Stephen Aloysius Leven
Encyclopedia
Stephen Aloysius Leven was an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of San Angelo
from 1969 to 1979.
, Oklahoma
, to Joseph J. and Gertrude (née Conrady) Leven. One of nine children, he was raised on farms around Ponca City
and Newkirk
, where his father was a sharecropper
. He received his early education at St. Mary's School in Ponca City and St. Francis Academy in Newkirk. He then attended St. Gregory's College
in Shawnee
, and later St. Benedict's College
in Atchison
, Kansas
. He studied for the priesthood
at St. Mary's Seminary in Houston, Texas
, for a year before entering the American College at Louvain in Belgium
in 1922.
Leven was ordained
a priest for the Diocese of Oklahoma
on June 10, 1928. At age 23, he was below the age requirement for ordination
but was granted a dispensation
by Pope Pius XI
. His first assignment was as a curate
at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City
, where he remained for four years. During that period, he also served as secretary to Bishop Francis Kelley
for two years. He served as a pastor
in Bristow
and Drumright
from 1932 to 1935. In 1933, he began a street preaching
ministry based on the work of the Catholic Evidence Guild
.
From 1935 to 1938, Leven served as vice-rector
of the American College at Louvain. Following his return to Oklahoma, he was appointed a pastor in Tonkawa
and his native Blackwell in 1938. From 1939 to 1940, he served as director of the National Center of Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
. During World War II
, he was the official representative of the Holy See
to nine German POW camps
in Oklahoma.
On December 3, 1955, Leven was appointed auxiliary bishop
of the Archdiocese of San Antonio
and titular bishop
of Bure by Pope Pius XII
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on February 8, 1956 from Bishop Eugene J. McGuinness
, with Bishops Thomas Kiely Gorman
and James A. McNulty
serving as co-consecrators
, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
. As an auxiliary bishop, he assisted Archbishop Robert E. Lucey
in performing confirmations
and ordinations. Between 1962 and 1965, he attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council
in Rome. At the Council, he defended non-Catholics by saying, "It just is not bearable to hear them talked about as some kind of strange entity or freak." He also spoke in favor of the increased participation of the laity
.
Leven was appointed the third Bishop of San Angelo
on October 20, 1969. His installation took place at Sacred Heart Cathedral
on November 25 of that year. Credited with making the Diocese of San Angelo financially solvent, he resolved several long-standing financial problems that were burdening the diocese. He also initiated the permanent diaconate
program, which trained and ordained more than sixty men to serve as deacons in parishes and missions across the diocese.
Leven resigned as Bishop of San Angelo due to poor health on April 24, 1979. He retired to his native Blackwell, Oklahoma, and died there at age 78.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as Bishop of San Angelo
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo is a Roman Catholic diocese covering twenty-nine counties in western and central Texas. It was founded on October 16, 1961.The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo, Texas, encompasses some...
from 1969 to 1979.
Biography
Stephen Leven was born in BlackwellBlackwell, Oklahoma
Blackwell is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 177 and State Highway 11 along Interstate 35. The population was 7,668 at the 2000 census. Blackwell was established following the September 16, 1893 Cherokee Outlet land run by A. J. Blackwell...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, to Joseph J. and Gertrude (née Conrady) Leven. One of nine children, he was raised on farms around Ponca City
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City is a small city in Kay and Osage counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, which was named after the Ponca Tribe. Located in north central Oklahoma, it lies approximately south of the Kansas border, and approximately east of Interstate 35. 25,919 people called Ponca City home at the...
and Newkirk
Newkirk, Oklahoma
Newkirk is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,243 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kay County.-Geography:...
, where his father was a sharecropper
Sharecropping
Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land . This should not be confused with a crop fixed rent contract, in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a fixed amount of...
. He received his early education at St. Mary's School in Ponca City and St. Francis Academy in Newkirk. He then attended St. Gregory's College
St. Gregory's University
St. Gregory's University is a private, co-educational Catholic liberal arts university. It is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It has its main campus in Shawnee, and an additional campus in Tulsa.-History:St...
in Shawnee
Shawnee, Oklahoma
Shawnee is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area; it is also the county seat of Pottawatomie County and the principal city of the Shawnee Micropolitan Statistical...
, and later St. Benedict's College
Benedictine College
Benedictine College is a co-educational university in Atchison, Kansas, founded in 1971 by the merger of St. Benedict's College for men and Mount St. Scholastica College for women. It is a Roman Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts, and residential college located on bluffs overlooking the...
in Atchison
Atchison, Kansas
Atchison is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Atchison County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,021. It is the county seat and most populous city of Atchison County...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. He studied for the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
at St. Mary's Seminary in Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, for a year before entering the American College at Louvain in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in 1922.
Leven was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
a priest for the Diocese of Oklahoma
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the midwestern region of the United States. Its ecclesiastical territory includes 46 counties in western Oklahoma. The Most Reverend Paul Stagg Coakley is the current archbishop...
on June 10, 1928. At age 23, he was below the age requirement for ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
but was granted a dispensation
Dispensation (Catholic Church)
In the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, a dispensation is the suspension by competent authority of general rules of law in particular cases...
by Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
. His first assignment was as a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, where he remained for four years. During that period, he also served as secretary to Bishop Francis Kelley
Francis Kelley
Francis Clement Kelley was the second Roman Catholic Bishop of Oklahoma. He was a Catholic Priest for 54 years, and Bishop for 23 years.-Early life:...
for two years. He served as a pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
in Bristow
Bristow, Oklahoma
Bristow is a city in Creek County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,325 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bristow is located at ....
and Drumright
Drumright, Oklahoma
Drumright is a city in Creek and Payne counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 2,905 at the 2000 census.-History:The town sprang up nearly overnight in 1912 after wildcatter Tom Slick struck oil on the farm of Frank Wheeler, causing a rush of speculators, oilfield workers, and...
from 1932 to 1935. In 1933, he began a street preaching
Open-air preaching
Open-air preaching, street preaching or public preaching is the act of publicly proclaiming a religious message to crowds of people in open places...
ministry based on the work of the Catholic Evidence Guild
Catholic Evidence Guild
The Catholic Evidence Guild is a loose international association of Roman Catholic lay volunteers which seeks to research and present clear and compelling explanations of the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. The organisation was founded in the Diocese of Westminster, England towards the end...
.
From 1935 to 1938, Leven served as vice-rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the American College at Louvain. Following his return to Oklahoma, he was appointed a pastor in Tonkawa
Tonkawa, Oklahoma
Tonkawa is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, along the Salt Fork Arkansas River. The population was 3,299 at the 2000 census.-History:...
and his native Blackwell in 1938. From 1939 to 1940, he served as director of the National Center of Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine was an association established at Rome in 1562 for the purpose of giving religious education. Its modern usage, often abbreviated CCD or C.C.D., is a religious education program of the Catholic Church, normally designed for children.-History:Until the...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he was the official representative of the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
to nine German POW camps
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
in Oklahoma.
On December 3, 1955, Leven was appointed auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of the Archdiocese of San Antonio
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio encompasses in Texas.The archdiocese includes the city of San Antonio and the following counties: Val Verde, Edwards, Kerr, Gillespie, Kendall, Comal, Guadalupe, Gonzales, Uvalde, Kinney, Medina, Bexar, Wilson, Karnes, Frio, Atascosa, and McMullen.On...
and titular bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Bure by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. He received his episcopal
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on February 8, 1956 from Bishop Eugene J. McGuinness
Eugene J. McGuinness
Eugene Joseph McGuinness was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Raleigh and Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa .-Biography:...
, with Bishops Thomas Kiely Gorman
Thomas Kiely Gorman
Thomas Kiely Gorman was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Reno from 1931 to 1952, and Bishop of Dallas from 1954 to 1969.-Biography:...
and James A. McNulty
James A. McNulty
James Aloysius McNulty was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Paterson and Bishop of Buffalo .-Biography:...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Oklahoma City)
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a Catholic cathedral in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.-History:...
. As an auxiliary bishop, he assisted Archbishop Robert E. Lucey
Robert Emmet Lucey
Archbishop Robert Emmet Lucey was the second Bishop of Amarillo and the second Archbishop of San Antonio.-Early years:...
in performing confirmations
Confirmation (Catholic Church)
Confirmation is one of the seven sacraments through which Catholics pass in the process of their religious upbringing. According to Catholic doctrine, in this sacrament they receive the Holy Spirit and become adult members of the Catholic Church....
and ordinations. Between 1962 and 1965, he attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
in Rome. At the Council, he defended non-Catholics by saying, "It just is not bearable to hear them talked about as some kind of strange entity or freak." He also spoke in favor of the increased participation of the laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
.
Leven was appointed the third Bishop of San Angelo
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo is a Roman Catholic diocese covering twenty-nine counties in western and central Texas. It was founded on October 16, 1961.The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo, Texas, encompasses some...
on October 20, 1969. His installation took place at Sacred Heart Cathedral
Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Angelo, Texas)
Sacred Heart Cathedral is a cathedral church located in San Angelo, Texas, United States. It is the seat of the Catholic Diocese of San Angelo. Sacred Heart Parish was founded in 1884, and it was named a cathedral when the Diocese of San Angelo was established in 1961. The present church was...
on November 25 of that year. Credited with making the Diocese of San Angelo financially solvent, he resolved several long-standing financial problems that were burdening the diocese. He also initiated the permanent diaconate
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
program, which trained and ordained more than sixty men to serve as deacons in parishes and missions across the diocese.
Leven resigned as Bishop of San Angelo due to poor health on April 24, 1979. He retired to his native Blackwell, Oklahoma, and died there at age 78.