Marvin Mottet

Marvin Alfred Mottet (May 31, 1930 – September 16, 2016) was a 20th and 21st century Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Davenport in the US state of Iowa.

While at St. Ambrose he was influenced by his professors, Fathers Bernard Kamerick, Edward and William O'Connor, Charles Griffith and Urban Ruhl, who fostered the lay apostolate, taught classes on labor relations, Papal social encyclicals and walked picket lines.

[2] He studied for the priesthood at Mount St. Bernard Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa and was ordained a priest at Sacred Heart Cathedral by Bishop Ralph Hayes on June 2, 1956.

[3] Mottet was assigned to the teaching faculty at St. Ambrose Academy in Davenport, and then to Assumption High School when it opened in 1958.

He helped to form the Catholic Interracial Council (CIC) in 1957, and brought his students into contact with the racial problems that existed in Davenport.

The program grew to include 400 students across the diocese from Notre Dame High School in Burlington, Hayes Catholic in Muscatine, and Aquinas in Fort Madison.

[6] The operating philosophy of the new office was an emphasis on systemic change for a more just society rather than simply providing direct service to clients.

In 1978 Mottet became the national director for the Campaign for Human Development in Washington, DC, the word "Catholic" was added to the organizations title at a later date.

[8] The Davenport Civil Rights Commission named the Marvin Mottet Award for Clergy and Community Service in his honor.

[4] His funeral was held at Sacred Heart Cathedral on September 21, 2016, and he was buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Davenport.