Msgr. Michael Raymond Dylag, 80, a retired priest of the Diocese of Greensburg, Pa., whose ministry led to meetings with religious leaders including St. John Paul II and St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and also with presidents, died Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, at the Lourdes Healthcare Facility in Waterford, Michigan.

Msgr. Dylag was born Oct. 6, 1938 in Cleveland, Ohio, son of the late Michael C. Dylag and the late Stephanie (nee: Czechowicz) Dylag. He was baptized at St. Barbara Parish in Cleveland where he also attended primary school as a boy. At age 13, he entered St. Bonaventure Minor Seminary and High School in Sturtevant, Wis. He attended college at St. Mary's College in Orchard Lake. He went on to attend seminary at both SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake and St. Maur in Kentucky. He was ordained a priest on May 15, 1965, at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg, Pa.

Msgr. Dylag was predeceased by his parents and was the dear brother of Loretta (the late Stanley) Lobaza, Carol Ann (the late Andrew) Molek, and the late Lawrence Dylag. He is further survived by his sister in-law, Loretta Dylag, as well as his dear nephews, nieces, and great-nephews, and nieces. Additional survivors include his beloved Orchard Lake St. Mary's Community, St. Louise Community, the Mount Carmel Community of Wyandotte, and many other areas he served in fulfillment of his priestly duties.

In a 2015 interview with The Catholic Accent newspaper of the Diocese of Greensburg for the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood, Msgr. Dylag said he visited with Pope John Paul II about five times a year, had visited 76 countries, and was honored to have personally met with St. Mother Teresa, the late President George H.W. Bush, President George W. Bush, former President Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union, and King Hussein of Jordan.

Msgr. Dylag first met Pope John Paul in Pittsburgh in 1969 and had traveled to Rome many times to concelebrate Mass and have dinner with His Eminence.
Msgr. Dylag served as parochial vicar of St. Mary of Czestochowa Parish in New Kensington (1965-67), the former St. Mary Parish and Holy Trinity Parish, both in Ford City (1967-69), and St. Paul Parish, Greensburg (1969-72). He served as pastor of the former Holy Trinity Parish in Connellsville, and its chapel in Dawson (1972-74), and the former St. Francis of Paola Parish in Ford City (1974-76).

In 1976, he was released from the diocese to take a position as assistant development director at SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake, Mich.

In 1994, at the request of Detroit Archbishop Cardinal Adam Maida, a native son of the Diocese of Greensburg, Msgr. Dylag was named to the development team for the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. Following, he was named a domestic prelate on Aug. 28, 1996. Msgr. Dylag retired in 2009 and was living in Pleasant Ridge, Mich., celebrating Mass at parishes and senior living facilities in the Detroit area.

Visitation for Msgr. Dylag was held at the D.S. Temrowski & Sons Funeral Home in Warren on Sunday, Dec. 9 from 2-9 p.m., with a 7 p.m. evening vigil service. The Funeral Mass was held Dec. 10 at the Chapel of Our Lady of Orchard Lake - Archdiocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II. Officiating the funeral liturgy was Bishop Robert Fisher.

Memorial donations in Msgr. Dylag's name may be made to the Be Not Afraid Center of St. John Paul II in Krakow, Poland. Donations can be sent to Sanktuarium Swietego Jana Pawla II ul. Totus Tuus 32, 30-610 Krakow, Poland.

Please share memories of Monsignor Michael Dylag at his memory book at D.S. Temrowski & Sons Funeral and Cremation Services.