Bishop on a mission: Wester aims to maintain community cooperation

"There are all kinds of values that we cherish together and so much we can do together," he said, adding that while doctrinal differences may exist, "you work on what is common."

Religious tolerance and cooperation locally can be tempered by sparks and friction, often the result of carelessness or unintentional acts. But Bishop Wester said that from what he gathers from historical readings and experience, Utah has witnessed great growth in relationships between faiths and between church and civic groups.

"I think we're on a good trajectory," he added.

Bishop Wester recalls a personal experience earlier this year when he was a member of the diocese's 25-person contingent invited by the LDS Church for a special open-house tour of its new Draper Utah Temple.

"Here we were, Roman Catholics, walking through an LDS temple and learning," said Bishop Wester of his first visit to a Mormon temple, "very in awe of the great attention paid to giving glory to God and the rites of baptism and marriage."

He also remembers people giving a noticeable double-take when they saw his white Roman collar.

Calling it "a moment of grace," Bishop Wester explained "You can either set your heels in and say to yourself, 'Well, I'm just going to put up all my defense shields and be nice,' or say, 'This is an opportunity to get to know people, to appreciate the beauty of their faith, their religion and to see how God is being given glory through all this.' "

Both instances confirmed to Bishop Wester "We have unity through diversity and not unity through conformity." It resulted in a memorable, positive experience.

"It's proof positive to me," he said, "that our different cultures — religious and otherwise — can come together. We can work together, respect each other and develop friendships that are great gifts from God."

e-mail: taylor@desnews.com