Father Larry Dowling grew up downstate but came north to Waukegan to work as an actuary. While there, Father Larry volunteered with a domestic abuse hotline and heard the call of God.  He responded by becoming a priest.

Since his ordination, Father Larry has worked at St. Denis Parish on the South Side and at St. James Parish in Arlington Heights. In 2006, Father Larry was installed as the pastor at St. Agatha Parish.

Over the years, Father Larry worked to establish community trust for St. Agatha within the wider north Lawndale community. He was a founding member of the Restorative Justice Hub in North Lawndale which brought the Restorative Justice Community Court to North Lawndale and is committed to Restorative Justice as a tool for community building, healing and aiding communication both in the court system and outside of it. He retired from active service in 2024 but remains entrenched in service to North Lawndale.

Father Larry is a trained restorative justice practitioner, published writer, avid reader, hiker, and cyclist.