The eldest of five children, Dolan was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Robert (d. 1977) and Shirley (née Radcliffe) Dolan. The family later moved to Ballwin, a suburb of St. Louis, where they attended Holy Infant Roman Catholic Church.

Dolan entered Saint Louis Preparatory Seminary (now Kenrick–Glennon Seminary) in Shrewsbury, Missouri in 1964, and later obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Cardinal Glennon College. He was sent by Cardinal John Carberry to further his studies in Rome, where he attended the Pontifical North American College. Dolan is also an alumnus of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas Angelicum from which he earned the degree of Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 1976.

Dolan was ordained a priest by Edward O'Meara, later Archbishop of Indianapolis, then an Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis, on June 19, 1976. He then served as an associate pastor at Curé of Ars in Shrewsbury and Immacolata Roman Catholic Parish in Richmond Heights until 1979.

On June 19, 2001, Dolan was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis and Titular Bishop of Natchesium by Pope John Paul II.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_M._Dolan