Fr. John Acrea was a man well known in the Dowling Catholic Community. He opened his arms to everyone literally whenever. Over the summer confession, yep he did that. Acrea enjoyed hearing confessions so much that he was hearing them well in hospice care the week he died. He was born February 7, 1936 in Missouri Valley, Iowa and died September 4, 2025 in Urbandale, Iowa.
In high school, he read “The Quest for Happiness,” which served as the realization that he should become a priest. He was ordained June 3, 1962 and served his time as a priest in 8 churches, ranging from Elkhart to Creston to Panora to Des Moines. But being a priest wasn’t everything that he did at Dowling. He taught English for 12 years, was the principal for 1 year, and started the Speech and Debate team, where he won 4 state championships titles and a 5th place finish at Nationals. He retired in 2007, but continued to serve the Dowling community by offering confessions and joining the school at mass when he could.
After his death, I had the opportunity to make a video in honor of Fr. Acrea, I got the chance to talk with students, teachers, and staff about the impact he had on them. He gave advice, showed dedication, was a big light in the building, made bonds with teachers in unique ways, and was a spiritual guide.
In talking with the teachers and staff I learned many things about the person Fr. Acres was;
Mrs. Flood: “I loved seeing his dedication towards students in and out of the school, but he also felt like family to her after joining her family at many events.”
Mr. Fernholz: “he cared about the success of students and teachers plus always gave him books or advice.”
Deacon Heinrich: “he picked him as his spiritual director, so they met on a regular basis and helped him grow in his faith.”
Mrs. C-G: “his dedication and faithfulness to the DCHS students helped inspire her in her teachings.”
Dr. Pommrehn: “his willingness to set aside time to hear their stories showed the importance of slowing down to have a real conversation with another person.”
He gave this piece of advice to Mr. Flood: “He told me, don’t be a dad halfway and do things to the best of your ability.”
Mrs. Umstead and Ms. Jenkins: “He was such a fixture who was a very positive person.”
Fr. Flood: “he was the true meaning of spiritual father, he had a vitality about him that he was very young.” Quoting St. Augustine, “ever ancient, ever new.”
Mr. Meendering: “he helped his faith grow, challenged his view on faith, and taught him to not get overexcited by having a strong faith foundation which allows him to have a certain type of calmness in his day to day life.”
The last note comes from Mr. Mullenbach, who said “he was a great person to talk to about any difficulties and having him at this school for so long was such a blessing.”
