Roderick John Dooley, born July 27, 1919, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was the third of the five children of Daniel B. and Mildred (Loney) Dooley. After completing his grammar school education at Holy Rosary School, he attended South High School (1933-37), both in Minneapolis. Upon graduation from high school he joined the work force, but in 1 940 he was able to matriculate at the College of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota.

On June 24, 1942, he entered the Dominican novitiate, then located at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory, River Forest, Illinois, and was given the religious name Malachy. He professed his first vows there on June 25, 1943 and remained at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory for his philosophical and theological studies (1943-50). On June 7, 1949, Bishop Celestine Daly, O.P., ordained him a priest at St. Pius V Church, Chicago, Illinois.

Father Dooley's first assignment was to the faculty of Fenwick High School, Oak Park, Illinois, where he taught theology. For a time he served as director of religious instructors (1952-55), Moderator of the Fathers' Club (1955-60), Director of the Fenwick Building Fund (1954-60) and Director of Development (1960-63).

In 1 963 he was assigned to St. Pius V Parish, Chicago, as an assistant pastor and was named pastor of the parish in August 1964. On January 4, 1 966, he was elected Prior of St. Anthony of Padua Priory, New Orleans, Louisiana, and served simultaneously as pastor of that parish for three years. Upon completion of his term he was assigned to the faculty of Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas, Texas, where he taught for a year before being named Director of Public Relations and Development for the Province of St. Albert the Great (1970-73).

In 1974 Father Dooley returned to Fenwick High School, serving as Director of Development (1974-89), Moderator of the Fathers' Club (1976-83), and Director of Alumni. His commitment of over thirty years to the education of young men, and to young women when the school became co-educational, made him beloved by students, parents and staff alike. For many he came to be the symbol of Fenwick High School.

Although in the latter years of his life his health began to decline, he continued to be a presence at the high school. In May of 2002 he was diagnosed with cancer of the liver and his health declined rapidly. Hospice care was provided for the last weeks of his life and on June 15, 2002, he died at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory, River Forest, the house that had been

his place of assignment for almost 35 years. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, River Forest, on June 19, 2002, and he was buried in the Dominican Plot at All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines, Illinois.