Meet Rev. Anthony J. Stoeppel, MTSM’s Dean of Men

The story below was originally published in The Athenaeum, MTSM’s bi-annual magazine. The Athenaeum is published twice a year for alumni, patrons and friends of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology. To be added to the mailing list, contact: Heidi Walsh at 513.233.6159 or hwalsh@athenaeum.edu.

For Rev. Anthony J. Stoeppel, S.T.D., joining MTSM as Dean of Men and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology was both the next step in his calling, but also a full-circle moment for someone whose life had been shaped so much by the area he now once again calls home.

Fr. Stoeppel’s pastoral background up to coming to MTSM did not include the tri-state area. His parents both attended Catholic high schools in the Cincinnati area, his father going to Roger Bacon High School in St. Bernard, while his mother went to McAuley High School (now Mercy McAuley) in College Hill. Much of his childhood was spent between the North College Hill area and in Cynthiana, Kentucky, the southern-most outpost of the Diocese of Covington.

“My faith experience comes from a little country parish, St. Edward’s in Cynthiana,” Stoeppel said. “Back in the day, a good percentage of the faithful were tobacco farmers: simple, God-loving, hard-working people. The rosary was a regular part of the parish life and my family life. Rev. Louis Brinker was our pastor, and he was one of three Brinker brothers in the Covington Diocese.”

After earning a pair of degrees at the University of Kentucky, a Bachelor’s in Agricultural Engineering and a Master’s in Public Administration, Fr. Stoeppel answered his call to the priesthood, initially with the Fathers of Mercy, but completed for the Diocese of Tyler, Texas at Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut in 2011.

Fr. Stoeppel’s time in the Diocese of Tyler saw him work a variety of roles, which included time as Vicar General for the Diocese and President of Bishop Gorman Catholic High School. Among his duties during his tenure in Texas included twice being a pastor at bilingual parishes. When it came to learning Spanish, he was able to turn to his Cincinnati roots for a helping hand.

“Through my family in Cincinnati, we have a cousin who is a priest in Spain,” Stoeppel noted. “The people in Spain welcomed me and they helped teach me their language. When I came back to the United States, in an area with a lot of Hispanic parishioners, that allowed me to expand what I did. Being a pastor of parishes, immersed in the lives of the people, the flock in my care, has shaped and molded me in ways that are unchangeable.”

On top of all his tasks in Tyler, he also completed his Doctorate in Sacred Theology through the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. At a time when virtual education was still in its infancy, Fr. Stoeppel worked via Skype with a professor on his dissertation, using his vacation time to go back to Rome to do research and eventually defended his thesis in Rome between Sundays and regular Mass services at his home parishes.

Fr. Stoeppel’s next stop would take him out to the West Coast, but back into the Seminary, as he joined St. Patrick’s Seminary & University in Menlo Park, California. His time at St. Patrick’s saw him hold a variety of roles, among them Vice-Rector, Associate Professor of Pastoral Studies and Director of Liturgy and Sacred Music. The latter roles gave him the opportunity to make a connection at MTSM with someone who is now his office neighbor.

“I knew that Fr. Ryan (Ruiz) was a priest expert on the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship,” Stoeppel recalled. “When I became Director of Liturgy at St. Patrick’s, I was writing a Liturgical Customary and I used him as an expert source to help me navigate through certain questions. In Summer 2022, I was back in the area visiting family and got the opportunity to come out to the Seminary, visit him and get to meet him.”

A year later, Fr. Stoeppel has now made MTSM his home, settling into his new roles as Dean of Men, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and as a member of the Formation Team. With enrollment at its highest in 45 years, he is thankful for the opportunity and excited for the opportunities.

“Whenever one witnesses young men who say ‘yes’ to their calling year in and year out, it is a burst of fuel that helps expand the flame,” Stoeppel noted. “When you come to a place like Mount St. Mary’s that has one of its largest incoming classes in its history, there is a lot to be reinvigorated by right now. They have a joyful spirit and there is something special about this group of men.”

Fr. Stoeppel will be putting his background and experiences, both gained nearby and afar, to good use this year and beyond, a perspective that he understands the importance of.

“The Scriptures say ‘A much-traveled person knows many things’ (Sir. 34:9),” Stoeppel observed. “As a Catholic, I have seen the universality of the Church played out, and it has been helpful for me for when I have needed to integrate into new communities, and to then be inviting and welcoming to people in those communities in our joint endeavor of salvation through Jesus Christ.”