Holy Cross Father Don Dilg dies March 19 at age 76

NOTRE DAME, Indiana. Holy Cross Father Don Dilg, who served at several parishes in Colorado Springs in addition to his order’s novitiate in Cascade, died March 19 at age 76 in Notre Dame, Indiana, after a short illness. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated March 27 at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Notre Dame. Burial followed at the Congregation of Holy Cross cemetery.

Father Dilg was born in Chicago to William and Tess Dilg on April 26, 1947. He attended Notre Dame High School in Niles, Illinois and became a candidate for the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1965. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in speech and drama, he entered the Holy Cross novitiate in Bennington, Vermont, making his first vows on Aug. 18, 1970. He then returned to Moreau Seminary at Notre Dame, earning his master of theology degree in May of 1974. He was ordained to the priesthood on April 5, 1975.

From 1975-1980, he served at St. Joseph Parish in South Bend, Indiana, before being assigned to campus ministry at St. Francis High School in Mountain View, California for four years.

From 1984-87, he was associate pastor at St. Patrick Parish in South Bend. He was then named pastor of Holy Cross Parish in South Bend, where he remained until 1996.

Father Dilg served as associate pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Colorado Springs from 1997-99 and administrator from 1999-2001. After a sabbatical in 2003, he assisted at Our Lady of the Woods Parish from 2004-2010. He then was named assistant superior at the Holy Cross Novitiate in Cascade, where he remained until 2021.