Fr. Joseph Aytona, CPM

Fr. Joseph was born in 1981 in Los Angeles, California and grew up in the suburbs of Southern California. In 2003, Fr. Joseph joined the Congregation of the Fathers of Mercy and was ordained to the Priesthood in May 2010. He is a 2010 graduate of Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, a Master of Divinity Degree, and a Master of Arts in Theology.

Along with being the rector of the National Shrine of our Lady of Champion, Fr. Joseph is the founder of the Spiritual Motherhood Sodality as well as the founder of Family Vocation Ministries, an apostolate that promotes vocations through the sanctification of families. He has appeared on “EWTN Live” and “Life on the Rock” Catholic programs during which he discussed the importance of the Eucharist, the Priesthood, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. He has also been interviewed by Catholic Newspapers and Periodicals such as the National Catholic Register and Religious Life Magazine.