By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
Two men will be ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Davenport this spring. Due to construction of the new diocesan hall at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, the two ordinations will be held elsewhere this year.
Deacon Dan Dorau will be ordained May 27 at 10 a.m. at Prince of Peace-Clinton. Deacon Chris Weber will be ordained June 3 at 10 a.m. at Ss. Mary & Mathias-Muscatine (St. Mathias Church). Bishop Martin Amos, apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Davenport, will preside at both Masses.
Deacon Dorau, 57, was born in Lincoln, Neb., and raised in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He attended Catholic schools there and graduated from Loras College-Dubuque with a BA in speech communication; from Ball State University-Muncie, Ind., with an MS in information and communication; and from Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology-Hales Corners, Wis., with a Master of Divinity.
He previously studied pre-theology at Loras College before he discerned that was not his calling at the time. Before entering the priesthood, Deacon Dorau worked in sales in St. Cloud, Minn.; was an insurance agent and claims adjustor in Iowa and Indiana; worked as a program manager for a welfare-to-work program in Indiana and as a computer analyst in the banking industry in Indiana. He was married for 23 years to Lisa and they had four children: Therese, Isaac, Sarah and Matthias. The couple later divorced and the marriage was declared null.
Deacon Dorau felt a calling to the priesthood again and entered theology studies for the Diocese of Davenport. “Bishop Amos recognized the value that mature vocations can bring to the diocese and was willing to sponsor me for seminary,” Deacon Dorau said. He completed his clinical pastoral education at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in 2015. He held internships at Sacred Heart-Newton, Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace-Clinton and St. Jerome-Oconomowoc, Wis. On June 4, 2016, he was ordained a transitional deacon.
His first Mass after ordination to the priesthood will be celebrated May 28 at 10:30 a.m. at Prince of Peace. A reception will be held June 4 at 10 a.m. at Sacred Heart-Newton. “As a seminarian not originally from the Davenport Diocese, Prince of Peace had ‘adopted’ me so that I would have a home parish within the diocese. I also spent last summer at Prince of Peace as a deacon and felt at home there. So, when the bishop decided to move the ordinations out to the parishes it was only natural that I would choose Prince of Peace.”
Deacon Weber, 39, was born in Independence, Iowa, and attended schools there. He graduated from Luther College-Decorah with a BA in religion and psychology. He completed his theology studies at St. Paul Seminary-St. Paul, Minn., with a Master of Divinity.
He also has emergency medical technician (basic level) training, a certificate in youth ministry from St. Ambrose University/Center for Ministry Development and is a graduate of the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute.
Prior to entering the seminary, he was a minister of faith formation at St. Patrick-Iowa City, director of youth and young adult ministry at Ss. Mary & Mathias-Muscatine and an instructor in English courses at Mokpo Catholic University in South Korea.
Deacon Weber completed his clinical pastoral education at North Memorial Hospital in Minneapolis and completed internships at St. Michael and St. Mary parishes in Stillwater, Minn.; St. Anthony-Knoxville and Sacred Heart-Melcher; and St. Mary-Solon. On June 4, 2016, he was ordained a transitional deacon.
“I had been living in the diocese and working in youth ministry for over 10 years when I discerned that the Lord was calling me to enter the seminary and I consider the Diocese of Davenport as home. Ss. Mary & Mathias is my home parish in the Diocese of Davenport,” Deacon Weber said.
His first Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on June 4 at St. Mathias Church. A reception will follow in Gannon Hall.
