New priest in diocese

Intermountain Catholic

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SALT LAKE CITY — The new chaplain at Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Dominican Father Dominic Briese, is becoming a familiar face throughout the Diocese of Salt Lake City as he fills in on weekends for pastors who need his assistance.

"In the past we have had a relatively large number of priests, especially religious priests like the Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales, or even some diocesan priests who were in special ministry, such as youth ministry, who were able to help out at parishes on the weekend," said Monsignor Colin F. Bircumshaw, vicar general of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. "With the priest shortage, we are basically down to one priest who is available – Fr. Dominic. Let’s just say, he is highly in demand."

Fr. Dominic estimates that he helps at least 75 percent of the weekends. "I enjoy that because I get to see the people in the diocese, and get to know the priests and their staff," he said. "So it’s a nice experience to see the full extent of the diocese."

Fr. Dominic has the pastoral care of faculty, staff and students at Judge Memorial, he said. "That includes celebrating Mass, anointing some of the sick, hearing confessions, and teaching sacramental theology to the junior class, and I love it," he said. "I think it’s really important for Judge Memorial to have a chaplain and priest as witness of Jesus Christ to the new generation and to support the faculty and staff in spiritual growth. I will be here indefinitely, as long as they want me here."

When he was 5, his mother died and his family couldn’t afford to send him and his brother to Catholic school and that is why he is grateful to be at Judge, he said.

"Fr. Briese is such a blessing," said Dr. Kandie Brinkman, campus ministry/theology department chair. "He brings joy, wit and quiet presence to the school. He gives us the opportunity to have access to our sacraments, Mass three times a week as well as Liturgy of the Hours. His homilies are powerful, engaging and just what the students need."

Kylie Petron, a senior, said Fr. Dominic’s homilies are something to look forward to. "He gets very involved in his homilies, walks around, and you never know what he’ll do," she said. "He is a fun person. He’ll say ‘Yo’ to us in the halls."

Maureen Haley, also a senior, said Fr. Dominic is "very caring and friendly. It’s refreshing to have a priest on campus and to know that he is there for us. He likes to learn everyone’s name and have conversations with us."

While he is in Utah Fr. Dominic would also like to conduct some retreats and parish missions for the diocese during the liturgical seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter, he said.

He came to Salt Lake City from the Western Dominican Province in Oakland, Calif., and his ministry in the House of Formation of Saint Albert the Great Priory. For the past five years he was an itinerant preacher and retreat master, traveling throughout the United States giving parish missions, retreats and days of reflection.

Fr. Dominic grew up in Long Island, N.Y. and came to Utah the first time when he was 18 to study business and finance at the University of Utah, receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1983. From 1983 to 1988 he worked as a contracting negotiator at Hill Air Force Base.

In 1988 he entered the Western Dominican Province to study for the priesthood and was ordained in 1996 at Saint Dominic Catholic Church in San Francisco.

His first assignment was as associate pastor at St. Dominic Parish in Phoenix, Ariz. He then became a pastor at Saint Benicia Parish in California, which also had a school, but then chose to return to a ministry of teaching and preaching because "as a pastor, I found myself doing more administrative work," he said. "I was drawn to the Dominican communal life: praying together, communal Mass and the idea of teaching and preaching."