Fr. Leopold Keffler, OFM Conv., has spent much of his Franciscan life bringing together a love of the natural sciences, a passion for education, and service as a priest.

With advanced studies in combined science and biology, including a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Mississippi, Fr. Leopold devoted a significant portion of his ministry to teaching. He taught generations of students in Franciscan seminaries and colleges, including Mount Saint Francis and Bellarmine, sharing not only his knowledge of the natural world but the curiosity and discipline that come with studying it closely.

His Franciscan ministry, however, was never confined to the classroom. Fr. Leopold also served in hospital chaplaincy, accompanying patients and families during some of life’s most difficult moments. Whether teaching science or offering pastoral care, his ministry has called upon the same qualities of attentiveness, patience, and presence.

A Franciscan since the 1950s and a priest since 1963, Fr. Leopold has given more than seven decades of his life to fraternity, prayer, education, and service to the Church. Today, he is part of the fraternity at Mount Saint Francis, where his long life of faithful ministry remains part of the living story of the Province.

Areas of Ministry: Education · Biology and Natural Science · Hospital Chaplaincy · Pastoral Ministry · Franciscan Fraternity