Chad Alec Ripperger (born October 11, 1964) is an American

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

, philosopher, and

exorcist In some religions, an exorcist (from the Greek „ἐξορκιστής“) is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or performs the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who are alleged to have possessed a person ...

. He is well known in

traditional Catholic A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

circles, has presented many conferences throughout the United States on theological and pastoral subjects, and is the founder of the

Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother (the Doloran Fathers) in the

Archdiocese of Denver The Archdiocese of Denver ( la, Archidiœcesis Denveriensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church that encompasses northern Colorado. It is part of the XIII Conference Region and includes 113 parishes, 3 ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, United States.

Biography

Ripperger was born in

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in, and the county seat of, Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the second-largest city in the state, with the population at 59,038 as of the 2020 census. Only Cheyenne, the state capital, is larger. Casper is ni ...

. He earned two bachelor's degrees, in theology and philosophy, from the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The ...

; and two master's degrees, one in philosophy from the Center for Thomistic Studies of the University of St. Thomas in

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and another in theology from

Holy Apostles College and Seminary Holy Apostles College and Seminary is a Catholic seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut. It was founded in 1956 on a property in Cromwell by Eusebe M. Menard to provide a program of education and formation for men intending to enter the priesthood. ...

Cromwell, Connecticut Cromwell is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States located in the middle of the state. The population was 14,225 at the 2020 census. The town was named after a shipping boat that traveled along the Connecticut River, which runs a ...

. He joined the

Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter ( la, Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri; FSSP) is a traditionalist Catholic society of apostolic life for priests and seminarians which is Communion (Christian), in communion with the Holy See. The soci ...

(FSSP), which sent him to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to receive his doctorate in philosophy from the

Pontifical University of the Holy Cross Pontifical University of the Holy Cross ( la, Pontificia Universitas Sanctae Crucis, it, Pontificia Università della Santa Croce) is a Roman Catholic university under the Curial Congregation for Catholic Education, now entrusted to the Prela ...

. After being ordained a

on June 7, 1997,Profile in the website of the Archdiocese of Denver
/ref> he spent a year in a parish in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

, where he worked in the diocesan St. Gregory the Great Seminary in

Seward, Nebraska Seward is a city and county seat of Seward County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,964 at the 2010 census. Seward is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is known for its large Fourth of July (Independ ...

of the

Diocese of Lincoln The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire. History The diocese traces its roots in an unbroken line to the Pre-Reformation Diocese of Leices ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

. After working for four years in the Seminary, he was assigned to

Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary is the second seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, a Society of Apostolic Life in the Catholic Church. The seminary was canonically established in 1988 by Pope John Paul II in accordance with his lette ...

Denton, Nebraska Denton is a village in Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 190 at the 2010 census. History Denton was established in 1871 when the Burlington & Missou ...

, which is the primary American seminary of the

, where he taught dogmatic and

moral theology Ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy''"Ethics"/ref> A central aspect of ethics is "the good life", the life worth living or life that is simply sati ...

and philosophy for six years. He also served as a pastor in

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Coeur d'Alene ( ; french: Cœur d'Alène, lit=Heart of an Awl ) is a city and the county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the largest city in North Idaho and the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical ...

for three years. He served as an exorcist for the Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma from 2012 to 2016, and thereafter moved to the

. Ripperger left the

Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter ( la, Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri; FSSP) is a traditionalist Catholic society of apostolic life for priests and seminarians which is in communion with the Holy See. The society was founded in 19 ...

so as to found the new priestly community of the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother (the Doloran Fathers). Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver instituted the Society as a public association of the faithful. It is presently housed in

Keenesburg, Colorado The Town of Keenesburg is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, ...

.Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother: Chapel
accessed November 9, 2021.

External links

Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother (the Doloran Fathers)

Sensus Traditionis, his personal website

Tumblar House profile

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ripperger, Chad 1964 births Living people 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American Roman Catholic theologians American people of German descent American philosophers American Roman Catholic priests Catholic exorcists Catholics from Wyoming Catholics from Colorado Holy Apostles College and Seminary alumni People from Casper, Wyoming Pontifical University of the Holy Cross alumni University of San Francisco alumni University of St. Thomas (Texas) alumni Thomists Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter American traditionalist Catholics American exorcists