Draper parishioners among 24 Utah Catholics who prayed with the pope in Lourdes

Twenty-four Catholics from Utah joined others from the Southwest for a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, where they spent a day in prayer alongside Pope Leo XIV, the Intermountain Catholic, the newspaper of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, reported on Oct. 9 1.

The pilgrims came from St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish in Draper, St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Parish in Park City and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Orem, as well as from Las Vegas and Phoenix, according to the diocesan account 1. Father Omar Ontiveros, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Orem, led the group 1.

The pilgrimage ran from Sept. 24 to Oct. 3 and coincided with the pope's visit to France and with his time in Lourdes 1.

Fr. Ontiveros said the invitation appealed to him as a chance to experience sacred places alongside the successor of Peter, to strengthen the group's faith and to feel God's presence more closely 1. He said travelling with Catholics from different parishes was part of the experience, and that the group's nights in Lourdes included a candlelight procession with prayers offered for the sick, an observance he described as special to do alongside the pope 1.

Among the pilgrims was Brian Corcoran, a St. John the Baptist parishioner, who called the trip "a beautiful blessing from God" 1. Corcoran told the Intermountain Catholic that he and his wife had planned a pilgrimage to Israel, that the trip was cancelled over the situation in that region, and that the couple joined the Lourdes group after seeing an advertisement in their parish bulletin 1.

He said being in Lourdes among thousands of Catholics gave him a sense of spirituality and connection, and that living in Utah, where Catholics are not the majority, made the experience a life-changing one 1.

Fr. Ontiveros said the message he hopes pilgrims carry back to their communities is the importance of continuing to walk together in faith, and of recognizing the face of Christ in every brother or sister in need 1. The Utah News wire service carried the diocesan account on Oct. 9 2.