Pastor Appointments Take Effect Aug. 1 - Fr. Dominic Briese, OP

Friday, Jul. 17, 2020

On Aug. 1, six priests in the Diocese of Salt Lake City will assume their duties as either pastor or administrator of a parish to which they have been newly assigned. Following is a brief profile one of these priests, Fr. Dominic Briese, OP.

Fr. Dominic Briese, OP was born in Mineola, N.Y. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Utah, he entered the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology in Berkeley, Calif. On June 1, 1996, he was ordained a priest for the Western Dominican Province by Bishop Carlos Sevilla at St. Dominic’s Church in San Francisco. Following ordination, he served for six years as associate pastor, first in Phoenix, then in San Francisco. He then was appointed director of the University of Las Vegas Newman Center before being transferred to a parish in Sacramento, Calif., where he served as pastor. He then was a preacher at St. Albert’s Priory in Oakland. In 2012 he came to Utah, where he has served as a chaplain and teacher at Judge Memorial and Juan Diego Catholic high schools. He speaks English and Spanish. 

On Aug. 1 he will begin serving as administrator of St. Martin de Porres Parish in Taylorsville.

What would you like your new parishioners to know about you? 

I am a native New Yorker, but I feel like Utah is my home because I graduated from the University of Utah, worked at Hill Air Force Base and have spent nearly half of my years as a priest here. I like the outdoors and I enjoy hiking, golfing, reading tons of books and drinking really good coffee. I’m a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus and I was awarded Chaplain of the Year for the State of Utah in 2017. I look forward to supporting the charitable activities of my brother Knights in our parish. 

What are you looking forward to most about your new assignment? 

I am grateful that Bishop Solis has given me the opportunity to be the administrator of St. Martin de Porres Parish. I hope to take all my experiences of God’s love and share them with the people of Taylorsville, and I am positive that they will show me new dimensions of God’s love as well. I intend to build on the foundation that Fr. Jan has established. I am excited for the opportunity to work in a bilingual parish and I look forward to working with the parish council and the varied ministries that are already in place in the parish. Having spent the last eight years as a formal classroom teacher in our Catholic schools, I intend to keep teaching the people of the parish and supporting our adult faith formation, RCIA, youth programs and religious education in our parish.

As a priest, what has been your greatest challenge? 

Now? COVID-19! I am eager to get to work, but cautious about how to safely reopen the church building and resume the sacramental, spiritual and communal life of the parish.

The ongoing challenge has always been how to evangelize people (especially the youth) in an ever-increasing secular and materialistic society. It is my hope that by working together as a parish family we can offer a positive experience of God’s love and the value of the spiritual life.

As a priest, what has been your most satisfying experience? 

The importance of vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, religious life and dedicated lay people is of paramount importance to the future of the Catholic Church. My most satisfying experience as a priest has been to mentor several men and women who have discerned those vocations, made those commitments and are thriving in their service to God through the ministry of the Church.  I also feel that one of the most satisfying things about parish life is witnessing the development of families; meeting with engaged couples who then develop strong sacramental marriages and raise their children in the faith.