670 S 1100 E, Salt Lake City

Standing on the southeast corner of the Judge Memorial School block, with a commanding view of Salt Lake City below it, Our Lady of Lourdes catholic church has served the city and the catholic community continuously for the past 110 years.  

As the catholic diocese is planning the relocation of Judge Memorial High School, and the sale of the property on which it sits, the historic church is being threatened with demolition.  Please help us save this sacred building and important landmark of Salt Lake City history.

At the time of the Church’s construction, the land now occupied by Judge Memorial Catholic High School was the site of Judge Memorial Miners’ Home and Hospital (Judge Mercy Hospital). Mrs. Mary Judge, widow of miner John Judge, made a sizable donation to the Diocese in 1900 for the construction of this institution which opened in 1910 to provide care for infirm and retired miners, and miners who needed medical treatment often associated with black lung disease. The hospital was underutilized and closed in 1915, but in 1918 Bishop Scanlon of the Catholic Diocese turned operation of the hospital over to the Red Cross who used it to serve influenza (Spanish Flu Pandemic) patients from throughout the valley. In 1922 the hospital became Judge Memorial Catholic School. 

Over the next 100 years, the small church next door, that is, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, welcomed, promoted and supported Catholic education Kindergarten through Grade 12.  Ultimately, in the mid 20th century, the parish built Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Elementary School staffed by Sisters of the Holy Cross next to the Church.  Judge Memorial became a high school grades 9 through 12.

Lourdes Church has been and continues to be the spiritual home of a dynamic, welcoming faith community. In addition to celebration of daily Mass, 5 Masses are celebrated on weekends: 3 in English, 1 Korean and 1 Filipino/1 Spanish on a rotating basis.  Several movies were filmed in the Church including Stephen King’s The Stand. During the World War, the parish bought war bonds with building funds in anticipation of their post war 1951 remodel.

Presently, the Diocese of Salt Lake City is exploring the possibility of selling the property on which Judge Memorial and Our Lady of Lourdes Church are located. The parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, many neighbors, community partners and alumni of Judge Memorial would like to keep their historic church. The Church is home to a vibrant, ethnically diverse and charitable community, financially solvent and in great condition. It is important to note that despite its rich history, unique architecture and listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the church itself is under no historical protections.  

If you would like to join us in our mission to keep Our Lady of Lourdes Church in our community please do the following:

• Please send your kind thoughts and hopes of preservation to: Most Reverend Oscar A. Solis, Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Diocesan Pastoral Center, 27 C Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84103.
• We also encourage you to sign our Google Form to indicate your support for Our Lady of Lourdes building. We will use this to gather and forward your messages of support to key decision makers.

SL Tribune Article:  Worshippers hope — and pray — to save SLC church next to Judge Memorial HS from wrecking ball

KSL Article:  Parishioners pushing to save 110-year-old Utah church from possible sale

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