Stephen grew up in a devout Roman Catholic family. At age 20, he joined the Society of Jesus and earned a degree in philosophy at Gonzaga University; he followed with a Master of Divinity degree at Regis College in Toronto. His education kindled a keen interest in Ignatian Spirituality, and he was ordained a Catholic priest in 1975.
While working in campus ministry at Seattle University, he met a young volunteer, Betsy Elkins, of Durham, North Carolina. Their friendship deepened, and after a year of discernment — exploring the possibility that God’s purposes for his life were changing — Stephen left the Jesuits, and he and Betsy were married in 1978. They joined the staff of St. Stephen’s, Seattle as youth ministers, and Stephen was received as an Episcopal priest in 1982. That same year, he arrived at the Chapel of the Cross as associate for parish ministry. In 1985, he was chosen rector from a pool of more than 100 applicants.
Chanting the Exultet from the altar or leading “This Little Light of Mine” with guitar for Vacation Church School, Stephen embodies the contrasts that best characterize the Chapel of the Cross: traditional and progressive, inclusive and discerning, reverent and approachable. He is retiring after 30 years, the parish’s longest-serving rector.
