WILMINGTON — Father Jonathan Dick, who served during his formation at Salesianum School, was ordained as a priest for the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales on May 30 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Wilmington, the first Oblate parish in the United States. Bishop Edward Deliman, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, conducted the ordination.
Father Dick celebrated his first Mass the next morning at St. Anthony of Padua.
Father Dick attended Catholic schools and Holy Family University, where, according to his ordination story on the Oblates’ website, he began to reconnect with his faith. The campus chaplain was an Oblate who introduced him to the community. Father Dick said the joy, approachability and humanity of the Oblates drew him to the congregation.
He entered the Oblates in 2013 but left a year later “to focus on personal growth,” the website reads. He was working at a parish in Adrian, Mich., and met two Oblates who encouraged him to reconsider.
His first priestly assignment has not yet been announced.
Photos by Don Blake.
