Fr. Dale Jamison, OFM, Reflects on 50 Years of Priestly Service

“Live in the trenches”.

One of Fr. Dale Jamison’s biggest lessons after 50 years as a priest is the importance of living with and among the people he serves. The Franciscan priest, who currently serves as the pastor of St. Mary Parish in Tohatchi, NM, has also been the director of Native American Ministry for the Diocese of Gallup since 2012.

It’s an important position, a long way from Detroit, MI, where Fr. Jamison grew up a mile down the street from former Franciscan-run Duns Scotus College. He attended a Franciscan parish, so a vocation to the order felt natural. But it’s the charism – the special purpose – of the Friars that inspires him.

“The one thing that has always captivated me was, you’re in the trenches with the poor people. You’re just not in the trenches where you go to work – you live in the trenches. There’s a difference.”

As a seminarian, Fr. Jamison spent time at Acoma Pueblo and an African-American community in Louisiana. After ordination, he told his superiors that he’d be happy to be assigned back to either area, and so he was sent to the Diocese of Gallup. Fr. Jamison also served for a time in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and the Diocese of Phoenix, but returned to Gallup after being asked by Bishop James Wall to lead the diocesan Native Ministry office.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that when I was much younger, and even more recently, [I used to think], ‘I’m going to be a pastor and I’m going to show everybody what needs to be done’. Whereas what I realize [now] is the Natives themselves are pretty well educated. They can take care of a lot of things,” he said, also emphasizing the importance of respecting local tribal leaders and elders.

He’s glad of recent developments within the Church that have begun to acknowledge historic wrongs done to Native American communities. And he hopes that the Church can work with Indigenous peoples and reverse the recent shrinking of involvement with Catholicism that he’s seen on the reservations.

“It has something to do with the pandemic. It has something to do with the Church, the scandals, sex abuse, boarding schools. Because the more this stuff is published, the more the Native community is becoming aware. But the Native communities, especially on Navajo land, are so small. The Catholic communities are small. And it makes a big difference.”

As a pastor who has served in many tribes and pueblos, Fr. Jamison advises other priests and Church workers to listen to the needs and concerns of parishioners.

“Always meet in groups and talk about cultural issues. Cross-cultural issues, what works, what doesn’t work, and certainly whatever community you go into, don’t make any changes, don’t make any judgments,” he said. “Go slow. Don’t be a prime mover. Let them move you.”

He also hopes that the Church fosters and encourages vocations among Native peoples – especially priestly vocations.

“Coming in from the outside, we’re always going to be outsiders,” he said. “And all of the apologies in the world are fine, but they don’t accomplish anything unless you have somebody walking with you. So that’s why we need [native] priests walking with the Native American community, and they know what’s best for them. They live the culture their whole life.”