Fathers of Mercy
“He was moved with mercy” – Luke 15:20
Fathers of Mercy
“He was moved with mercy” – Luke 15:20
At Home at the Shrine
The Fathers of Mercy is a Roman Catholic Congregation of Priests who are focused on preaching to parish missions and retreats. Founded in France in 1808, the Fathers of Mercy have a strong emphasis on the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Confession.
Since 2011, at the request of the Bishop of Green Bay, The Fathers of Mercy have staffed the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion and served its pilgrims through the Sacraments. Rev. Tony Stephens, CPM, serves as the Rector of the Shrine, with Fr. Nathaneal Mudd, CPM, and Fr. Michael French, CPM, serving as Chaplains.
Fr. Tony Stephens, CPM
Fr. Tony was born in 1976 and is a native of Angelus, Kansas. He graduated from a public high school in 1995, and afterwards he attended Christendom College in Front Royal Virginia. Discerning a call to religious life and the priesthood, he joined the Fathers of Mercy in 2000. In 2001, Fr. Tony professed the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and then he studied for the priesthood at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. While at the Josephinum, he received his Master of Divinity degree. He was ordained a priest in 2005, and he served for two years as the assistant pastor of St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Nicholasville, KY. In 2007, Fr. Tony was assigned to begin traveling and preaching parish retreats, also known as “parish missions”. His travels have taken him all over the United States, into Canada, and also to different parts of the Australian Continent. From 2009-2015, he served as the Vocations Director and Student Master for the community. During this time, he also helped out part time in the preaching apostolate of the Congregation. Beginning in August of 2015, he joined the formation faculty at the Mt. St. Mary’s of the West in Cincinnati, OH, where he workedas the Vice Rector and Director of Formation until the Spring of 2021. After completing a six year term at the seminary, he rejoined the Fathers of Mercy mission band as a traveling mission preacher in the fall of 2021. He now serves as Rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, appointed in 2024.
Fr. Nathaneal Mudd, CPM
Fr. Nathanael Mudd grew up on a small farm outside of Hannibal, Missouri. After graduating from Kolbe Academy homeschooling curriculum, he immediately applied to the Fathers of Mercy. He entered the Fathers of Mercy in 2010, and professed his first vows in January 2012. After completing his bachelor’s degree at Thomas More University in Crestview Hills, he studied theology at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received his M.A. in Theology there and was ordained a priest on June 6, 2020. Fr. Nathanael served as Associate Pastor at St. Helen’s Catholic Church in Glasgow, Kentucky until 2024. Currently, he serves as Chaplain at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion.
Fr. Michael French, CPM
Fr. Michael French, CPM, a perpetually professed member of the Fathers of Mercy (a religious institute of consecrated life headquartered in Auburn, KY). He was ordained a priest in June 2022 after attending Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati. He was born and raised in Columbus, OH, the son of Howard and Judy French, and he is the firstborn with two younger sisters. A life-long Catholic and public-schooled, Fr. Michael graduated from Ohio State University in 2008 and had a career for seven years in Florida, working in the area of my Aerospace Engineering degree. Discerning a call to the priesthood and subsequently religious life ever since the end of high school, while living in Florida he received graces of conversion and conviction to finally follow God’s call. Fr. Michael entered the Fathers of Mercy in 2015 and is thankful for the blessings of God’s mercy in his life, and it is a joy to serve the Church in the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Fr. Michael French currently serves as a Chaplain at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion.
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