Fr. Dave was born in the historic town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and lived in the area until he was 7 years old; at which time the family moved out west to California. He grew up in the Seal Beach/Los Alamitos area attending both public and Catholic schools. He graduated from St Hedwig’s and then Los Alamitos H.S. in 1977. Like many surfers, as a young teenager Dave learned how to surf and play beach volleyball in Seal and Huntington Beach.
Fr. Dave worked for a local oil company to help pay for his college education and eventually went on to graduate from Long Beach State with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health Science.
For 16 years Fr. Dave worked for the Santa Fe Springs Fire Department and advanced to the position of Director of Environmental Protection and Hazardous Materials. While working at the Fire Dept. Fr. Dave earned a master’s degree from Trinity College.
In 2003, after much discernment, he left the Fire Dept. and entered the Seminary to study to be a priest. In 2009 Fr. Dave graduated from St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, CA with a Master of Divinity degree and a Master’s Degree in Theology.
He was ordained a Catholic priest in June 2009 and spent his first 5 years as a parochial vicar at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach and then 3 years at San Antonio De Padua in Anaheim Hills and the last 4 years as the Parish Administrator at St. Angela Merici Parish in Brea.