The Making of a Catholic Priest
A documentary film from Word on Fire Institute
From his Arkansas upbringing, to his military experience, through his vocational ascent, Fr Stephen Gadberry shares his trials, tragedy, and ultimate joy, answering a call from Christ to engage the culture and spread the Gospel message.
Fr Stephen is a native of Wynne, Arkansas,and a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Little Rock, ordained on 28 May 2016. He presides over two parishes in Arkansas: St Mary’s Catholic Church in Batesville, and St Cecilia’s Catholic Church in Newport.
After high school in 2004, he enlisted in the US Air Force, serving in Texas, Germany and Central Iraq. He majored in philosophy and the liberal arts at St Joseph Seminary College in Louisiana and completed post-graduate studies in theology in Rome, Italy, earning a S.T.B. from the Pontifical Gregorian University and a postgraduate specialisation in St Augustine and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger from the Pontifical Augustinianum University in Rome.
Fr Gadberry has two dogs, Murphy and Shorty, and a collection of harmonicas.
Fr Gadberry describes himself in 2019 at Instagram:
I’m not normal. I’m fine with that. I am Fr Stephen Gadberry, a Catholic priest in Arkansas. I was farm raised in the Arkansas delta and am a US Air Force veteran. I’m introverted but do fine around people with the Holy Spirit’s help. My father and older sister died in a car wreck in 1994. I’m now the oldest of my three living siblings. Mom never remarried and gave her life to raising us. I am always moving. I hate sitting still. I hate being bored. I love exploration, discovery and learning. I love exercise and hunting. I love dogs and shooting bows and guns. Music is a passion of mine. So is Fitness. I love physical labour and sweating. I do not like being boxed in, or labelled, and do what I can to not fit a label or be shoved into a box. I love humanity and enjoy being with people — all sorts of people. I love helping people live better lives. Too many people are miserable. I want to help them change that. Life is good. God is good. I love Jesus, Mary, Joseph and all the saints. In a nutshell, I love living. Keep smiling. Life is worth living.
The Making of a Catholic Priest | Trailer
The Making of a Catholic Priest | Film | 57 minutes