Greetings!

​

I’m Father Shawn Roser, a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Venice in Florida and the creator of The Backcountry Padre.

​

I was ordained to the priesthood in 2018, and I have been blessed to serve the people of God through parish ministry, preaching, teaching, vocational work, and the celebration of the sacraments.

​

Before entering seminary, I earned my private pilot certificate and considered a future in aviation. God, however, was calling me toward a different adventure: the priesthood of Jesus Christ.

​

Through The Backcountry Padre, I share Catholic teaching, spiritual reflections, family and frontier history, pilgrimages, outdoor journeys, and stories from the many places where faith and everyday life meet. I am also the creator of a Theology 101 video series, which presents classical Catholic teaching in an accessible and conversational way.

​

Faith along the road-

​

Pilgrimage has deeply shaped my life and priesthood. I have lived and studied in Rome, visited the Holy Land, traveled to shrines throughout Europe and the United States, attended World Youth Days in Madrid, Kraków, and Lisbon, and walked approximately 100 kilometers of the Camino de Santiago during Holy Week.

​

I have also hiked and camped throughout the United States, served as a chaplain on college backcountry expeditions, celebrated Mass in remote places, and discovered again and again that God speaks through mountains, deserts, forests, old roads, family stories, and quiet moments along the trail.

​

Not every journey leads to an official shrine, but every journey can become a pilgrimage when Christ travels with us.

​

The heart of this ministry-

​

The Backcountry Padre brings together many of the things that have shaped my life:

• the Catholic faith

• priesthood and vocation

• theology and teaching

• family history

• the American frontier

• pilgrimage and travel

• the outdoors and God’s creation

• ​

My hope is that these reflections, videos, and stories may offer encouragement, deepen faith, awaken curiosity, and help others recognize God’s presence in their own journeys.

Please make yourself at home and look around.

 

God Love You!

 

​Father Shawn Roser

The Backcountry Padre

​

​

​

Disclaimer:

All views expressed here on this website are my own, and due to human error,

may not accurately reflect the views of the Diocese of Venice and/or the Catholic Church,

(although I sure hope they do!!!)

​

​