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Simply adding an incident relative to the minister's Street Preaching; running afoul the KKK. Comes, I believe, from a published book about the bishop.
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Stephen Leven was born in [[Blackwell, Oklahoma]], to Joseph J. and Gertrude (née Conrady) Leven.<ref name=curtis>{{cite book|last=Curtis|first=Georgina Pell|title=The American Catholic Who's Who|volume=XIV|year=1961|publisher=Walter Romig|location=Grosse Pointe, Michigan}}</ref> One of nine children, he was raised on farms around [[Ponca City, Oklahoma|Ponca City]] and [[Newkirk, Oklahoma|Newkirk]], where his father was a [[Sharecropping|sharecropper]].<ref name=texas>{{cite news|work=Handbook of Texas Online|title=LEVEN, STEPHEN ALOYSIUS (1905–1983)|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/LL/fle94.html}}</ref> He received his early education at St. Mary's School in Ponca City and St. Francis Academy in Newkirk.<ref name=texas/> He then attended [[St. Gregory's University|St. Gregory's College]] in [[Shawnee, Oklahoma|Shawnee]], and later [[Benedictine College|St. Benedict's College]] in [[Atchison, Kansas]].<ref name=curtis/> He studied for the [[Priesthood (Catholic Church)|priesthood]] at St. Mary's Seminary in [[Houston|Houston, Texas]], for a year before entering the [[American College of the Immaculate Conception]] in [[Leuven]], [[Belgium]] in 1922.<ref name=texas/>
Stephen Leven was born in [[Blackwell, Oklahoma]], to Joseph J. and Gertrude (née Conrady) Leven.<ref name=curtis>{{cite book|last=Curtis|first=Georgina Pell|title=The American Catholic Who's Who|volume=XIV|year=1961|publisher=Walter Romig|location=Grosse Pointe, Michigan}}</ref> One of nine children, he was raised on farms around [[Ponca City, Oklahoma|Ponca City]] and [[Newkirk, Oklahoma|Newkirk]], where his father was a [[Sharecropping|sharecropper]].<ref name=texas>{{cite news|work=Handbook of Texas Online|title=LEVEN, STEPHEN ALOYSIUS (1905–1983)|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/LL/fle94.html}}</ref> He received his early education at St. Mary's School in Ponca City and St. Francis Academy in Newkirk.<ref name=texas/> He then attended [[St. Gregory's University|St. Gregory's College]] in [[Shawnee, Oklahoma|Shawnee]], and later [[Benedictine College|St. Benedict's College]] in [[Atchison, Kansas]].<ref name=curtis/> He studied for the [[Priesthood (Catholic Church)|priesthood]] at St. Mary's Seminary in [[Houston|Houston, Texas]], for a year before entering the [[American College of the Immaculate Conception]] in [[Leuven]], [[Belgium]] in 1922.<ref name=texas/>


Leven was [[Holy Orders|ordained]] a priest for the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City|Diocese of Oklahoma]] on June 10, 1928.<ref name=hierarchy>{{cite news|work=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|title=Bishop Stephen Aloysius Leven|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bleven.html}}</ref> At age 23, he was below the age requirement for [[ordination]] but was granted a [[Dispensation (Catholic Church)|dispensation]] by [[Pope Pius XI]].<ref name=texas/> His first assignment was as a [[curate]] at the [http://cathedralokc.org/ Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help] in [[Oklahoma City]], where he remained for four years.<ref name=curtis/> During that period, he also served as secretary to Bishop [[Francis Kelley]] for two years.<ref name=curtis/> He served as a [[pastor]] in [[Bristow, Oklahoma|Bristow]] and [[Drumright, Oklahoma|Drumright]] from 1932 to 1935.<ref name=curtis/> In 1933, he began a [[Open-air preaching|street preaching]] ministry based on the work of the [[Catholic Evidence Guild]].<ref name=texas/> On one occasion, the KKK burned a cross as a personal threat at a corner where Rev. Stephen was accustomed to preach.
Leven was [[Holy Orders|ordained]] a priest for the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City|Diocese of Oklahoma]] on June 10, 1928.<ref name=hierarchy>{{cite news|work=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|title=Bishop Stephen Aloysius Leven|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bleven.html}}</ref> At age 23, he was below the age requirement for [[ordination]] but was granted a [[Dispensation (Catholic Church)|dispensation]] by [[Pope Pius XI]].<ref name=texas/> His first assignment was as a [[curate]] at the [http://cathedralokc.org/ Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help] in [[Oklahoma City]], where he remained for four years.<ref name=curtis/> During that period, he also served as secretary to Bishop [[Francis Kelley]] for two years.<ref name=curtis/> He served as a [[pastor]] in [[Bristow, Oklahoma|Bristow]] and [[Drumright, Oklahoma|Drumright]] from 1932 to 1935.<ref name=curtis/> In 1933, he began a [[Open-air preaching|street preaching]] ministry based on the work of the [[Catholic Evidence Guild]].<ref name=texas/> On one occasion, the KKK burned a cross as a personal threat at a corner where Leven was accustomed to preach.


From 1935 to 1938, Leven served as vice-[[Rector (ecclesiastical)|rector]] of the American College at Louvain.<ref name=curtis/> Following his return to Oklahoma, he was appointed a pastor in [[Tonkawa, Oklahoma|Tonkawa]] and his native Blackwell in 1938.<ref name=curtis/> From 1939 to 1940, he served as director of the National Center of [[Confraternity of Christian Doctrine]].<ref name=curtis/> During [[World War II]], he was the official representative of the [[Holy See]] to nine German [[Prisoner-of-war camp|POW camps]] in Oklahoma.<ref name=texas/>
From 1935 to 1938, Leven served as vice-[[Rector (ecclesiastical)|rector]] of the American College at Louvain.<ref name=curtis/> Following his return to Oklahoma, he was appointed a pastor in [[Tonkawa, Oklahoma|Tonkawa]] and his native Blackwell in 1938.<ref name=curtis/> From 1939 to 1940, he served as director of the National Center of [[Confraternity of Christian Doctrine]].<ref name=curtis/> During [[World War II]], he was the official representative of the [[Holy See]] to nine German [[Prisoner-of-war camp|POW camps]] in Oklahoma.<ref name=texas/>


On December 3, 1955, Leven was appointed [[auxiliary bishop]] of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio|Archdiocese of San Antonio]] and [[titular bishop]] of ''Bure'' by [[Pope Pius XII]].<ref name=hierarchy/> He received his [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|episcopal]] [[consecration]] on February 8, 1956 from Bishop [[Eugene J. McGuinness]], with Bishops [[Thomas Kiely Gorman]] and [[James A. McNulty]] serving as [[Consecrator|co-consecrators]], at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.<ref name=hierarchy/> As an auxiliary bishop, he assisted Archbishop [[Robert Emmet Lucey|Robert E. Lucey]] in performing [[Confirmation (Catholic Church)|confirmations]] and ordinations.<ref name=texas/> Between 1962 and 1965, he attended all four sessions of the [[Second Vatican Council]] in Rome.<ref name=hierarchy/> 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."<ref name=council>{{cite news|date=1963-11-27|work=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|title=Texas Bishop Defends 'Separated Brethren'}}</ref> He also spoke in favor of the increased participation of the [[laity]].<ref name=texas/>
On December 3, 1955, Leven was appointed [[auxiliary bishop]] of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio|Archdiocese of San Antonio]] and [[titular bishop]] of ''Bure'' by [[Pope Pius XII]].<ref name=hierarchy/> He received was consecrated on February 8, 1956 by Bishop [[Eugene J. McGuinness]], with Bishops [[Thomas Kiely Gorman]] and [[James A. McNulty]] serving as [[Consecrator|co-consecrators]], at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.<ref name=hierarchy/> As an auxiliary bishop, he assisted Archbishop [[Robert Emmet Lucey|Robert E. Lucey]] in performing [[Confirmation (Catholic Church)|confirmations]] and ordinations.<ref name=texas/> Between 1962 and 1965, he attended all four sessions of the [[Second Vatican Council]] in Rome.<ref name=hierarchy/> 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."<ref name=council>{{cite news|date=1963-11-27|work=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|title=Texas Bishop Defends 'Separated Brethren'}}</ref> He also spoke in favor of the increased participation of the [[laity]].<ref name=texas/>


Leven was appointed the third [[Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo|Bishop of San Angelo]] on October 20, 1969.<ref name=hierarchy/> His installation took place at [[Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Angelo, Texas)|Sacred Heart Cathedral]] on November 25 of that year.<ref name=texas/> Credited with making the Diocese of San Angelo financially solvent, he resolved several long-standing financial problems that were burdening the diocese.<ref name=texas/> He also initiated the permanent [[Deacon|diaconate]] program, which trained and ordained more than sixty men to serve as deacons in parishes and missions across the diocese.<ref name=texas/>
Leven was appointed the third [[Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo|Bishop of San Angelo]] on October 20, 1969.<ref name=hierarchy/> His installation took place at [[Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Angelo, Texas)|Sacred Heart Cathedral]] on November 25 of that year.<ref name=texas/> Credited with making the Diocese of San Angelo financially solvent, he resolved several long-standing financial problems that were burdening the diocese.<ref name=texas/> He also initiated the permanent [[Deacon|diaconate]] program, which trained and ordained more than sixty men to serve as deacons in parishes and missions across the diocese.<ref name=texas/>

Revision as of 05:28, 9 July 2013

Stephen Aloysius Leven
Bishop of San Angelo
ChurchRoman Catholic
SeeSan Angelo
In office1969 – 1979
PredecessorThomas Ambrose Tschoepe
SuccessorJoseph Anthony Fiorenza
Previous post(s)Bishop of San Antonio (auxiliary),
Bishop of Bure (titular)
Bishop
Orders
OrdinationJune 10, 1928
Personal details
BornApril 30, 1905
Blackwell, Oklahoma
DiedJune 28, 1983(1983-06-28) (aged 78)
Blackwell, Oklahoma

Stephen Aloysius Leven (April 30, 1905 – June 28, 1983) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of San Angelo from 1969 to 1979.

Life and church

Stephen Leven was born in Blackwell, Oklahoma, to Joseph J. and Gertrude (née Conrady) Leven.[1] One of nine children, he was raised on farms around Ponca City and Newkirk, where his father was a sharecropper.[2] He received his early education at St. Mary's School in Ponca City and St. Francis Academy in Newkirk.[2] He then attended St. Gregory's College in Shawnee, and later St. Benedict's College in Atchison, Kansas.[1] He studied for the priesthood at St. Mary's Seminary in Houston, Texas, for a year before entering the American College of the Immaculate Conception in Leuven, Belgium in 1922.[2]

Leven was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Oklahoma on June 10, 1928.[3] At age 23, he was below the age requirement for ordination but was granted a dispensation by Pope Pius XI.[2] 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.[1] During that period, he also served as secretary to Bishop Francis Kelley for two years.[1] He served as a pastor in Bristow and Drumright from 1932 to 1935.[1] In 1933, he began a street preaching ministry based on the work of the Catholic Evidence Guild.[2] On one occasion, the KKK burned a cross as a personal threat at a corner where Leven was accustomed to preach.

From 1935 to 1938, Leven served as vice-rector of the American College at Louvain.[1] Following his return to Oklahoma, he was appointed a pastor in Tonkawa and his native Blackwell in 1938.[1] From 1939 to 1940, he served as director of the National Center of Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.[1] During World War II, he was the official representative of the Holy See to nine German POW camps in Oklahoma.[2]

On December 3, 1955, Leven was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio and titular bishop of Bure by Pope Pius XII.[3] He received was consecrated on February 8, 1956 by 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.[3] As an auxiliary bishop, he assisted Archbishop Robert E. Lucey in performing confirmations and ordinations.[2] Between 1962 and 1965, he attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome.[3] 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."[4] He also spoke in favor of the increased participation of the laity.[2]

Leven was appointed the third Bishop of San Angelo on October 20, 1969.[3] His installation took place at Sacred Heart Cathedral on November 25 of that year.[2] Credited with making the Diocese of San Angelo financially solvent, he resolved several long-standing financial problems that were burdening the diocese.[2] 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.[2]

Leven resigned as Bishop of San Angelo due to poor health on April 24, 1979.[3] He retired to his native Blackwell, Oklahoma, and died there at age 78.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Curtis, Georgina Pell (1961). The American Catholic Who's Who. Vol. XIV. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "LEVEN, STEPHEN ALOYSIUS (1905–1983)". Handbook of Texas Online.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Bishop Stephen Aloysius Leven". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  4. ^ "Texas Bishop Defends 'Separated Brethren'". St. Petersburg Times. 1963-11-27.

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