Over the past couple of decades, the population of St. George, Utah, has grown by leaps and bounds. According to St. George, The Brighter Side, “St. George’s population grew from 71,136 in 2010 to an estimated 87,176 in 2020. Washington County’s population is 195,500 as of 2022, with a 3.16% annual growth rate.” Yet, Saint George Catholic Church remained the only Catholic parish in Washington County. Until now…

The Case

Recognizing the need, the Diocese of Salt Lake City purchased a plot of land in Washington Fields for a second parish. The parishioners of Saint George Parish have an opportunity to build on it, to form another parish while maintaining the one they have. While this is a sacrifice, the parish looks more at the opportunity. They have embraced that for years; those who will attend the new parish have, in fact, been a part of and have helped Saint George. They believe it is now an opportunity to, in turn, help those moving to the new parish, including the people who can’t fit into the present weekend Masses and the people who are still arriving. It is a concrete opportunity to evangelize.

The Solution

For approximately eight years, the parish of Saint George had been running special events and second collections, etc. for the purpose of the Washington Fields project. This yielded a little over $2 million. The Following Their Footsteps, Building the Future Campaign was launched to complete this vision. In just 12 weeks, the parish has pledged more than $3 million! Building a large hall – initially for Mass – several meeting rooms, office space, and washrooms will certainly get the new parish off to a great start. With this new parish, Saint George Catholic Church will take a step toward strengthening their community, living their faith more fully, and they will be better equipped to fulfill their mission to transform lives through the Eucharist.

 “Not only did we reach our goal, we did so with much less stress, more purpose, and more sense of accomplishment than we initially thought possible.”

Fr. David Bittmenn
Pastor, Saint George Catholic Church