Father Arokia Dass David, the new pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption parish covering Summit and Wasatch counties, says his journey to become a Catholic minister is akin to the prophet Jonah in the Old Testament.
“He was saying, ‘No, no, no,’ but God was not leaving him alone,” David said with a laugh. “That was my case in a way. I was saying, ‘No,’ but God was persistent. He kept telling me, ‘I really want you to come and work for me.’”
David was born in Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu, India, to a very devoted Catholic family. At age 13, he joined the seminary to become a priest.
“I did not choose to go, but my parents tricked me into going to a camp,” he said. “I found out it was a camp for selecting candidates for the priesthood, but unfortunately, they selected me.”
Camp administrators chose David because he was good at math.
“I’m from India, and we do math well, and I solved a difficult problem,” he said. “So that’s how they selected me.”
Although David, as with most children in the Indian culture, respected his parents’ vision, he still had other dreams for his future.
“I did have a passion for astrophysics, and I wanted to become an astrophysicist,” he said. “So, secretly I applied for college.”
David’s father found out and changed those plans.
“So, I came back to the seminary,” he said. “And that’s when I realized I was like Jonah.”
David earned an undergraduate degree in English literature at Loyola College in Chennai and earned a diploma in philosophy from Sacred Heart Seminary, where he later completed a bachelor’s degree in Theology.
He then finished his master’s degree in Christian studies from the University of Madras. David was ordained to the priesthood on April 26, 2009, by the Most Rev. Anthonisamy Neethinathan, Bishop of Chingleput, India.
David moved to the United States when he started as a vice rector at St. Joseph Minor Seminary.
“I was asked to teach scripture to seminarians, and the next year I became secretary to my bishop,” he said. “At the time, I experienced a little crisis in the sense that I didn’t want to continue being a priest.”
The bishop, in his wisdom, assigned David the role of vice rector at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rainy Hill.
“It is one of the most famous shrines in southern India, where hundreds of thousands of people come on the full-moon days and participate in mass and processions and other activities throughout the night,” David said. “My bishop thought my being there would help me strengthen my faith and continue in the ministry.”
One day, while David was praying, he was approached by a woman he didn’t know.
“She came up and touched me on the shoulder and said, ‘Go to the United States and be a good priest,’” he said.
A few seconds later, as David was trying to process what the lady said, a nun he knew appeared.
“I waved to her, and as she was coming to talk with me, she got a phone call from a priest who was in the United States,” he said. “She gave me the phone and the priest invited me to the United States. All of that happened within a few minutes, and that’s how I ended up here.”
David was originally headed to Duluth, Minnesota, but he diverted when he found the diocese in Park City was dedicated to Mary Magdeline.
“She is one of my favorite saints, so I asked to come here,” he said.
It still took a while before David found himself in Park City. He began his Utah ministry at the Diocese of Salt Lake City as a parochial vicar at Saint Patrick Parish, and continued his service at Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Parish in Midvale, the Saints Peter and Paul Parish in West Valley City at the Saint George Parish.
He was appointed administrator of Saint Helen Parish in Roosevelt and its mission churches, and became administrator of Notre Dame de Lourdes Catholic Church in Price and Good Shepherd Catholic Church in East Carbon.
David finally returned to Salt Lake City and was incardinated into the Diocese of Salt Lake City on February 11, 2022.
David began his service as pastor of Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish in Park City and Saint Lawrence Mission in Heber City on Aug. 1 after his predecessor, Father Christopher Gray, who served since 2018, answered a new calling as the rector, an administrative leader, of the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City.
David was somewhat familiar with the Park City community because of his duties as the Dean of the Eastern Deanery for the Diocese of Salt Lake City.
“I knew Father Christopher Gray … and when I would visit, we would share all things that happen in our parish and deanery,” he said. “So, I knew, before I came, the activities at (St. Mary’s), but I never before looked at things here as a pastor.”
David’s perception of programs came into focus once he became pastor.
“No matter where the church is, the people are actively involved in charity, but I didn’t know there were so many activities, so many administrative duties and so many charity programs here,” he said. “I also saw that the charitable programs were very strong — food pantries, housing programs and we help a lot here. I know people who come and seek help may think they are the beneficiaries, but in reality, we are the beneficiaries because we get peace and joy for serving.”
David plans to continue all the current church programs and introduce some new ones,
“We’re planning to start grief through loss and bring people who have experienced loss, especially through COVID, to come and share their thoughts and remembrance of their loved ones,” he said. “We are also starting a new youth program called Templars, with more activities.”
The church’s enrollment also surprised David.
“Lots of people come for masses, which was surprising to me,” he said with another laugh. “Every weekend we have at least 400 to 1,000 people. I tell my friends that I like to smile at people as they come to mass, but imagine smiling at 1,000 people over the weekend. Your cheeks start to hurt.”
David realized how connected Park City is through active mass attendance and program involvement.
“Call it community spirit, but what they really show in action that we all need to do to support each other,” he said. “Even the Interfaith Council we have here is very strong. I was surprised to see so many people from different faiths getting along, supporting each other and having a common goal. And the interconnectedness is not just feeling it, it’s showing it in action.”
David believes that connection and having faith will help mend the divides that have become prevalent in the country and the world over the past few years.
“Jesus is the Son of God and he came not to divide us, but unite us in love, especially,” he said. “You can call it a coincidence, but this week we are celebrating Christ the King of the Universe, which is a solemnity,” he said. “For me, personally, knowing who the real Jesus is will unite us. Unity is not just our effort. It’s letting God do his work through us.”