From ESPN to the Priesthood: Father Anthony Federico To Share His Journey At Holy Redeemer

From ESPN to the Priesthood, Father Anthony Federico shares his journey at our Parish Advent Mission at Holy Redeemer Church.

Holy Redeemer Church will be hosting Father Anthony Federico on Tuesday, December 9th and Wednesday, December 10th.

Author, speaker and co-host of the podcast Practically Catholic, Father Anthony will share his compelling story and a bold mission–“to pray for a thousand priests, a thousand deacons, a thousand religious sisters, and a thousand strong Catholic marriages.”

• Tuesday, December 9th at 7:00 p.m.
  From ESPN to the Priesthood: How the Eucharist Changed My Life
• Wednesday, December 10th at 9:00 a.m.
  Father Anthony celebrates Mass, followed by his talk, Under the Gaze of Jesus: The Difficulty and Beauty of Eucharistic Adoration
• Wednesday, December 10th at 7:00 p.m.
  7:00 pm talk – Desire: Coming to Know the Heart of the Father

Father Anthony Federico grew up Catholic, but his life was sports. When he got a job at ESPN straight out of college, he was on top of the world. He quickly climbed the ranks, becoming a sportswriter, editor and producer.
Then his world came crashing down. He was falsely accused of writing a racial slur in a headline and the story went viral. He was red, humiliated on social media and by reporters, chased by paparazzi, received hate mail and even death threats. He blamed God, and harbored suicidal thoughts.

Father Anthony landed a new job but felt an overwhelming emptiness. One day on his lunch hour, he walked past a basilica. The next day, he also kept going. The third day, he walked in and began attending daily Mass. Slowly, he went from going through the motions to understanding and embracing the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Then his life changed again.

He entered the seminary and was ordained in 2019. Three years later, Father Anthony was named Director of Vocations and Seminarians for the Archdiocese of Hartford (CT), helping guide men in discernment. Priestly
vocations have undergone a remarkable transformation. No one had been entering priestly formation recently. Today, more than 100 men have begun the discernment process and 16 entered the seminary the last two years.

“God writes straight with crooked lines,” Father Anthony says. “The Lord revealed Himself to me in a real way, showed how much He loved me and how perfect His plan was for my life.”

MORE PARISH NEWS: https://files.ecatholic.com/21503/bulletins/20251130.pdf?t=1764179427000