Fr. Bradshaw's Bio
Originally baptized Lutheran, Fr. Ben became Catholic at a
young age and attended Catholic schools in Memphis growing
up.
Fr. Ben has two other priests in his family in addition to himself.
He always loved to cook and always considered being a professional chef or a Catholic priest, and so he became both.
At age 17 he began working for a French chef in Memphis and continued working in kitchens until age 20, at which point he entered Johnson & Wales University culinary arts program in Charleston, SC. There he earned an Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts.
After graduating he went to Russia and lived and worked there as a missionary with a religious community. It was in Russia working in a small village called Gagarina, where he began to consider more prayerfully a call to be a missionary priest. Since then he has spent time visiting and working in Guatemala, Mexico, Africa, Russia, and Eastern and Western Europe.
After returning to Memphis he worked as a pastry chef for 5 years and went to Paris, France to attend the L’Ecôle Lenôtre school of Pastry Arts, where he studied chocolate and pulled sugar artistry. During his time in France he often attended mass at rural French churches, considering more frequently the call to be a missionary priest.
After returning to the United States he attended The New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Food and Beverage Management.
After graduating from NECI, Fr. Ben began considering an option he had not yet considered prior: Diocesan Priesthood. After much prayerful discernment, Fr. Ben finally entered the seminary at the age of 27 and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Memphis in June of 2006.
He wrote his Master's thesis on Pope Saint John Paul II's understanding of femininity and womanhood as it relates to writings of St. Edith Stein.
Fr. Ben holds a Licentiate degree in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C. He also holds Masters of Arts and a Masters of Divinity in Sacred Theology. His Licentiate dissertation focused on the response of the Catholic Church to the issue of Same-Sex attraction. Since 2005 he has done continuing education studies at The Theology of the Body Institute in Philadelphia.
Fr. Ben spent four years serving as chaplain at Bishop Byrne High School in Memphis, four years as associate pastor of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, and two years as associate pastor at the Church of the Incarnation in Collierville. He currently serves as pastor at Resurrection Catholic Church in Memphis, TN.
Fr. Ben has two other priests in his family in addition to himself.
He always loved to cook and always considered being a professional chef or a Catholic priest, and so he became both.
At age 17 he began working for a French chef in Memphis and continued working in kitchens until age 20, at which point he entered Johnson & Wales University culinary arts program in Charleston, SC. There he earned an Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts.
After graduating he went to Russia and lived and worked there as a missionary with a religious community. It was in Russia working in a small village called Gagarina, where he began to consider more prayerfully a call to be a missionary priest. Since then he has spent time visiting and working in Guatemala, Mexico, Africa, Russia, and Eastern and Western Europe.
After returning to Memphis he worked as a pastry chef for 5 years and went to Paris, France to attend the L’Ecôle Lenôtre school of Pastry Arts, where he studied chocolate and pulled sugar artistry. During his time in France he often attended mass at rural French churches, considering more frequently the call to be a missionary priest.
After returning to the United States he attended The New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Food and Beverage Management.
After graduating from NECI, Fr. Ben began considering an option he had not yet considered prior: Diocesan Priesthood. After much prayerful discernment, Fr. Ben finally entered the seminary at the age of 27 and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Memphis in June of 2006.
He wrote his Master's thesis on Pope Saint John Paul II's understanding of femininity and womanhood as it relates to writings of St. Edith Stein.
Fr. Ben holds a Licentiate degree in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C. He also holds Masters of Arts and a Masters of Divinity in Sacred Theology. His Licentiate dissertation focused on the response of the Catholic Church to the issue of Same-Sex attraction. Since 2005 he has done continuing education studies at The Theology of the Body Institute in Philadelphia.
Fr. Ben spent four years serving as chaplain at Bishop Byrne High School in Memphis, four years as associate pastor of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, and two years as associate pastor at the Church of the Incarnation in Collierville. He currently serves as pastor at Resurrection Catholic Church in Memphis, TN.