Fr. Stephen was born and raised in Fort Wayne and grew up in Waynedale. His home parish was St. Therese where he received all of his sacraments of initiation and attended grade school. He attended Bishop Luers High School and graduated in 2004 and immediately entered the United States Military Academy. Upon graduation in 2008, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army as a Field Artillery Officer. Shipped up to Anchorage Alaska January 2009, he was attached to an airborne unit, serving in two deployments to Afghanistan, and was honorably discharged in 2013. He was accepted into Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Maryland in 2014 was ordained a priest of Jesus Christ June 6, 2020.