Priest is present for college Catholics

Father Stephan Brown talks his ministry at St. Leo University.

CARLOS BRICENO | FLORIDA CATHOLIC ST. PETERSBURG BUREAU EDITOR

Published: 10.26.07

Verbite Father Stephan Brown is the new director of university ministry at Saint Leo University in St. Leo.
CARLOS BRICENO | FC

Father Stephan Brown, Society of the Divine Word, is director of university ministry at Saint Leo University, a Catholic school in St. Leo. He has served 15 years in parish ministry in Indianapolis, St. Louis and California. Last summer, he went on sabbatical to discern what God wanted him to do next. He felt called to campus ministry and started in his new position at Saint Leo University in early October. Father Brown sat down recently with Carlos Briceno from the Florida Catholic to discuss his new work.

Q: What got you involved in this position?

A: I wanted to look into university ministry for a couple of reasons. I wanted to be able to reach a larger population of students, Catholics, because when they leave the university they are going to really impact the world. They are going to change the world. They are going to go into courtrooms and hospitals and go to other universities, and they will be in positions where they can influence the world. If we can instill in their last chance as they embark on new careers some solid Gospel values to take with them, I thought that that would be a way the Lord may use me. The other piece is, I was also constantly looking for vocations. I thought the university would be a good place to inquire and plant the seeds and ask the student to consider a vocation to religious life, either as monks, sisters, brothers or priests.

Q: What is your goal at Saint Leo?

A: I think that my goal would be to be the presence of Christ at that university campus. They were looking for someone to help bring Catholic identity, someone with energy and dynamism, to energize and engage and connect with students ... and through the ministry, that people encounter and come to know and experience who Jesus is.

Q: What are young people facing today that you think you can help?

A: I have found in just a short time that young people need a sense of belonging. They need a sense of identity. Who are they? And they need a sense of direction. “Where am I going? What do I want to do with my life?” My hope is if I can help them change the question from “What do I want to do in my life?” or “How can I get a good job or make a lot of money?” to ask the question, “How is God calling me to serve him in my life?”... Is he calling me to a particular discipline, whether it be medicine or education? “Is he calling me to married life, single life, religious life?” The question we have to ask is, “What does God want from my life?” When we ask that question, we move away from the self-centered goal of getting a good job and making a lot of money, but to rather saying, “I want to serve God and I want to be happy, and being happy comes from knowing and doing my best to serve the Lord.”

Q: How do you hope to accomplish all that?

A: The strategy is first to be present. One thing about young people is that they look for consistency. Do you do what you say you’re going to do? And the more and more they see that I am there, I am present. I’m at the sporting events; I’m in the dining room; I’m with them in church or chapel; I’m passing by the classrooms; I’m with them on their service projects. The more they see me present with them, then a relationship begins. So the first step is to build relationships, and the way to build relationships is to spend time together, getting to know one another. That is the first step. The second step is once that relationship begins, then it’s a level of trust, and then we begin to engage and we begin to be in dialogue together. How is God calling you? ... And I think the other part is offering leadership ... because there is a desire to grow in Catholic identity.

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