As a boy, Mark Dolce heard his neighbor playing guitar from his bedroom window. Inspired by the music, Mark asked his neighbor to begin teaching him to play. He found pieces of an old guitar, glued them together and learned a few tunes. The neighbor later asked him to be a part of his church group, and, without realizing it, Mark was forging a musical lifestyle that he never expected.
Mark has been playing guitar at Masses since 1970 in various parishes around Port Arthur, Texas, where he was raised. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology and a teaching certificate, but chose to work for Procter and Gamble, which allowed him to relocate to Houston in 1981. He retired from P&G after 28 years and accepted a teaching position at St. Ambrose Catholic School in Houston. He was hired there in 2012 to teach religion, co-direct the school choir for all school Masses, and was the Jr. Beta Club sponsor and the Religion Coordinator. Mark now is part of the Faculty here at Christ the Redeemer Catholic School and teaches religion to the middle school students. He also helps with the School Mass and is the sponsor for Student Council.
In 2006 Fr. Sean invited him to direct the contemporary choir at CTR He has also served on the Music team for CtR Men’s ACTS Retreats and is also a member of the Knights of Columbus here at CTR.
Mark has two sons and two grandchildren. His oldest son, Rev. TJ Dolce, is the Pastor at St. Martha’s Catholic Church in Kingwood, Texas. Mark lives in the Jersey Village area with his wife, Sandy, who sings in the choir and is on the Eucharist Sacrament Prep team for Middle School.