Father Matthew C. Dallman, Obl.S.B., was ordained a Deacon in the Diocese of Springfield on the Feast of Saint Barnabas (2016) at Saint Paul’s, Riverside (near Chicago), and a Priest on the Feast of Saint Lucy (2016) at Saint Paul’s, Pekin.
He earned a Master of Arts in Liturgical Ministry at Chicago’s Catholic Theological Union and a Master in Theological Studies in Anglican Studies (Ascetical Theology) from Wisconsin’s Nashotah House seminary. For four years he was a lay catechist for adult formation at Saint Paul’s, Riverside.
In July 2014, Father Dallman spent a month in England and Wales doing research for his master’s thesis on the theology of Martin Thornton, during which time he interviewed significant theologians including Dr Rowan Williams, the retired Archbishop of Canterbury, and Sister Benedicta Ward. This experience kickstarted a side-project of his called Akenside Institute, which publishes resources to renew Catholic reality in Anglican parish life.
Prior to coming to the Parish of Tazewell County, Father Dallman served as a hospital chaplain intern in southwest suburban Chicago. He grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Washington University in St. Louis, where he played football for three years. He worked as a copyeditor for advertising and design firms in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Boston and Chicago, and a Chicago-area sales associate for a Michigan hog farm. He studied music performance and composition with a number of private teachers, and was commissioned to compose for weddings and films, before being called to the priesthood.
“I am passionate about liturgy, spiritual direction, adult formation and the discipline of daily prayer, along with parenting,” he said. His hobbies include cooking, bread-making, wine-making (primarily mead), and devotional reading.
He and his wife, Hannah, now reside in the rectory at Saint Paul’s in Pekin with their four daughters, Twyla, Isadora, Oona and Marla, and their son, Martin. The family also has seven hens, two cats, one dog, and one hedgehog.