It didn't take long for the new parochial vicar at Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon, a native of Great Britain, to warm to life in Florida.
By JAY CRIDLIN
Published July 18, 2003
BRANDON - It takes a devoted man to remain faithful to the priesthood for 23 years.
But surviving a winter in Chicago? Well, that takes a whole different level of perseverance - even if you grew up in blustery old England.
"I've never experienced such cold in all my life," said Father Gary Dowsey, a London-born man of the cloth whose first winter in the Windy City resulted in a prompt move to the Tampa Bay area.
This month, Dowsey, was named a parochial vicar at Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon. Three years into his American life, the 47-year-old Brit is energized to be starting a new ministry at a new church.
As parochial vicar, he'll fulfill a variety of roles wherever he's needed, whether it be in the church or in the adjoining Nativity Catholic School.
"It's a new challenge," he said. "I think there's a much more lively interest in Christianity and in the church here in the states than there is back home."
Dowsey certainly didn't have a traditional Catholic upbringing. His mother managed pubs and his father was a singer who owned race horses. When he was young, his parents' marriage dissolved, so he moved with his mother and sisters to East Anglia, northeast of London.
Dowsey's mother was Irish, a fact he felt may have played a role in her disillusionment with the Catholic Church.
"The Irish church made everybody feel guilty about everything," he said. "I think that separation sort of made her feel maybe she wasn't really welcome."
Ironically, his parents' separation drew Dowsey even more into Catholicism. He immersed himself in a devoted parish community.
"I suppose with the disunity that was in my own family, the church was a great focus of unity," he said. "It was a very good parish to grow up in, very united, in a very loving community. I think that helped a lot in making the decision to go into the priesthood."
He entered the seminary from high school, graduating in 1980 at age 24 and entering the Diocese of East Anglia.
He pastored at a church in Cambridge for three years, followed by an administrative position and stints at churches in Peterborough and Bristol.
Beginning in 1996, he took several positions at Catholic schools and universities, enabling him to engage in what he had always loved best: working with church youth groups.
"Every parish I've worked in, there's either been a Catholic school attached to it or nearby," he said. "The young people are the church of today but also the hope of tomorrow."
In 2000, the 20-year anniversary of his admission to the priesthood, he was granted a one-year sabbatical and visited a friend in Chicago.
"And then the winter arrived," he said. "I decided there must be something a bit warmer than that."
He moved to Port Richey and St. James Parish, where he once again found himself working with youth groups. There, he and another pastor founded a chapter of a nationwide youth ministry called Life Teen.
He admits that with the recent sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church, parishioners everywhere have begun viewing outsiders, such as himself, with caution at first.
"They're going to hold us more accountable than we've ever been before," he said. "Before, they would have immediately trusted every priest that walked into their life or their parish."
Dowsey says he believes the church is making strides toward healing its image.
"It's been a very humbling exercise for the authority of the church," he said. "And that's not a bad thing. I think it makes us re-evaluate what we're doing. It makes us go back to the gospel values, really."
He's not sure how long the Diocese of St. Petersburg will keep him in Brandon, but he hopes to remain in the Tampa Bay area.
For now, he has got plenty to keep him busy at Nativity Catholic Church. The pastor, the Rev. Ralph Argentino, went on vacation about the time Dowsey arrived, so he has been working overtime remembering names and preparing for the next year.
"I think it's a place for opportunity," he said. "I'm certainly convinced that I'll grow in my own faith while being here."
