By Pope Francis

Joseph Francis "Joe" Babendreier was born in Washington, D.C. in 1953. He attended high school at St Anselm's Abbey (DC) and did Chemical Engineering at Columbia University (New York City), graduating in 1976;

He was a sales rep for Xerox in Manhattan for a couple of years. In 1980, after completing his seminary training in Rome, he was ordained a priest for the Prelature of Opus Dei. He carried out various pastoral assignments in New York City for 10 years;

In 1993, he received his doctorate in theology (STD) from the University of Navarre in Pamplona (Spain) for his thesis: Modern Values in the Works of G.K. Chesterton. The thesis examines the argument that Chesterton uses to explain why he believes in Jesus Christ and why he converted to the Catholic Church;

Also in 1993 Fr. Babendreier became the chaplain of Strathmore School, a boys school in Nairobi, where he has remained since arriving in Kenya.

September 10, 2025 at Church of St. Agnes, New York City; Matt Anthony (44), Matt Schoenecker (50), and Val Creus (59) died tragically in a swimming accident in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on June 18, 2025. They were part of a group of six hikers enjoying a day outing while taking part in a workshop at Trumbull Manor, a conference center in Novato, California. The tragedy was not without a touch of heroism. Some of the hikers were swimming near a waterfall well-known to several in the group, though the water was unusually cold and the current unusually powerful. When Val jumped into the water, he began calling for help. Matt Schoenecker and Matt Anthony immediately leaped in to rescue him. None of the three surfaced, and despite the water’s depth, their bodies were recovered a few days later.