Lawrence Scanlan (1887 – 1915)

Bishops of Salt Lake

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  1. Lawrence Scanlan (1887 – 1915)
  2. Joseph Sarsfield Glass (1915 – 1926)
  3. John Joseph Mitty (1926 – 1932), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop and later Archbishop of San Francisco
  4. James Edward Kearney (1932 – 1937), appointed Bishop of Rochester
  5. Duane Garrison Hunt (1937 – 1960)

Bishops of Salt Lake City

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  1. Duane Garrison Hunt (1937 – 1960)
  2. Joseph Lennox Federal (1960 – 1980)
  3. William Kenneth Weigand (1980 – 1993), appointed Bishop of Sacramento
  4. George Hugh Niederauer (1994 – 2005), appointed Archbishop of San Francisco
  5. John Charles Wester (2007 – 2015), appointed Archbishop of Santa Fe
  6. Oscar Azarcon Solis (2017– present)

Coadjutor bishops

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Auxiliary bishops

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  • Leo John Steck (1948 – 1950)
  • Joseph Lennox Federal (1951 – 1958), appointed coadjutor bishop and later bishop here

Other diocesan priest who became bishop

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Education

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As of 2026, the Diocese of Salt Lake City has 12 elementary schools, and three high schools and one middle school, all located in Northern Utah.[58]

High Schools

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Religious orders

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Coat of arms

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Coat of arms of Diocese of Salt Lake City
Escutcheon
Azure, on a sea barry-wavy of six argent and of the first, a single masted boat of the second, the sail charged with a cross gules; in dexter chief a comet or
Symbolism
The arms represent the Great Salt Lake and "the comet of Leo XIII", who established the see.[64]

References

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  1. ↑ "Diocese of Salt Lake City". GCatholic.org. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Mooney, Bernice M. (1994), "The Catholic Church in Utah", Utah History Encyclopedia, University of Utah Press, ISBN 9780874804256, archived from the original on March 21, 2024, retrieved April 8, 2024
  3. ↑ Haddock, Marc (February 1, 2010). "Catholicism has a rich, varied history in Utah". Deseret News. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  4. ↑ Mooney, Bernice M. (1994), "Scanlan, Lawrence", Utah History Encyclopedia, University of Utah Press, ISBN 9780874804256, archived from the original on March 26, 2023, retrieved April 8, 2024
  5. 1 2 Dwyer, Robert J. (1952). "PIONEER BISHOP: LAWRENCE SCANLAN, 1843-1915". Utah Historical Quarterly. XX (2 ed.).
  6. ↑ "Holy Cross Hospitals - 150th Anniversary | CommonSpirit Health". www.mountain.commonspirit.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Our History". Saint Joseph Catholic Church. Archived from the original on October 22, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  8. ↑ "RIGHT REV. LAWRENCE SCANLAN:: A Brief Sketch of His Active and Successful Career". All Hallows Annual. Dublin: Browne & Nolan. 1897.
  9. ↑ "Interfaith service commemorated next weekend". The Spectrum. May 9, 2004.
  10. ↑ "Catholic Church in St. George Utah". Abbey Inn Cedar City - Official Website. May 17, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Silver Reef Hospital in Silver Reef, Utah". wchsutah.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  12. ↑ "- St. Mary's". St. Mary's. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "All Hallows College offered a Catholic education in early Utah". Intermountain Catholic. May 10, 2013.
  14. ↑ Gaffey, James P. (1976). Citizen of No Mean City: Archbishop Patrick W. Riordan of San Francisco (1841-1914). Wilmington, Delaware: Consortium Books.
  15. 1 2 3 "Salt Lake City (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  16. ↑ "St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church - ABOUT US". www.oremstfrancis.org. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  17. ↑ "History of the Diocese". Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  18. 1 2 "Our History". Judge Memorial | Diverse & Inclusive College Preparatory School. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Bishop Joseph Sarsfield Glass, C.M." Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  20. ↑ "History of the Cathedral". Cathedral of the Madeleine. Archived from the original on November 27, 2010.
  21. 1 2 Moulton, Kristen (August 7, 2009). "Catholic-LDS relations through the years - warming trend follows a cold war". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  22. ↑ "Archbishop John Joseph Mitty". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  23. ↑ "Bishop James Edward Kearney". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  24. 1 2 "How It Came to Be". Diocese of Salt Lake City. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Bishop Duane Garrison Hunt". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  26. ↑ Mooney, Bernice M. (1994), "Hunt, Duane", Utah History Encyclopedia, University of Utah Press, ISBN 9780874804256, archived from the original on March 21, 2024, retrieved April 8, 2024
  27. 1 2 3 "Bishop Joseph Lennox Federal". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  28. ↑ "St. George Catholic Church". wchsutah.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  29. ↑ Moulton, Kristen (August 7, 2009). "Cathedral of the Madeleine: A century of faith set in stone". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  30. 1 2 "Bishop William Keith Weigand [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Bishop Weigand celebrates 40 years as bishop - Intermountain Catholic". www.icatholic.org. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  32. ↑ "About the Cathedral". The Cathedral of the Madeleine. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
  33. 1 2 "Archbishop George Hugh Niederauer [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  34. ↑ Stinson Lee, Barbara (March 16, 2007). "Bishop John C. Wester installed with joy, gratitude". Intermountain Catholic. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Rinunce e nomine, 27.04.2015" [Resignations and appointments, 27.04.2015] (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. April 27, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  36. ↑ Cortez, Marjorie (January 10, 2017). "Filipino-born Oscar Azarcon Solis named 10th bishop of Salt Lake Diocese". Deseret News. Archived from the original on January 11, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  37. ↑ "Catholic priest charged with patronizing a prostitute". KSTU. October 1, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  38. ↑ "Record numbers of young adults flock to Salt Lake City for SEEK25". EWTN News. January 2, 2025. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Utah diocese: Miracles happen. The 'bleeding' Host wasn't one". EWTN News. December 17, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  40. ↑ "2 brothers suing Catholic Diocese of S.L." Deseret News. February 19, 2003. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  41. ↑ Shaw, Kathy (August 23, 2003). "Judge dismisses sex-abuse lawsuit against Salt Lake diocese". Poynter. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  42. ↑ "Former Duncan priest faced prior allegations". The Oklahoman. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  43. ↑ "Ogden Priest Charged With Enticing Minor on the Net". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  44. ↑ "Priest Pleads No Contest to Enticing Minor Will Leave the Country, Associated Press State & Local Wire, September 10, 2003". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  45. ↑ "Utah's Catholic diocese releases names of 19 clergymen accused of sexually abusing minors, says one priest with recent allegations will retire". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  46. ↑ Hunt, Stephen (August 23, 1993). "Priest Retired after Parents Say He Fondled Son" (PDF). Salt Lake Tribute. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  47. ↑ "Diocese of Salt Lake City affirms credible abuse allegation against priest". EWTN News. August 1, 2025. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  48. ↑ "Catholic Community Services - About Catholic Community Services of Utah". www.ccsutah.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  49. ↑ "Catholic Community Services - Bishop Weigand Resource Center". www.ccsutah.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  50. ↑ "Catholic Community Services - Bridging The Gap". www.ccsutah.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  51. ↑ "Catholic Community Services - Immigration". www.ccsutah.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  52. ↑ "Catholic Community Services - Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank". www.ccsutah.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  53. ↑ "Catholic Community Services - Refugee Foster Care". www.ccsutah.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  54. ↑ "Catholic Community Services - St. Martha's Baby Project Salt Lake City". www.ccsutah.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  55. ↑ "Catholic Community Services - St. Martha's Baby Project Ogden". www.ccsutah.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  56. ↑ "Catholic Community Services - St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall". www.ccsutah.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  57. ↑ "Catholic Community Services - St. Vincent's Kitchen Academy". www.ccsutah.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  58. ↑ "Utah Catholic Schools". Diocese of Salt Lake City. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  59. ↑ "Welcome to JDCHS | SKAGGS Catholic Center". www.skaggscatholiccenter.org. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  60. ↑ "St. Joseph Catholic High School". St. Joseph Catholic High School. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  61. ↑ Vallejo, Laura (April 5, 2024). "Rogationist Father Ryan Jimenez now ministering in the diocese". Intermountain Catholic. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  62. ↑ "About Us". Holy Cross Ministries. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  63. 1 2 "Religious Communities Serving in Utah". Diocese of Salt Lake City. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  64. ↑ Heuser, Herman Joseph (1916). "Some Recent Episcopal Arms". The American Ecclesiastical Review. LIV (January). The Dolphin Press: 207. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
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