How has marriage changed your life?

My wife and I have been married for just over a year. She is the most remarkable person I have ever met, revealing the staggering love of Christ in our time together. I knew before marriage that our vocation was to lead one another to holiness. I did not realize how much of that conversion to holiness could be inspired by wanting to be the person your spouse deserves.

What is challenging and rewarding about teaching religion to teenagers?

The hardest part is an almost ingrained generational cynicism and apathy. My biggest challenge is presenting the faith in a way [that] prevents it from being just another voice among many to a generation ready to tune out.

What is most rewarding is that I have the opportunity to witness young people encounter authenticity in a world which is largely insincere. The truths of the faith are subtle, and allowing students a space to encounter them and be transformed is inspiring. For what might be the first time in some of their lives, an encounter with Christ introduces them to a love [that] is unconditional, selfless and unique to them. Few things are as beautiful as watching someone realize just how deeply they are loved and cared for.

Dalton Houska, a religion teacher at St. Thomas More High School, joins colleagues during a visit to Rome. (Submitted photo)

Why did you choose to attend the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota?

Choosing UMary was rooted in both pedagogy and practicality. Catholicity pervades her identity and mission in a way I had not seen before and have not seen since. UMary models the reality that Catholic scholars do not have to choose between academic excellence and doctrinal orthodoxy. Parents should consider UMary because it is a community before it is a campus, and I can all but guarantee their child will be seen, known and cared for.

What has the Cor Unum program meant to you?

After taking a few years to find my footing in the classroom and find a rhythm living in a new city, that stability invited the challenge of taking on the next step academically. Cor Unum has been the perfect fit because it is rooted in community and acknowledges our faith as both a studied and lived reality. Academics are met with spirituality and invited to advocacy. This semester in particular, my cohort has been invited to both explore our unique vocations and investigate where we are being called to love the most broken parts of the community where we live. Simply put, it has been a tremendous benefit both in the acquisition of new knowledge and the determination to live what is studied.

What is bringing you joy right now?

My greatest joy will always be my wife. While only a year into marriage, we are still sufficiently affectionate to make our friends and relatives roll their eyes whenever we talk about each other, and I hope that never changes. Beyond the home, I have found great joy in settling into my new school. My administration, colleagues and students have been remarkably welcoming and provide innumerable occasions of joy.

Tell us why you love being Catholic.

I love being Catholic because, at her best, the Church is exactly what everyone needs her to be. Desire for understanding will meet a theological and philosophical tradition unrivaled in breadth and depth. Desire for intimacy with the Lord will meet spiritual reflections, poetry and biographies capable of reducing anyone to tears and inspiring anyone to sainthood. Finally, she is and has the very means of sainthood entrusted to her by Christ. None but the Church, however, were given the only sure means of grace by Christ in the sacraments.

How does your Catholic faith inform how you live?

My hope is that the teaching of the Church composes both the lens through which I see the world and the standard to which I hold myself. If everyone I encounter is truly made in the image and likeness of God, is that how I treat them and is that how I think about them? If labor is participation in Creation, is that how I approach teaching and work around the house? If I am called to sainthood, do I shrink from the challenges of being a husband, son, brother, uncle, etc.? Do I pray with the trust and intentionality that a personal and loving God deserves?

Do you have a favorite Scripture verse?

John 11:35. Beyond the ultimate physical vulnerability demonstrated by his death on the cross, seeing Jesus weep reveals the total emotional vulnerability he wanted to share with us as well.

  • He and his two sisters were raised in Dell Rapids, SD — a small town just north of Sioux Falls.
  • Dalton teaches religion at St. Thomas More High School.
  • He and his wife, Adriana, live in West Allis.