Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese


Day 18: Diocese of Salt Lake City


While not in the same league as having a diocese in Iran or Russia, you'd have to think running the show in Salt Lake City would be challenging given the demographics in Utah. In some ways Catholics have always been outsiders in the region, as the first church was built to minister primarily to soldiers, miners, and railroad workers. Still true today, as the diocese has seen its numbers grow in recent years thanks to Hispanic immigration, but it's still a very small group compared to Mormons.

From what I can tell, the relationship is generally cordial on an official level, but more challenging on a personal level. That kind of jibes with the lone data point of anecdotal evidence I have. Many years ago I was an RA in the same area of campus with a woman from Salt Lake who was Catholic. She noted that things were fine when her family first moved there, but a distance developed (especially with neighborhood kids who were Mormon) as it became clear that her family wouldn't be seen at services. There was never any ugliness, and from what she said everyone got along in the neighborhood, but it was a separation point. Nothing to dissimilar from what happens in other areas where one faith is dominant, I'd think, and thankfully peaceful.