About
Father Tolleson received a B.A. in Communication at Wheaton College in Illinois and a Ph.D. in Communication at Regent University in Virginia, where he entered the Catholic Church in 1994. He also received an M.Div. at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. He was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 2007 and has served as parochial vicar, administrator, and pastor for various parishes in the Diocese of Helena, Montana.
He is currently the pastor at Our Lady of the Valley Parish, as well as the Director of Permanent Deacons, Deacon Formation, and ongoing Clergy Formation with the Diocese of Helena. Father Tolleson is also currently the Priest Supervisor for The Sycamore Tree, the retreat center operated by the Diocese of Helena.
In fall 2023, Fr. Tolleson released That Was Father Stu: A Memoir of My Priestly Brother and Friend through Ignatius Press, which chronicles the life and ministry of the late Father Stuart Long (a Carroll College graduate), a fellow priest for the Diocese of Helena that passed away of a terminal illness in 2014, and whose larger-than-life story inspired the film Father Stu, starring Mark Wahlberg. Fr. Tolleson met Fr. Stu in their seminarian studies, and quickly struck up a friendship which would bless and inspire them both throughout their priesthood, and beyond.
Since being selected to serve on the Board of Trustees, I have been delighted to meet and work with many wonderful faculty, administration, staff, and other board members that are truly amazing and talented individuals. I am also so pleased to continue to meet and unofficially serve many Carroll students who help make the college such a special environment of intellect, adventure, and faith. ~ Fr. Bart Tolleson, Ph.D., Trustee