Fred Thelen served in Peru as an associate priest with the Maryknoll missionaries from 1988 to 1993. Throughout his ministry, he has advocated for social justice and human rights, including serving on the National Council of Pax Christi USA, and as a Global Fellow with Catholic Relief Services. He is the recipient of the Faith in Action award for community organizing from Action of Greater Lansing and the Purple Ribbon for Peace award from Pax Christi Michigan. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore and an MA from the University of Detroit. Growing up on the family farm in small-town America imparted a reverence for Mother Earth that he continues to nurture at his home surrounded by northern Michigan's woods and water.