Diocesan Lenten Retreat offers a day of prayer, reflection

Intermountain Catholic

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During Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday on March 5, Catholics in Utah will have a variety of retreats to choose from. Shown are Msgr. Colin F. Bircumshaw, vicar general, and Bishop John C. Wester during Lent last year. IC file photo

SALT LAKE CITY — The Most Reverend John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, will welcome parishioners from throughout the diocese at the Diocesan Lenten Retreat, April 5 at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Salt Lake City.

The retreat will include prayer, reflection, small group discussions and the celebration of the Eucharist. The retreat master will be Dominican Father Jeffery Ott, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, the first African American Catholic Church in the United States, which is in its 102nd year in Atlanta, Ga.

Fr. Ott said he will base the retreat on the second chapter of Pope Francis’ 2013 Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (Gospel of Joy), "The delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing."

"It touches on our call as baptized people as evangelizers to be messengers of joy; to preach the gospel of joy," Fr. Ott said.

One way parishioners can go about evangelizing and being messengers is to be welcoming, Fr. Ott said. "Parishioners can be welcoming and warm in their encounters with others, especially when they come into church," he said. "The pope has said that he ‘envisions the church as ministers of mercy,’ and I think that part of that is being welcoming and warm when we meet someone in church."

Another way Fr. Ott suggested would be to walk in solidarity with or as an ally with people who are experiencing a tough place in their lives.

"This may be the immigrant looking for a way to provide for his or her family here in the States, or people who have been unemployed long term, or disabled veterans," he said. "There are so many veterans who are disabled and are having a hard time accessing services, benefits and opportunities to work and contribute to society.

"People with whom we can also be in solidarity are those who are just being released from prison; there are so many people who can benefit from our joy, and especially our hope," Fr. Ott added.

Solidarity with other people can be expressed in many ways, Fr. Ott said. "We can help these people with practical needs such as looking for housing, or by offering a listening ear and a kind word or prayer," he said.

Prior to being pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, Fr. Ott served as chaplain at his alma mater, Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, his hometown. Father Ott is also Promoter of Social Justice and Peace for the Southern Dominican Province.

In 2002, Fr. Ott received the Master of Arts in Theology and the Master of Divinity from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Mo. Ordained a priest at St. Matthew Church in San Antonio in May 2002, Fr. Ott served as campus minister at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. Before joining the Dominicans, Fr. Ott worked as director for Community Collaboration at the Columbia Business School in New York City. He became the chaplain and associate director of campus ministry at Xavier University in 2003, where he had also received his undergraduate degree.

Fr. Ott said coming from New Orleans, he loves music and singing, and he speaks Spanish fluently.

WHAT: Diocesan Lenten Retreat

WHEN: Saturday, April 5, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

WHERE: Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 1375 E. Spring Lane, SLC

COST: $15; registration fee includes a continental breakfast and catered lunch

For information, call the Office of Religious Education, 801-328-8641 x 326.