NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Rev. Donald William Dilg, C.S.C., 76, died at Holy Cross House, Notre Dame, Ind. on March 19, 2024, after a short illness.
Fr. Dilg was born to William and Tess (Gorka) Dilg on April 26, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois. Baptized at Holy Trinity Church in Chicago, he was later educated at St. Martha in Morton Grove, Illinois, and then at Notre Dame High School in nearby Niles, Illinois. In 1965, he entered St. Joseph Hall, Notre Dame as a candidate for Holy Cross. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Speech and Drama from the University of Notre Dame in 1969, he entered Holy Cross Novitiate in Bennington, Vermont, in September of that same year. On August 18, 1970, he made his first vow and returned to Moreau Seminary at Notre Dame to complete his Master of Theology degree in May of 1974. Fr. Dilg was ordained a Holy Cross priest on April 5, 1975, in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the University of Notre Dame campus.
From 1975-1980, Fr. Dilg assisted at St. Joseph Parish in South Bend, Indiana, before being assigned to Campus Ministry at St. Francis High School in Mountain View, California, where he stayed for the next four years. From 1984-1987, he was Associate Pastor at St. Patrick Parish in South Bend, Indiana, before being assigned Pastor of Holy Cross Parish in South Bend, Indiana, until 1996. From 1996-1997, he served as Associate Pastor at St. Joseph Parish before heading to Colorado where he served as Associate Pastor (1997-1999) and Administrator (1999-2001) at Sacred Heart Parish, Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 2001, Fr. Dilg served as Associate Pastor for one year before being assigned administrator of Little Flower Parish in South Bend, Indiana. After a year-long sabbatical in 2003, he assisted at Our Lady of Woods in Woodland Park, Colorado, from 2004-2010. In 2010, he began serving as Assistant Superior at Holy Cross Novitiate in Cascade, Colorado, before moving into Holy Cross House, Notre Dame, Indiana, in 2021.
Fr. Dilg was preceded in death by both his parents and brother, Richard Dilg.
The Funeral Mass will be at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Indiana. You may also join us via livestream at https://funerals.holycrossusa.org
Burial will be in the community cemetery at Notre Dame. Kaniewski Funeral Home, South Bend, is in charge of the arrangements.
Memorial contributions in support of the mission and ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross can be made to: United States Province of Priests and Brothers, Office of Advancement, P.O. Box 765, Notre Dame, IN 46556-0765 or online at https://donate.holycrossusa.org
Click here to read a tribute to Rev. Donald William Dilg, C.S.C., by Todd Wiseman.
