The leader of Utah’s 300,000 Catholics dedicated hospital chapels in Layton and Lehi this week as places of healing and comfort.
Lehi • Two new sacred additions were made to Holy Cross hospitals in Lehi and Layton.
Both CommonSpirit hospitals finished their chapels for visitors and patients to use as places of prayer and had these spaces dedicated this week.
A faith-based health care organization, CommonSpirit requires all of its hospitals to have an on-site dedicated chapel.
Bishop Oscar Solis, leader of Utah’s 300,000 Catholics, performed the dedicatory Mass for the chapels in Layton (on Monday) and in Lehi (on Wednesday).
In the Lehi ceremony in Lehi, Solis expressed the importance of providing a place of prayer and comfort to those who are sick. He blessed the space, a former hospital mail room, to be a “house of salvation and praise” to aid in the healing of patients.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bishop Oscar Solis, leader of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, gives a dedication Mass and blessing of the small chapel at Holy Cross Hospital —Mountain Point in Lehi on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.
“The beautiful thing about all this is that the chapel has never been locked,” Solis said. “It is a place of refuge. It is a place of quiet. It’s a place to pour your soul out to God.”
Solis blessed the space, walls, altar and sacred objects, explaining the spiritual and theological significance.
Given the relatively small size of the chapel, visitors attending the Mass sang hymns and prayers in the overflow next door.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Rev. Godwin (Tema) Nnamezie, left, participates in the dedication of the chapel at Holy Cross Hospital — Mountain Point in Lehi on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.
Chris Stines, president and CEO of Lehi’s Holy Cross Hospital — Mountain Point, emphasized the importance of health care and its legacy, in both body and spirit.
“This chapel will be an important part of the services we provide here at this hospital,” Stines said. “As we stand here today … we call ourselves small but mighty. And so this chapel, too, I think, takes on that spirit of small but mighty.”
The chapels will be available to all hospital patients and visitors. A weekly Mass will also be held at each location with the first weekly Mass in Lehi taking place Friday.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bishop Oscar Solis, leader of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, is assisted by Lorena Needham as he dedicates the small chapel at Holy Cross Hospital — Mountain Point in Lehi on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.
Note to readers • Dylan Eubank is a Report for America corps member covering faith in Utah County for The Salt Lake Tribune. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps to keep him writing stories.
Source: Utah News