Father Stephen Gadberry

Father Stephen Gadberry, a native of the Arkansas Delta, is a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Little Rock. He was ordained on May 28, 2016. After graduating high school in 2004, he enlisted in the United States 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 his post-graduate studies in theology in Rome, Italy, earning an S.T.B from the Pontifical Gregorian University and a post-graduate specialization in Saint Augustine and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger from the Pontifical Augustinianum University, also in Rome.

Father Stephen is a fellow of the Word on Fire Institute, part of Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire Ministries and is very involved with the Bishop and Word on Fire work. When not preaching at the pulpit, you can find him exercising, spending time outdoors, coaching a CrossFit class or playing with his dogs, Murph and Shorty. He was on season 10 of America Ninja Warrior in 2018. To relax his soul, he enjoys listening to music, as well as making music on the piano, guitar and harmonica. He also enjoys archery and is an avid hunter and conservationist. Fr. Stephen is currently pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Batesville, AR and St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church in Newport, AR. He is the dean of his diocesan deanery, which covers all of Northeast Arkansas, and is a member of various diocesan level advisory committees.