After serving St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Manteca as parochial vicar for a decade, Father Dante Dammay is welcoming 2018 as the new associate pastor of St. George Parish in Stockton.
He is one of 18 priests in the Diocese of Stockton who are being reassigned to new parishes, according to the official announcement from Bishop Stephen Blaire that was made during all the Masses last Sunday.
The spiritual director and chaplain of the Legion of Mary in the Diocese of Stockton, Father Dante also holds the same ministerial position for the Santo Nino Ministry at St. Anthony of Padua.
He was one of nearly 50 priests honored seven years ago in Fremont during an event held in conjunction with the worldwide celebration of “Year of Priests” declared by then-Pope Benedict XVI, currently pope emeritus. The occasion was to recognize the many ways that the priests have impacted the lives of their sheep through their various ministries.
Before coming to Manteca, Father Dammay served as associate pastor at Stanislaus Parish and St.Joseph’s Church, both in Modesto. He was appointed parochial vicar of St. Anthony of Padua  on Aug. 15, 2006.
He is also the recipient of two STAR awards from the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council.
Father Dammay completed his seminary studies in the Philippines. During an interview with the Manteca Bulletin when he took over his new post at St. Anthony of Padua, he said his vocation to the priesthood was “greatly influenced by my devout parents and grandparents who always encouraged me to pray as a young boy and to serve as an altar server at Mass at a young age.” He came to the United States in 1999, becoming a U.S. citizen shortly after.
Taking over as parochial vicar at St. Anthony of Padua when Father Dammay assumes his new post at St. George’s is Father Gilbert Arango. Father Arango is not new to his latest assignment. He was associate pastor here when Father Richard Morse was pastor. Father Arango comes to Manteca from the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Stockton where he served for many years.