Catholic in Utah?

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alcuin18

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Hello. I am considering moving to Utah, for various reasons. Are there any Catholics here who live or have lived in Utah who could tell me what it’s like being Catholic in Utah? Any info would be appreciated.

God bless
 
Where in Utah? Amazing cathedral in SLC. Visited it last year.
 
Anywhere in Utah really, but I would probably move near SLC.
 
Utah is the only place I have ever visited in the United States where I could not find a Catholic Church on Sunday. I’d gone to the Bryce Canyon area; Sunday morning rolled around; I opened the yellow pages and couldn’t find a Catholic Church anywhere. It wasn’t that they were inconvenient; they weren’t there, anywhere.

This was before the internet took off (2002) but still.

Based on 3 trips there, it appears to me that the LDS really is a very, VERY powerful force in Utah society. Beautiful state; great place to visit (I preferred Bryce to the Grand Canyon) but I could never live there.
 
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I had a friend who lived in Utah for some years. We visited him out there. He was not Catholic, but he was also not LDS. I think at the time he was non-denominational and he later became a strong Unitarian.

My impression of Utah is that if you’re not LDS, there’s a lot of stuff you will be excluded from unless the LDS get some impression you might want to convert to their faith. There seems to be a fairly strong Baptist/ Evangelical Christian contingent in some areas. But not many Catholics.

My friend eventually moved to another state, partly because he found it impossible as a young 20/ 30 something man to have a social life in a state where almost everybody his age seemed to be LDS and didn’t want to date or hang out with somebody who wasn’t.

The Catholic cathedral in SLC is beautiful though. If I absolutely had to be there, I’d be wanting to go to church there.
 
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VonDerTann said:
Utah is the only place I have ever visited in the United States where I could not find a Catholic Church on Sunday. I’d gone to the Bryce Canyon area; Sunday morning rolled around; I opened the yellow pages and couldn’t find a Catholic Church anywhere. It wasn’t that they were inconvenient; they weren’t there, anywhere.
Click to expand...
https://christthekingutah.org
 
Sorry, never saw it. Mass info wasn’t as freely available as it is now.

I was in Utah as recently as 2015 (Moab). I never had the impression that Catholics were anything other than a small minority.
 
Salt Lake City is pretty cosmopolitan compared to years past, and there is a sizable Catholic community around Sandy and Murray. I would personally avoid certain pockets like Lehi and Provo/Orem, (I have kids - they need friends, lol!). although Orem does have a stunning Catholic parish! https://www.oremstfrancis.org/
 
My sister wanted to go to college out there…until I told her that I would be coming with her if she did. Now, she wanted to go in SLC, where there are certainly Catholics, but, I felt like she may not be able to defend her faith, should the need arise. Yes, there are Catholics in Utah, but, keep in mind, even in places without an LDS majority, some people may still have other issues with Catholics.
 
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Utah is a difficult state to live in if you are not LDS, especially if you are Catholic. If you have or plan to have children, it is almost impossible. I went to college in Utah as a returning student with small children. It was very hard and I wasn’t Catholic then. Everyone assumes you are LDS and when you tell them you are not…let the conversion fest begin. When they find out you have no interest in hearing about the LDS then you & your kids are put on the “do not associate” list. I couldn’t wait to graduate and get out of there.
 
I hear Salt Lake City isn’t bad and even has a thriving Catholic community.

Can’t say the same for the rural areas.
 
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