Late Father Tony Stubeda – LHS Hall of Fame Inductee

The Litchfield High School Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place this evening in the Litchfield High School Commons with a reception at 6 p.m. and a program at 7 p.m. This year’s group of inductees includes Mark Scharmer from the class of 1973, Evonne Young Fix from the class of 1990, the late Jennifer Bjorhus from the class of 1982 and the late Father Anthony “Tony” Stubeda from the class of 1977.

Father Tony passed away in 2024 at the age of 65. One of his classmates, DeAnn Rothstein, says one of her first memories of Tony in the 2nd grade at St. Philip’s Catholic School in Litchfield was his announcement that he wanted to be a priest when he grew up. She says people seemed to sense that Tony would to something special with his life.

Rothstein says Father Tony received his baccalaureate degree from St. John Vianney College Seminary and a master of divinity degree from St. Paul Seminary. She says he was ordained at the Church of St. Philip in Litchfield and then served in several parishes throughout the New Ulm Diocese, ending in Marshall.

Rothstein says, early in his training, Father Tony traveled to Guatemala and after that experience, he developed a love for the Hispanic community. She says he had a special interest in the lives of migrants in Minnesota and the struggles they faced.

Rothstein says Father Tony headed the Catholic Migrant Farmworkers Network for 2 years, and in 1998, he was one of 389 delegates from around the world who were invited to Rome by Pope John Paul II for a conference on migrants and refugees. She says he was instrumental in getting Spanish masses started in Litchfield.