Deacon Dodge, who ministered in South Baltimore, dies at 79

Deacon Michael Dodge, who served for many years as a permanent deacon at The Community of St. Athanasius (Curtis Bay) and St. Rose of Lima (Brooklyn), was remembered by family and friends for his special way of sharing time with people. 

Deacon Dodge died Sept. 12. He was 79.

“He always had a minute for you. He never rushed you,” said Maggie Morris, administrative assistant St. Athanasius, which merged with St. Rose of Lima as part of the recent Seek the City to Come pastoral planning initiative. “He was one of those special people who comes along every once in a while.”

Julia Dodge shared that her husband, even when his memory was just about gone from Alzheimer’s disease, would still go into his office daily to review his duties as a deacon.

“He always thought of God,” Julia said. “His whole life has been dedicated to the church.”

A graduate of Southern High School in Baltimore, Deacon Dodge attended what was then Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg. While he was drawn to the priesthood, he also wanted a family, Julia said. The two best friends began dating and were soon engaged. They married in June 1972 and had two children, Keith and Jason.

A former altar boy at his home parish, St. Rose of Lima, Deacon Dodge was active in the church, serving as a lector, an extraordinary minister of holy Communion and on many committees.

“He was always involved,” Morris said, adding he never wanted to be in the spotlight. “He was quiet. You could feel the goodness in him.”

The vice president of purchasing for USF&G insurance company until it closed in 1998, Deacon Dodge then worked as a bookkeeper for several parishes and schools, as well as for a city day care and a halfway house for prisoners.

“One morning, he said to me, ‘I want to be a deacon,’ ” Julia said. “I said, ‘What took you so long?’”

Deacon Dodge was ordained in 2009 and was assigned to St. Athanasius. He remained involved with St. Rose of Lima as the two parishes shared resources before joining in 2015.

Diane Edmiston, Community of St. Athanasius and St. Rose of Lima’s office manager, shared that Deacon Dodge would often talk about the “good times he had” at St. Rose of Lima and visit it.

“I always pictured him walking through the church, jingling change in his pockets,” Edmiston said, adding that he was also known to whistle.

One of his main ministries as a deacon, all said, was visiting parishioners in the hospital or those who were homebound.

“You didn’t have to ask him twice when a hospital call came,” Edmiston said. “Deacon Mike always went.”

He also was involved with St. Athanasius’ food pantry and would often deliver food to those without transportation when it was too far to walk. Morris added that he celebrated many baptisms, too.

“He was just a warm soul. You never saw him upset,” Edmiston said. “He always made sure you felt good about yourself.”

Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org

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