Father Paul Connolly prays with the Assumption High School softball team before a game earlier this year in Davenport.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
“He was qualified to coach and teach, and yes, this man could even preach!”
These words, stitched into needlepoint fabric by an old friend, adorn the walls of Father Paul Connolly’s apartment at St. Vincent Center in Davenport. They are part of a longer poem chronicling his days as a pastor and wrestling coach in the Farmington area in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The cherished gift captures the now-retired priest’s passion for sports and ministry. Perhaps more than that, it represents Father Paul’s belief that when a priest goes outside of the parish walls to support students and the wider community, it means something. “It shows that we are interested in them as people, and it might end up bringing people in (to the Church),” he said. Additionally, “it helps people see priests as people.”
Father Paul’s interest in sports began in childhood, though his thin build and short stature seemed to put him at a disadvantage. He laughs about it now, knowing that his size would eventually help him fill a critical role on Assumption High School-Davenport’s wrestling team. He continued to wrestle at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he set his sights on a career as a physical education teacher and coach.
He worked for the WACO Community School District in Henry County, Iowa, for about four years, and still speaks about that time with a twinkle in his eye. He felt fulfilled, but wrestled with a persistent call to priesthood. God’s voice won out, but a few years after ordination, he realized he wouldn’t have to hang up his whistle for good. During his first weekend Masses as pastor of St. Boniface Parish-Farmington and the former St. Mary Parish-String Prairie, he mentioned his former profession. The superintendent of a local school district caught wind of it and asked Father Paul if he would be interested in coaching wrestling there. The pastor shared the unexpected offer with the parish council, who offered their blessing.
He continued coaching through his next few assignments, including at Assumption, whose wrestling team won three state titles during his tenure as assistant coach in the mid-1990s. “His knowledge of the sport was great to have around,” said Wade King, the head wrestling coach at the time and current athletic director at Assumption. “He had great patience for the athletes and worked with a lot of beginners that didn’t have a lot of experience.” He was able to provide spiritual leadership, especially on long bus trips, King said, adding that Father Paul presided at his wedding in 1994. “That was special to me and my wife.”
While Father Paul enjoyed guiding teams to victory, his outlook as a coach focused on effort over results. He told athletes they could hold their heads high as long as they gave their best effort in practice and competitions and exercised good sportsmanship.
He supported the fine arts programs as well. “Those kids work just as hard and deserve an audience,” he said. When the Assumption theatre department needed someone to play a bishop in the wedding scene from “The Sound of Music,” Father Paul was happy to step into the role.
He chose to stop coaching after being assigned pastor of All Saints Parish in Keokuk. It was a much bigger time commitment than his previous positions due to the number of families, so when the local junior high offered him a coaching job, he said “no, thanks.” He did, however, have time to attend grade school and high school games and events — something he continued to do in future assignments. He also participated in school golf outing fundraisers.
Father Paul retired in 2024 and resides at the St. Vincent Center in Davenport. He enjoys cheering on students at Assumption and DeWitt, where he served as pastor for eight years. Usually, he’ll root for the home team, but at a DeWitt vs. Assumption basketball game last year, he spent half the game on the home side of the bleachers, and the other half on the visiting team’s bleachers. He brought two seat cushions — one to use while cheering on Assumption, and one to use while cheering on DeWitt. Regardless of who is playing, he prays for athletes on both sides to play their best and avoid injury.
Assumption parent Kathryn Nigey met Father Paul this past summer when he became a staple at home softball games. His presence in the stands “showed the girls that they were supported not just as athletes, but as young women growing in spirit, character and purpose.” The team invited Father Paul to join them in team prayer before the last game of the season. “We loved having him in the stands and praying with him,” said Kathryn’s daughter, Charlotte, a senior catcher. “He reminds me of why we play and that there’s a whole community behind us.”
This fall, Father Paul is enjoying cheering on Assumption quarterback Luke Jobgen, whose parents and grandparents are longtime friends. The family got to know Father Paul through church and wrestling, said Luke’s father, Ben. Grandfather Eric Jobgen helped coach the Assumption wrestling team during Father Paul’s years there. The Jobgens take turns transporting Father Paul to and from games, and the priest offers much-appreciated companionship and perspective. There is a significant mental aspect to athletics, Ben said, “and to have someone help guide you in that way, to realize that, in the end, athletics aren’t the end all be all, even if it feels like it in the moment, and to keep grounded from a spiritual aspect, is comforting.”
