Meet Fr. Mario!

Thank you for welcoming me at Mary Our Queen Parish.  I so often feel the presence of Christ in you as I converse with you. Your love, support, and prayers are appreciated and help me experience a God who is alive and present in this community of faith. Thank you.

I want to share with you a little bit of myself.  My name is Fr. Dominic Mario Rapose; I love being here at Mary Our Queen Parish. I grew up in Mumbai (Bombay), India.  I was raised by my kind and loving mother, late Sebastiana Rapose. My father Marcus Rapose died when I was ten years old.   I also have one brother, Denzil.  He is married to Catherine with two children, Deon and Rachel.  I am very blessed to have a strong and supportive family.

I feel blessed and privileged to severe God as his priest.  People sometimes ask me, “Did you always know you wanted to be a priest?” I have to answer “no.” In hindsight, I suppose I can see how God was planting seeds much earlier than I was aware, but I did not really begin considering religious life until I was 18 years old. There was never any deep booming voice in clouds of thunder; I was never knocked off my horse; I never received a message from an angel. Instead, I heard God’s still, small voice, whispering through my mother, priests, sisters, a retreat experience, prayer, an invitation to consider to be a priest by my friend and cousin, and various experiences of life.

At the age of 20, I listened to God’s calling, moved to Singapore and joined a newly found Religious Order called the Patrist.  In February of 1992, Archbishop Daniel Sheehan invited our Religious Order to Omaha, NE.  In 1993, God’s calling led me to join the Archdiocese of Omaha.  I was in the seminary at Pontifical College – Josephinum, in Columbus, OH.  I was ordained in the year 2000 by Archbishop Elden Curtis.

My first assignment was St. Robert Bellarmine Parish where I spent four years as an associate pastor. My next assignment was to St. Patrick’s Parish in Fremont. In 2006, I became a pastor of St. Francis Borgia in Blair. In addition, in 2010, I was appointed pastor to St. John the Baptist in Fort Calhoun.  Before coming to Mary Our Queen Parish, I was a Pastor at St. Philip Neri-Blessed Sacrament Parish for four years.

Though it has only been twenty-one years since ordination, priesthood has been an amazing journey- filled with lots of challenges but much joy.  I enjoy celebrating Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation with the people.  Above all, I enjoy helping people to encounter Jesus and serving the people of God any way I can.  Every day I thank God for calling me to be his priest.

When I am not ministering to people or sleeping, I enjoy playing golf, soccer, and most sports.  I enjoy being with people socially and spiritually.  If there is anything I can do for you and your families, please feel free to contact me. I am hoping to get to know you, serve you, and love you as my family.

In Christ,

Fr. Mario Rapose