Monsignor Neal Dolan, pastor emeritus of St. Michael’s Catholic Parish in Poway and a longtime Rancho Bernardo resident, died on July 7 at age 88.
Dolan came to St. Michael’s in 2001 to serve as the third pastor in the parish’s history. It was a position Dolan held until 2014 when he retired after celebrating 50 years as a priest. In retirement, he continued to celebrate masses at the parish through this year.
“Monsignor Dolan was a very good friend of mine,” said the Rev. Mel Monreal, St. Michael’s current pastor who for nine years was Dolan’s associate pastor at the parish.
“I looked up to him and learned so much from him,” Monreal said. “He was extremely organized and a spiritual workaholic. He was a wonderful shepherd to St. Michael’s and other parishes. I will miss him dearly.”
Dolan was also well-known beyond the parish, being invited to speak at community events in the Poway/Rancho Bernardo area over the years. This included the Kiwanis Club of Los Rancheros’ 2024 Breakfast of Champions scholarship presentation for Poway Unified School District student-athletes.
Monsignor Neal Dolan speaking during the Kiwanis Club of Los Rancheros’ 2024 Breakfast of Champions event in Rancho Bernardo. (Elizabeth Marie Himchak)
When addressing the students and their supporters, Dolan spoke about the importance of having “an attitude of gratitude.”
“When you have a good attitude of gratitude usually you get through anything in life,” Dolan said before giving the invocation and blessing the students.
He said while the honorees were born with their talents, “they have to be developed. That is what they have been doing … and sharing them with others. … You are the future members of our society. We certainly respect you for who you are.”
Sharing his talents is something Dolan did throughout his life.
When announcing Dolan’s death in a parishwide email on July 7, it was written that “his greatest gift was bringing people together in faith and friendship. He believed the Church was more than a building — it was a family. He encouraged parishioners to grow closer to Christ by growing closer to one another through Small Church Communities, revitalized the Men’s Ministry, established a Women’s Ministry and had a special love for children, teens and young adults.
“He introduced a Sunday evening Mass for youth, formed the children’s choir for the 10:45 a.m. Mass and invested in a Young Adult Minister to help young adults find their place in the life of the Church.”
He is also credited with leaving a physical legacy at the Poway parish through the completion of the south campus at St. Michael’s School and construction of the parish’s Holy Family Center, which was later also named in his honor.
“Yet those who knew him would say his greatest legacy is found not in buildings, but in the countless lives he touched with his kindness, gentle humor, compassionate heart and unwavering faith,” according to the email.
Neal Dolan was born in Minnesota on May 21, 1938, the fourth of eight children to Genevieve Fay Dolan and Mark Dolan. Close friends and family recently joined Dolan in celebrating his 88th birthday with a party in St. Michael’s Monsignor Neal Dolan Holy Family Center.
Monsignor Neal Dolan, seated center, with family members and close friends during his 88th birthday party on May 21 in the St. Michael’s Monsignor Neal Dolan Holy Family Center. (Courtesy of St. Michael’s)
It was as a high school student in the 1950s that Dolan began discerning his vocation to the priesthood, according to a biography provided by the parish. He graduated from the San Diego College for Men (now the University of San Diego) in 1960 and after completing his seminary training in the Diocese of San Diego was ordained on March 19, 1964.
Dolan served as an associate pastor within the diocese through the 1960s and 1970s, with a focus on sacramental ministry, education and youth outreach. He also started taking on various diocesan leadership responsibilities in addition to parish ministry during the 1970s and 1980s.
He was appointed to be the founding pastor of Ascension Catholic Parish in Tierrasanta in 1980 and oversaw the construction of its church, which was dedicated in late 1985.
During the 1990s, Dolan was pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Lakeside, where he focused on parish renewal and evangelization, according to his biography.
As of press time, services were pending. When announced, details will be added to the online version of this article at PomeradoNews.com.
In lieu of flowers his family has requested donations to the St. Francis Seminary for Vocations Development or the Catholic Diocese of San Diego.