On Veterans Day, “Thank you for your service” comes with several meanings for one Catholic priest in the Extension-supported Diocese of Little, Arkansas.
Father Stephen Gadberry is a proud veteran of the United States Air Force. He served in Texas, Germany and then in Central Iraq at the height of the Iraq War in the mid-2000s.
He had gone to college for a year as a promise to his mother and grandmother but “absolutely hated it.” Service to his country felt like a much more appropriate calling at the time.
“I absolutely loved it. Work has always been important, physical labor, and so the military was just full of work. I just woke up and worked all day and I loved doing that,” said Father Gadberry. “I did logistics. I was really good at what I did.”
That time out on his own giving himself to our country provided him a sense of what he calls “holy autonomy” and a space to be called to another life of sacrifice and service.
“I was experiencing my identity as a son of God, and I just had this crazy joy waking up every day. And then these random ideas of priesthood started coming at that time. And these random ideas turned into more coincidences,” he recalled.
And before long I realized it was the Lord calling.”
Thankful for the four years he’d given in service to his country, Gadberry applied for early dismissal from the Air Force to start on a path towards a lifetime of service to the Lord.
“I said, ‘Lord, long story short, basically if you want this to happen, you’re gonna have to make it happen.’ So, I submitted paperwork, and then like a week and a half later it was green lights, all approval for an early dismissal,” Gadberry said.
The “Ninja Warrior” Priest
Gadberry went straight to seminary and studied philosophy for four years at St. Joseph’s Seminary College in Covington, Louisiana. After that he studied theology for four years in Rome. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Little Rock—which encompasses the entire state of Arkansas—in 2016. He currently serves as pastor of St. Theresa Church in Little Rock.
Father Gadberry is among a slew of young men recently ordained to the priesthood in the diocese, where vocations have skyrocketed in recent years. In the past 15 years, 51 men have been ordained. Twenty-five more are in the seminary. During this 15- year period, the median age of priests has fallen from 65 to an amazing 49 years old.
And along with being an Arkansas native, farm boy, Air Force Veteran, and now Catholic priest, Father Gadberry is a ninja warrior.
That is no metaphor. He appeared on the TV show “American Ninja Warrior” in 2018 and 2020 wearing his clergy shirt and Roman collar as he traversed the obstacles in front of a national audience. When he was introduced at his first parish, Father Gadberry walked down the main aisle on his hands. The ushers and altar servers were mightily impressed.
When asked about why he participated in “American Ninja Warrior,” he was a little embarrassed by the attention. He said he did it because he wanted the nation to see a healthy, happy, and joyful priest. He is all that and more.
Feeling the most alive
Father Gadberry’s garage is his gym. He has an exercise bike, a real bike, pull-up bar, dumbbells, exercise bands, floor mats and assorted weights.
He is a CrossFit Level 1 trainer. CrossFit training combines weight lifting, gymnastics, calisthenics, cardio work and running. “CrossFit” also describes the fundamental orientation of Father Gadberry’s heart.
Father Gadberry was baptized at St. Peter Church in Wynne, Arkansas. Every time he returns home, he notices the Catholic Extension Society plaque in the church’s foyer. Catholic Extension Society supported the parish in the 1930s and 1940s. This powerful reminder shows how support for mission parishes pays unanticipated dividends for the faith communities of the future, which Father Gadberry talks about in the video clip below.
In 1994, when he was 8 years old, his family was in an accident while driving in their truck. Father Gadberry broke his ankle. His younger sister was crushed and had to be put in a body cast. And his 11-year-old sister and father were killed.
His mother was pregnant at the time. Just after the accident, she found out she was having twins. So, the family had to move forward in hope and faith that God would see them through this shattering tragedy. This faith in God’s love and mercy is at the heart of Father Gadberry’s ministry. He’s “CrossFit” in every sense of the word.
The Latin phrase “age quod agis” from St. Ignatius of Loyola is tattooed on Father Gadberry’s left bicep. It’s part of a longer phrase that means, “Whatever you are doing, that which makes you feel the most alive, that is where God is.”
His priestly ministry makes him feel most alive. God is truly present beneath, between and beyond him. This Veterans Day, we are immensely grateful for his service to God and Country.
Each year, Catholic Extension Society supports the seminarian education of hundreds of men like Father Gadberry who are answering the call to the priesthood. Please support our mission!
