Rev. Joe Dygert (’02) Named Pastor of Colorado Parish

Following two stints as a parochial vicar and nine years of teaching high school theology, Rev. Joe Dygert (’02) last month began his first assignment as a pastor. A priest in the Diocese of Colorado Springs, he has taken the helm at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Salida, Colorado, where he seeks to spread God’s love.

“Out of God, I’d like to encourage people to love their neighbor as yourself,” Fr. Dygert told The Mountain Mail, urging others to “recognize in each person the image of God and therefore be willing to encounter each person as a human being worthy of love.”

In his sophomore year of high school, Fr. Dygert first felt the call to the priesthood while taking a walk in the woods near his home in Colorado Springs. After that experience, he took a winding path to the priesthood, first attending Thomas Aquinas College, then trying out law school for a year. Finally, he succumbed to God’s will, attended seminary, and was ordained in 2011.

Fr. Dygert’s first assignment was at Ave Maria Catholic Church in Parker, Colorado, after which he moved to Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Colorado Springs, where he served as parochial vicar and taught at St. Mary’s High School for nine years.

Now, Fr. Dygert is excited to serve St. Joseph’s in Salida. Aside from the beautiful setting and the opportunity to practice fly fishing, he is most looking forward to having conversations with people in the parish and town. “I like discussions, so I’d enjoy dialogue, with people of different faiths or no faith at all … as well as the people of my parish.”