ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Father Tony Plathe, a native of Madison, Minnesota, was ordained to the Catholic priesthood on February 3, 1963, for the Diocese of New Ulm. He began his theological journey at Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary (1951-1957) and completed his training at the St. Paul Seminary, earning a Master of Divinity. Furthering his education, he obtained a Master of Religious Education from Seattle University. For the first 26 years of his ministry, Father Plathe served as Parochial Vicar and Pastor in several parishes within his home diocese and briefly as the diocesan Director of Adult Education. In the 1980s, he joined the Diocese of St. Petersburg, serving St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Clearwater. Responding to a call for Prison Ministry, he worked as a Chaplain at La Tuna Federal Prison in El Paso, TX, and later at the Florence, CO Federal Prison, and the Federal Prison Camp in El Paso. Returning to the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Father Plathe has since dedicated his ministry to serving Hospice facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, and parishes in Pinellas County.