Name: Fr. Dan Parrish, C.S.C.
Hometown: Salem, OR
Assignment at UP: Assistant Professor, Pamplin School of Business (Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Management)
Years as a C.S.C.: Final vows August 30, 2003; Ordination to the priesthood April 17, 2004
Favorite Scripture Passage: Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope."
Favorite Saint: Augustine (Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee)
How did you know you wanted to be a priest? I grew up wanting to marry the perfect girl and be a millionaire. My life growing up was challenging (whose wasn't?). My parents showered us with love, but they were divorced and we lost the family business; I didn't want to have to worry about those things anymore. I figured in the future I would have a great family life and never have to worry about money. In the end, I got all that I wanted, but nothing that I had asked for. I chose to enter a decidedly imperfect community of men who nevertheless pledge to love and support one another through whatever may come. My vow of poverty removes from me the worry of finances because we share all things in common. Sure, there's more to it than that-I have always enjoyed working with other people and working within my Catholic faith. The two come together so well in religious life and priesthood, but it really was getting to know Holy Cross that made religious life and priesthood an option for me.
What made you choose the Congregation of Holy Cross?
I got to know the CSCs here at UP when I was an undergrad. The first person I met when I arrived at UP a week early for the freshman Honors Program orientation was Fr. Mike Delaney, C.S.C. As I walked into Shipstad Hall, Fr. Mike stepped into the hallway and said, "Dan Parrish, welcome to the University of Portland." Wow, I thought, these UP folks are serious about their work and ministry! Gradually I got to know the other CSCs on campus and found them to be inspiring men with lofty jobs, (shepherding souls, teaching, administering, etc.) but who were so down to earth. I would get up early and head down to watch Notre Dame football with them on Saturdays, and they knew football better than I did! I was quite impressed. I remember thinking that these were the kind of guys that I could spend my life alongside, serving the Lord and building bonds of brotherhood.
What are your hobbies? I am a woodworker and you'll often find me in the shop behind Holy Cross Court puffing on a cigar, working on my latest project. I am also an avid hunter and fisherman and I wish I could spend every weekend far away from all cities up in the woods or at the beach. I love to bake—each week I make something sweet for my residents here in Lund Family Hall. I enjoy sports, especially basketball and football. I love music-I sang in choirs for many years but cannot any longer, due to scheduling. I also play a little piano and guitar and sing when I get the chance.
What is your favorite thing about UP? UP is a place where ordinary people come to do extraordinary things. There are many schools across the country that have higher test scores for incoming classes and have more accomplished faculty and staff. But in my experience, you'd be hard pressed to find a place where people so regularly achieve at such a high level. We have students and professors who get published in top journals and present at top conferences every year. We have staff who dream up innovative solutions to complex problems. We compete at the highest level in various sports. We have arguably the country's premier American author series (The Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writer Series). This is a place where ordinary people come to believe in their potential to be transformative forces in their communities. UP is a place where reason finds its partner in faith, each one informing the other. It is a place where all are welcome, because all are children of God. In that welcome, each person is invited to bring his or her faith perspective to the table. It is a place where we—Holy Cross brothers and priests, countless laypeople, and religious from other communities-work to make God known, loved, and served by the way we love one another. We work tirelessly to create residence hall communities where people feel truly at home, loved, and supported by a family. Every day I count myself fortunate to be able to serve at Oregon's Catholic university.
What is one way you see God’s light in everyday life? My favorite moment of being a priest, hands down, even greater than presiding at the Eucharist or hearing confessions (which are both amazing sacramental moments) is when someone comes to me and can no longer hope. Then as we are talking and praying together the person starts to believe again, to hope again. You can see it in their eyes—the thought springs up in an instant and it almost overwhelms them as they realize there may be a path through their suffering and fear. They aren't sure they dare hope again, but the hope that is within them is so true and so visceral that it just starts to spread itself out and take over their hearts. Their fears begin to melt away and their suffering no longer seems quite so dire. In that moment of hope's renewal—that's my favorite moment of being a priest. That's when I know that I've chosen well this life in Holy Cross. It's like at the end of The Shawshank Redemption when Red says, "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies." He was right—hope has the power to transform brokenness into salvation and to move us from despair to faith. That's an amazing journey to be a part of.
