Stephen Aloysius Leven

Stephen Aloysius Leven (April 30, 1905 – June 28, 1983) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of San Angelo from 1969 to 1979. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Antonio from 1956 to 1969.

Biography

Early life and education Stephen Leven was born on April 30, 1905, in Blackwell, Oklahoma, to Joseph J. and Gertrude (née Conrady) Leven. One of nine children, he was raised on farms around Ponca City and Newkirk, Oklahoma, 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. At age 23, he was below the age requirement for ordination but was granted a dispensation by Pope Pius XI. 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.

Bishop of San Angelo Leven was appointed the third bishop of San Angelo on October 20, 1969 by Pope Paul VI. His installation took place at Sacred Heart Cathedral on November 25, 1969. Credited with making the diocese financially solvent, he resolved several long-standing financial problems. He also initiated the permanent diaconate program, which trained and ordained more than 60 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, where he died on June 28, 1983, at age 78.