Northwest Catholic names new president
Encouraged to bolster Catholic identity, help develop ‘strong footing’
WEST HARTFORD — A priest with a varied career in Connecticut’s churches, schools and universities has been named the new president of Northwest Catholic High School.
Hartford Archbishop Leonard P. Blair on Jan. 7 approved the Rev. Michael J. Dolan as Northwest Catholic’s new leader in the school’s 60th anniversary year. Dolan had been serving as interim president since Nov. 1.
He is charged with strengthening the school’s Catholic identity “and ensuring a strong footing for the coming years,” according to a news release. Dolan sees a bright future for Northwest Catholic, the release said. His plans include facility updates, recruiting new faculty, providing support for teaching and responding to evolving educational demands, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the release said.
The Waterbury native and current resident of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford graduated from Francis T. Maloney High School in Meriden and Assumption College, now University, in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Dolan began his career as a lab technician before becoming a teacher at St. John the Evangelist in Watertown, then at St. Augustine School in Hartford. In 1991, he entered St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, graduating in 1995 with a master of divinity degree. Dolan completed his diaconal internship at St. Vincent de Paul Church in East Haven and served as parochial vicar at St. George Church in Guilford.
He also has worked at St. Mary Church and parish school in Newington and as director of campus ministry for the Archdiocese, overseeing chaplains at state and private universities. Dolan also was chaplain at the University of Hartford and at Trinity College.
In his current role as the inter-religious affairs director for the Hartford Archdiocese, Dolan has made extensive contacts among the nine major world religions, the news release said.
Dolan replaces Christian J. Cashman, who announced his resignation in January 2020.