Stephen grew up in a Catholic family and attended Catholic school. But poor examples in the Church turned him off to the faith before he was even confirmed. These doubts were resolved through a radical conversion in high school. Afterward, Stephen had a burning desire to lead others to an encounter with Christ. Stephen can reach the skeptics, the sinners, and the lukewarm because he was once among them.
Stephen was born in Peoria, IL; the same hometown as Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. He began sharing his faith while attending Bradley University. His evangelization efforts led several fraternity brothers back to the Catholic faith. Stephen also discipled two student-athletes that led the Bradley Cross-Country team to their first appearance at the National Championship. In addition to his efforts on campus, Stephen went on 4 mission trips in college.
Stephen has achieved success in numerous areas outside of the Church. He was a member of the Bradley Speech team, with 40 national titles to their name. He competes in half and full marathons with PR’s of 1:27 and 3:08 respectively. After graduating, Stephen ran a financial practice at Fortune 100 company Northwestern Mutual.
His desire to save souls led him away from finance into ministry work. The motivation behind Stephen's ministry is to be the role-model he didn't have growing up: someone who makes the faith inspiring, relatable, and practical.
Stephen is currently pursuing a Masters's degree from the Saint John Institute. In addition to his ministry, Stephen volunteers his time with the youth group at St. Thomas More in Centennial, CO, and with Inferno Men, a men's group in Colorado Springs. Stephen has spent 6 years leading retreats, youth groups, and speaking about Christ across the country. He's been blessed to impact the lives of thousands, and God willing hopes to change the lives of many more.
Stephen typically speaks on:
-Why Be Catholic? The content of this talk is adjusted to the audience (youth, young adult, parish, all boys, co-ed, etc.). Stephen shares his conversion and how walking with Christ has transformed his life. This talk is meant to inspire those who are already Catholic, and an invitation to those who are not to give Jesus a chance in their lives.
-Spreading the Fire: Stephen shares his experience of evangelizing in college and as a young adult. He draws out principles from these experiences that we can all apply in our lives.
-Healing the Wounded Heart: This talk is intended to lead into a time of prayer, adoration, and confession. Stephen shares his journey of healing with Christ and explains how our wounds are the key to encountering Christ's redemptive power.
