(OSV News) — A priest known for his nationwide radio ministry has been tapped to lead the first and only Church-approved Marian apparition site in the U.S.
Opus Dei priest Father Francis J. Hoffman — better known as Father Rocky, chairman and CEO of Relevant Radio, a U.S.-based Catholic radio and streaming network — has been named president and rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, located in the Wisconsin town of the same name.
The shrine commemorates the place where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared three times in 1859 to Servant of God Adele Brice, a Belgian immigrant to Wisconsin who dedicated her life to religious education.
Father Rocky to maintain current roles at Relevant Radio
Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin — who formally opened Brice’s canonization cause in January — announced Father Hoffman’s appointment in a letter to the faithful dated Sept. 22 and made public Oct. 2.
Father Hoffman will succeed current shrine director Father Tony Stephens, a member of the Fathers of Mercy, who will continue serving at the shrine as director of sacramental life and pastoral care of souls, said the bishop.
At the same time, Father Hoffman will maintain his current leadership roles at Relevant Radio, the letter noted.
Fathers of Mercy continue to serve at Marian shrine
Bishop Ricken said Father Stephens and his fellow order priests “will continue to provide for the sacramental needs” of the shrine by “celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, and guiding the liturgies.”
As the new director, Father Hoffman will oversee the shrine’s strategic planning, “including its spiritual and temporal needs,” while spreading the message of Our Lady of Champion “throughout North America and the world,” said the bishop in his letter.
In an Oct. 2 press release, the shrine said that Father Hoffman’s “appointment comes during a remarkable season of growth and grace.”
The shrine pointed to the opening of Brice’s canonization cause, a 22-mile “Walk to Mary” pilgrimage to the shrine in May and the upcoming solemnity Mass of Our Lady Champion Oct. 9.
BIshop Ricken also noted Father Hoffman’s “deep roots” throughout the Green Bay Diocese and “across the nation,” saying the priest “has long been a devoted champion” of the shrine.
In its release, the shrine quoted Father Hoffman as saying, “It is my hope that every baptized Catholic in America and Canada, and any other person of good will, make a pilgrimage to this Shrine at least once in their life, and experience the life-changing graces of a good confession, as well as the mercy of God through the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Champion.”
Pointing to Father Hoffman’s “more than 16 years of experience as a faith leader,” Bishop Ricken highlighted the priest’s three decades of ministering to youth, which included his chaplaincy at Northridge Preparatory School in Niles, Illinois, and several years of working with “the rural poor in the mountain regions of central Mexico.”
The shrine’s statement also included comment from Father Stephens, who said he looked forward to continuing his ministry in a new capacity.
“Although my title is changing, my commitment to The Shrine and its pilgrims remains the same,” said Father Stephens, adding that his order has “a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother” and seeks to “minister the Sacraments to all those who are in need of God’s mercy.”
Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.
Updated Oct. 2, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. EST.
