I mentioned last Sunday, in my homily, a friend of mine, who was ordained with me as a brother priest of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, who, unfortunately, took his own life.  Based on correspondence near the time of his death, Dennis clearly was suffering from an acute mental health crisis.   Please pray for the peaceful repose of his soul.  Please also pray for the many, many people affected by his tragic death: The priests of the Archdiocese, the parishioners of Immaculate Conception, students and faculty of Xavier Catholic High School, and of course his many friends and family. 

Here is the official obituary of Fr. Dennis:

Fr. Dennis Conway, 33, beloved priest and pastor, son, brother, uncle, and godfather, died unexpectedly on November 26, 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Dubuque on May 27, 2017, by Archbishop Michael Jackels, Fr. Dennis served as associate pastor at the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier in Dyersville, and the parishes of St. Joseph in Earlville, St. Boniface in New Vienna, SS. Peter and Paul in Petersburg, and St. Paul in Worthington from 2017-2019. In July 2019, he was assigned to serve as pastor of the parishes of St. Michael in Belle Plaine, St. Joseph in Chelsea, and St. Patrick in Tama. In March 2021, Fr. Dennis became the pastor of Immaculate Conception and St. Wenceslaus parishes in Cedar Rapids where he served until his untimely death. He loved his family, friends, the Church, and his people. Above all, he loved his Lord.

Fr. Dennis was born on January 8, 1991, in Huntsville, Alabama. He is the oldest child of Brian and Christina (Richards) Conway. After relocating with his family to Cedar Rapids in 1997, Fr. Dennis attended All Saints and Regis Middle schools, and graduated from Xavier High School in 2009. He attended Marquette University where he began discerning his call to the priesthood during his freshman year. He transferred to Loras College in 2010, and graduated in May 2012. After a pastoral year assignment at St. Henry Parish in Marshalltown, Fr. Dennis was assigned to the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy for his priestly formation studies.

Fr. Dennis was a fan of the Arts, especially music and drama. During his tenure at Xavier High School, he led the sound and lights crew for the theater and was a member of the Speech team. He was a talented pianist and loved to travel. Fr. Dennis had a gift for languages, enjoyed snow skiing and scuba diving, and collected fountain pens. He had a passion for spending time with friends, good coffee, and was a foodie.

Fr. Dennis is survived by his parents, sister, Aileen (Josh) Havel, and his two nephews, Hayes and Rhodes. He is also survived by his grandparents, Kevin and Marjorie (O’Neill) Conway and Lawrence Richards Jr., and a large extended family. Fr. Dennis was preceded in death by grandmother, Gerry Richards and aunt, Kristen (Kliesner) Richards.

Peace,

-Fr. Kevin