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Father Greg celebrates 20 years in Olean
· By TOM DINKI, Olean Times Herald
OLEAN — For part of the Rev. Gregory Dobson's career, his most important task was to wake up and open the doors of a church each morning at 6 a.m
"I thought, 'I went to school, I have a college degree, I have two master's degrees and I'm an ordained priest, and my most important task each day is to open the doors of the church at 6 a.m.,'" he recalled. "I said, 'I don't think I can do this for the rest of my life.'"
The young priest told himself opening the church would not be the essence of his work, and that he would have a greater impact on the lives of his parishioners.
Dobson, or "Father Greg," as he is commonly known, seems to have done that the
past 20 years as pastor of St. Mary of the Angels Church. He's become something
of a staple of the Olean community in that time, known for bringing churches
together and supporting local organizations, as well as for his open-mindedness
and humor.
Friday marked exactly 20 years since
Dobson arrived in Olean and took control of the region's largest Catholic
church, which gave the pastor an opportunity to reflect back on his time and
work in the community.
"Unlocking the church is not the essence
of what my ministry is," he said. "Unlocking people's hearts to God and letting
my own heart be open, too, is what it's all about."
Dobson, then 49, was a parochial vicar
in Orchard Park when the bishop asked him to take over St. Mary's in early
1997. Suddenly, he had to learn budgeting and financing and was responsible for
maintaining a then-80-year-old church.
His father, Patrick, who accompanied him
on his first trip to the church and worried his son would be in over his head
trying to take care of it, was approached by a parishioner who told him, "Don't
worry. We're good to our priests."
"And the people have been very good and
very supportive," Dobson said.
He said he was pleasantly surprised by
the goodness, supportiveness and generosity of the people in Olean. He was also
surprised by how "culturally sophisticated," and racially and religiously
diverse the city was, as he can recall attending a Syracuse symphony
performance and a Martin Luther King Jr. memorial during his first few weeks
there.
After his first year in Olean, Dobson
wrote to the bishop who assigned him to St. Mary's and said: "Whoever advised
you to send me here gave you wise counsel. Keep that person close to you."
Still, there were difficulties in his
early years in Olean. Dobson inherited a debt of several hundred thousand
dollars from structural and artistic renovations to the church. Because of the
burden, the parish council was hesitant to endorse giving any money to local
organizations in need.
That's when a quiet donor walked into
St. Mary's, spoke with the church's business manager, asked what the debt was
and wrote a check to the church for exactly that amount.
Dobson chalks it up to his belief that
churches faithful to their mission and helpful to others will receive
blessings.
"It was an enormous burden and it was
like a green light that we were meant to be bigger and to do more and be a
catalyst for more things happening in this community," he said of the donation.
With the debt cleared, St. Mary's could
support organizations like Genesis House of Olean, Interfaith Caregivers and
one of Dobson's favorites, Friends of Good Music.
Dobson also supported Archbishop Walsh
Academy — one of the only private Catholic high schools in the region — through
his role as the school's canonical administrator. Beth Powers, former board
president of Archbishop Walsh, said Dobson was instrumental in strengthening
the school after it nearly closed in 2008.
"He was extremely supportive of all of
the efforts to turn it around," Powers said. "Even some things we had to do
that were somewhat controversial and difficult decisions, he was right there
and very supportive and found ways to make things work. He has, I think, an
knack for figuring out who he has to talk to and when."
Dobson also worked to unite local
parishes for collaboration, something he admits they were hesitant to do at
first. He said parishes have strong individual identities, so some feel working
with another church implies weakness. Dobson said it's not that at all, but a
chance to use resources more creatively.
He was able to convince churches to
collaborate on some projects and expects to see more in the future.
"I think Greg has a particularly warm
and outgoing way about him," said the Rev. Dan McDowell, pastor of First
Baptist Church of Olean. "He tends to bring people together."
Powers said Dobson's personality helped
create a welcoming and inclusive environment at Archbishop Walsh. Powers said
Dobson made her feel comfortable as a non-Catholic leading the board of a
Catholic school.
"He's very open-minded. He's not
judgmental, which I think is a great attribute in a priest and in somebody who
practices a Christian faith," she said. "It really helped to build a community
feeling of the school and the kind of sense in the community that it was a
place where anybody could go."
Powers also noted Dobson's good sense of
humor, fun personality and that he's a "happy priest."
Yet Dobson admits there are days he's
not happy, and days that being a priest is difficult. He sometimes has to do
things he doesn't want to do but must because he's sworn obedience to his
superiors. There's perhaps some loneliness, too, as Catholic priests are not
permitted to marry or have children.
Dobson can remember the early days of
his priesthood and the difficulty of not seeing his family on holidays like
Christmas because he had to give Mass. The Sunday afternoons after Mass were
difficult as well — without friends and his family close by, he'd often go to
the movies.
Dobson said things became easier over time, and once he realized he's doing what he's supposed to be doing.
"When you know you made the right decision, you're going to make this work," he said.
Dobson's loved church since he was an
altar boy in South Buffalo, but decided to become a priest while teaching at
Canisius High School and watching the school priest.
"When there was something really serious
or really critical happening, they didn't call for the seventh grade language
arts teacher. They called for the priest," Dobson said. "I began to see what
power a priest has in those intimate moments. He becomes a real presence of
Christ. That was very attractive. There was something about that that I was
really drawn to."
Now, Dobson feels most fulfilled when
invited into the intimate moments of people's lives, both happy and sad,
whether it's marrying two people at a wedding or giving a sermon at a funeral.
Now in his late 60s, Dobson, of course,
has retirement somewhat on his mind. He recently took a pre-retirement course
through the Catholic Church that suggested he needs more hobbies.
When the time comes for retirement,
Dobson won't do so in Olean. He knows he has to give his successor the same
space his predecessors once gave him. He'll move back to Erie County — where he
has a large family — and work with Buffalo churches and charities.
"I think that's good for me and I think
that's good for Olean and I think it's good for St. Mary's, and it's clearly
good for the person who comes after me," he said.
He'll, of course, miss the parts of
Olean he's come to love over the last 20 years, like his friends, whom he
intends to send cards to, and his rectory front porch, which he calls a great
place to pray and "watch the world go by."
He'll especially miss the hills that
surround the city.
"I love seeing the hills. You stand at
the corner of State and Union and you can see hills in every direction," Dobson
said. "There's a beauty here that one could miss very easily."
(Contact
reporter Tom Dinki at [email protected]. Follow him on
Twitter, @tomdinki)
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