SALT LAKE CITY — The 22^nd annual Bishop’s Dinner, held Sept. 4 at the Grand America, hosted more than 700 people, the largest gathering in its history, “a remarkable milestone for an event whose purpose is not only to support the cathedral financially, but to gather the broader community around the cathedral and its mission,” said Father Christopher Gray, rector, in an email three days before the event.
The Most Rev. Gregory W. Gordon delivers the keynote address at the 2026 Bishop's Dinner. IC photos/Marie MischelThe keynote speaker for the dinner was the Most Rev. Gregory W. Gordon, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas. Among those attending were Bishop Oscar A. Solis and many clergy of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, including three former rectors of the cathedral: Monsignor M. Francis Mannion, Monsignor Joseph M. Mayo and Father Martin Diaz, who are all now retired. Welcoming those present at the dinner, Fr. Gray thanked them for making the cathedral’s ministries possible.
The theme of the dinner, “Utah’s Cathedral, Your Home,” was “intensely personal” for Fr. Gray, he said, because the cathedral “was one of the fixed points in my life” as he was growing up. 
There, “I encountered God in a way that changed my life, and it was there that I began to understand the beauty of the Church, and it was there that I heard the call that eventually led me to the priesthood,” he said.
He loves the cathedral because “the place made me who I am,” he said, “and that is why tonight is really not about my story, it is about your story, because for more than a century people have come through those doors carrying their own stories. You have come to the cathedral to worship, you have brought your children and grandchildren here, you have come for weddings and for funerals, baptisms and confirmations, Christmas and Easter, you have come for concerts, for moments of civic celebration and moments of public mourning. Some of you are Catholic. Some of you are not. Some of you have known the cathedral all of your lives. Some of you are discovering it for the very first time. This remarkable place has become a part of your story, too, and that is what we mean when we say, ‘Utah’s Cathedral, Your Home.’” 
The generosity of those attending the dinner ensures “that the cathedral remains as it has always been called to be: a place of worship and wonder, a home of beauty, truth and charity, a place where the poor are cared for, where sacred music flourishes, where children are formed, where strangers are welcomed, and above all, where Jesus Christ is encountered,” Fr. Gray said.
Father Christopher Gray, rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, was master of ceremonies for the 2026 Bishop's Dinner.He added his thanks for them “preserving what generations before us built” as well as for “ensuring that another generation someday will look up at those same towers and know, ‘There is my cathedral. There is my home.’”   In his keynote address, Bishop Gordon continued this theme, saying that the Cathedral of the Madeleine “is the mother church and the center of sacramental life in Utah” and that “it is equally … the heart of charity, and of service to those in need, and it’s truly a beacon of beauty, a cultural jewel whose history and art and music touch souls far and wide.” 
Drawing on the nation’s current celebration of the 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Bishop Gordon asked those present to reflect on the vision and heroism of the Founding Fathers, “who risked everything so that we might enjoy the freedoms we now possess.”
The Declaration of Independence contains four references to God, he pointed out, and people should remember these, “for it is from him that all of our rights emanate.” 
The stories of the Founding Fathers, such as that of Ethan Hale, who was hanged by the British as a traitor, “are not always told in our schools, so we should teach them in our families, and we should know them in our churches,” Bishop Gordon said. “Their vision inspired many to heroism through eight years of war – war against the largest empire in the world.”
 The American forces were at “an extreme disadvantage,” but during those years George Washington, commander in chief of the Continental Army, “saw the hand of God at work, that our independence was almost a miracle,” Bishop Gordon said.
He gave several examples, including that of John Adams and John Hancock narrowly escaping the British at the Battle of Lexington and Concord; and Washington escaping under the cover of fog during the Battle of Long Island. 
“God wasn’t just a deist watchmaker god here; he was with us,” the bishop said. “He was Emmanuel during those terrifying times. The hand of God, Divine Providence, was at work.”
This year also marks the 250^th anniversary of the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition, which was led by two Franciscan friars as they sought a route from New Mexico to California. They came through Utah in September 1776, where they taught some of the Indigenous people about Christianity, Bishop Gordon said. 
This “marked the initial efforts of the evangelization of the native peoples of Utah – something that the Diocese of Salt Lake City continues to do, and the Cathedral of the Madeleine continues to do,” he said. 
The Dominguez-Escalante Expedition was “a most significant event in Utah history,” he said. “Many of Utah’s place names are connected with this expedition, and it’s certainly … an event to be celebrated by the Catholic Church in Utah.”
As he ended his address, Bishop Gordon said, “Let’s wish a blessed 250^th anniversary to the United States of America – which is our home sweet home – and another blessing, a 250^th anniversary remembrance of the first exploration and the first evangelists of Utah … whose cathedral we honor this blessed night.”
Bishop Oscar A. Solis gives the closing remarks at the Bishop's Dinner.In his closing remarks, Bishop Solis said seeing those at the dinner “reminds me of God’s love in our midst. How blessed is the state of Utah, and how blessed to have people like you to be a part of the mission of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Salt Lake City.” The annual Bishop’s Dinner is not just about fellowship, good food and laughter, Bishop Solis said, “It is about charity. It is about the love of God that we share with one another. It is about the common mission to make a difference in the lives of the people around us and in our midst. And that is why it is a tremendous honor to gather together to celebrate not only our faith but our relationship. No matter what, at the end of the day, there is one thing that binds us all together – the relationship.”
The funds raised “in this beautiful celebration of fellowship, of love and mission [are] intended to touch the lives of those who need it most,” he said, adding that the cathedral, which stands as a symbol of God’s presence, “is a sanctuary for people who are seeking God’s love” and those in need of consolation or mercy.
Those who attend the Bishop’s Dinner “are our partners in making a difference in the lives of our unfortunate brothers and sisters who have no one to go to,” Bishop Solis said, adding that they “bring heaven to earth by gathering together every year, sharing your gifts and talents, your donations, your time, your presences and most of all, relationship. A relationship that is deeper, stronger every year when we come and celebrate. We are God’s family. Utah is our state. The Cathedral of the Madeliene is our home, and we are of one family.”
He ended with a prayer thanking God for his goodness and generosity, giving him praise, and asking that the Almighty be present always as a source of strength, hope, perseverance, joy and peace.