 Fr. William Dean Dooley, OP
Born in Petaluma, California, William Dooley began his studies as a Dominican in 1921,
taking philosophy and theology in Dominican Houses of Studies in Chicago and Kentucky. In 1926 he entered the Collegio Angelico in Rome
to complete his preparations for ordination which took place at St. John Lateran’s on
July 7, 1929. He remained in Rome for two
more years and obtained his doctorate in Sacred Theology.
He returned to his province
after these years abroad and assumed the position of Master of Students; within a few
months he was appointed the first Prior of St.
Albert’s College, the new House of Studies in Oakland, and was charged with
completing the construction work on the buildings which were to serve as the seminary for
the Dominicans of the West. Upon completion
of his term he worked in parishes in Berkeley and Los Angeles and then assumed
responsibility for the Newman Center at the University of Washington in Seattle.
This work was interrupted by World War II, when Father Dooley volunteered to serve as
an Army chaplain. These were important years
for him and later he often reminisced on these days and the historical battles of
Guadalcanal, the Fiji Islands and the occupation of Japan of which he was a part. He spent six years, from 1942 to 1948, in the
military chaplaincy, garnering high commendation from military officials upon his
resignation. At the end of the war he resumed
his post at the University of Washington, one of the focal points of his life. There he worked for twelve years, making life-long
friends, encouraging many young men to enter the Order, instructing countless people in
religion as well as systematic courses in theology. His
wit and humor, his penchant for war stories made him beloved and a joy to be with.
For a brief time he served as Newman chaplain at the University of Nevada in Reno, then
moved to Thousand Oaks, California to serve as subprior and treasurer. In 1965 he entered upon his final position,
director of clerical vocations for the Western Dominican Province. His love of youth, his amiability and personal
charm, and particularly his obvious love of Dominican life were the perfect ingredients
which made him the oldest - but one of the most successful - vocation directors in the
United States. At a time when provinces were
falling on hard times, more novices entered this province under Fr. Dooley’s
direction than at any other comparable period in the province’s history. The secret of his success was simply the greatness
of the man.
During these last years he resided at the Berkeley Priory, an assignment that was a joy
both for him and his fellow Dominicans. He
was elected sub-prior of the Berkeley Priory in 1972.
His last year was one of suffering, which he bore with remarkable fortitude and
cheer. While being slowly overwhelmed by
cancer, he never lost his humor nor his courage. A
man with a hearty laugh, a keen intelligence, and a rugged body, he would tell his
visitors, “The Lord has been great to me in this life, but I think it is time I
traded in this old car.”
It is only fitting that, having spent the majority of his life with students, the
student brothers established an all-night vigil during his final weeks, so that he would
see their concern and know of their prayers. He
died at Providence Hospital in Oakland early on the morning of February 2 at the age of
72. He is buried at St. Dominic’s
cemetery in Benicia, California.
- Photo: Fr. Dooley as an Army Chaplain
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