T
he Reverend Dermot P. Rodgers, MA, M. DivPriest in Charge, Misión Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles,
and Vicar for Formation
Growing up during the turbulent “Troubles” in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Father Rodgers longed to immigrate to the USA where he could be free to study, grow and mature away from British Army harassment and sectarian violence. He got his chance in 1980, and at the age of 17 moved to Cleveland, Ohio.
Always a deeply religious young man,
Father Rodgers
found work at St.
John Cathedral, taking care of the retired
Ordinary, Bishop Clarence G. Issenmann and working alongside the
newly established Brothers of St. Joseph the Worker, of the
Third Order of St. Francis. It was there that he acknowledged
his vocation to ministry and joined the
Capuchin Franciscan
Order where he professed his first vows in 1986. As a friar,
Father Rodgers never forgot his
immigrant beginnings and found himself constantly attracted to
ministries among the poor immigrant communities of Cleveland,
Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C. He became fluent in Spanish and
was sent to work in parishes in Puerto Rico and Honduras.
In 1991, having earned a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Arts in Theology, Father Rodgers was ordained to the priesthood by the Ordinary of Pittsburgh, Bishop Donald Wuerl. He served as Parochial Vicar in several parishes in Ohio, Puerto Rico, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts until he made the decision to finally “come out of the closet”, preferring to be an openly gay lay person than a closeted priest. Father Rodgers made the decision to follow a long held dream and move to California to begin a new life. He sold his home, packed up his car and drove cross country in late January, 2007 to begin a new life in San Diego.
While volunteering as an English teacher, Father Rodgers noticed the banner announcing the celebration of Mass at St. John the Beloved Cathedral in Hillcrest. After several weeks of walking past and noting the Mass times, he decided to go to Church one Sunday. He was immediately embraced as a human being, a gay man, and a priest - Happy Days! Father Rodgers seeks to serve all the People of God, but holds a special place in his heart for those who feel neglected, unwanted, unloved and disenfranchised by the larger institutions of Church or State: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Father Rodgers was incardinated into the Diocese of California American Catholic Church on October 7, 2007. In 2010, Father Rodgers was appointed Vicar for Formation for the training and preparation of candidates for ordained ministry of the church.
Father Rodgers was appointed in January of 2011 as Priest-In-Charge for Misión Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles located in Escondido, California.
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