Deacon David A. Doseck

Family: John and Teresa Doseck (Dad-electrical technician for the Ohio Department of Transportation for District 7 / Mom-part-time secretary at Lutheran church in Botkins); Siblings: Josh and Tiffany Doseck with three kids (Luke, Natalie, and Nicole); Sarah and Alan Mayse with three kids (Sammy, Tyler, and Nolan); Daniel and Lisa Doseck with three kids (Kaitlyn, Dylan, and Aubrey); deceased younger sister Rachel Doseck (death on June 22, 2013)

Parish: Immaculate Conception Parish in Botkins; Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Schooling: Pre-K – 12th Grade: Botkins Local Schools; College: Pontifical College Josephinum – Graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy; currently at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West in Cincinnati, working toward a degree in master of divinity and an master of arts in theology, to be received upon graduation in May of 2017.

What led you to pursue the priesthood?

The calling to priesthood came from God and was made visible to me first and foremost in the faith witness of my parents in our home. As a family, we were always involved in the parish community and I am grateful to the parish for giving me opportunities to grow in my faith. In the third grade, I learned to serve at Holy Mass and loved it. In high school, after floating away from my faith interiorly but returning with my whole heart, I began to consider God’s plan for my life. I became more open to considering the priesthood after a prayerful experience during a weeklong summer retreat at St. Meinrad, a Benedictine Monastery in Indiana. I returned from the retreat on fire with the Holy Spirit and desiring to serve God in greater ways. I was open to discerning the priesthood mostly because of the great and holy witness of many good priests in my parish and in our surrounding area in the northern part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Those priests gave me the courage to seek God’s will and to see the joy and fulfillment that a man can have in being a priest.

What has the journey been like as you neared ordination?

I am ready to say “yes” to being a priest forever. These last months of preparation have left me feeling grateful to all those praying and supporting me on this journey of discernment and joyful that God is bringing to fulfillment the good work He has begun in me. I am also humbled about being a priest because, as we all find out in our lives, “God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27). As St. Mother Teresa said once, “We are not called to be successful, but to be faithful.” I am happy and eager to promise my life to God and His church as a priest.

What message would you offer to those who want to serve God but do not know how?

To anyone discerning God’s calling and purpose for their life, I encourage them to continue to knock, seek, and to embrace God’s plan. Always seek to find the Lord’s gentle guiding voice in prayer, thought, word, and deed giving glory to God by our conduct. Having patience and trusting in God that He will bring to fulfillment His plan in time is vitally important in discernment. There is no lack of vocations today, but our current culture and way of life gives little importance to prayer and silence in God’s presence, thus making it difficult to hear God’s calling. So, I encourage anyone discerning God’s will to be brave and bold in their search for their vocation trusting that what they will find in God’s plan for their life will be the most fulfilling and rewarding.

How has being a deacon (or your practical internship) influenced the type of priest that you will be?

Serving different parishes each summer throughout these nine years of formation for the priesthood has led me all across the archdiocese. These experiences with the priests and people of these parishes have taught me so much. Even this past year spent as a deacon assisting at Mass and occasionally preaching the homily have been so joyful and affirming in my life and ministry. These parishes have led me to consider my priesthood as being a mediator between God and humanity. In essence, I want to be the middle man, that is, a priest mediating God to mankind and at the same time walking with and leading mankind back to God’s infinite love for His people.

What are some of your thoughts about beginning priestly life?

I am enthusiastic about being a priest and excited to continue to learn in my first assignment about sharing in Christ’s gift of priesthood. I want to be present to the people as a priest and assure them of God’s love and care for them through my prayer for them and ministry. I look forward to being a part of the life of a parish community and accompanying people along their journey of faith giving witness to them as a priest and receiving from them innumerable lessons and gifts in my own priesthood.

What will you miss most about your seminary preparation time? What will you value the most?

I will always be grateful for my time of formation and discernment in seminary. Mount St. Mary’s Seminary is a great place for any man discerning the priesthood. The schedule of prayer and the formation I received have taught me how to encounter God in all things and to continue to strive towards holiness. The brotherhood at our seminary is top-notch and I have been blessed to be able to discern alongside these men. I am confident and know that God is working powerfully in our archdiocese, in our families, and in our homes all from which these men begin to discern their call to priesthood. Our seminary is a wonderful place that challenges us men to be better disciples of the Lord and it equips us with the necessary tools to help God’s people when we will serve them in the future as priests.

What type of extracurricular activities did you enjoy in college? High school?

I have always enjoyed playing sports, coaching sports, attending sporting events, especially, baseball games. I continue to stay active in sports while still developing new hobbies such as woodworking and gardening. There is something joyful and refreshing about transforming wood by sharpened steel into a piece of artwork, such as a kneeler or wooden box. The same can be said for me about gardening where the parable of the sower and the seed becomes real for me. In the garden I plant seeds liberally, and by cooperating with God’s gifts of sunlight and rain, much fruit is born for the harvest.

Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr will celebrate the ordination Mass for Cincinnati’s three new priests at 11:00 a.m. on May 20, 2017 at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral.