Fr. Steve Fernandes, OFM, Cap

Father Stephen Fernandes was born Sept. 2, 1954 to Leo and Alzira Fernandes in the former Portuguese colony of Goa, India. Goa located on India’s west coast used to be the hub of Christian missionaries for Asia and it is here that the remains of St. Francis Xavier are kept. Soon after his birth, Fr. Steve travelled with his mother to Kenya to join his father who worked as a customs officer in the port city of Mombasa, then a colony of Great Britain.

After 11 years in Kenya, Fr. Steve returned to Goa and attended a boarding school run by the Capuchins. At 13, he felt called to join the Capuchins and was enrolled in a special school set up for boys discerning vocations to religious life. However when his parents returned from Kenya for good, Fr. Steve left the Capuchins and joined his family that now included a sister and brother. He completed his high school at Don Bosco’s High School a Salesian run institution in 1971. 

The next four years Fr. Steve worked at a news daily The Goa Monitor in various capacities from desk editor to city reporter.

At 20, Fr was admitted to Youngstown State University. After his arrival to the United States in February, 1975, he lived with the Callahan's, a family whose daughter he dated and later married. Two years later he transferred to Kent State University where he received his MA in Political Science.

Following his graduation in 1981, Fr. Steve joined JC Penney as a retail manager and moved to Mansfield, Ohio where he remained for 10 years. In the interim he was blessed by two children: Ryan (1982) and Boni (1984).

From Mansfield he was transferred to Cleveland by JC Penney's and remained with them until 1998. Following his divorce that same year, Father Steve felt the Lord calling him back to the life he had discerned back as 13 year old: to be a Capuchin priest. Not knowing any Capuchins in the area, he called a number on an envelop for Capuchin missions that he chanced to receive. That led to his encounter with Fr. Lester Knoll, a spiritual Capuchin priest, who helped him discern what he was going through. To test the waters, Fr. Steve went to Papua New Guinea in 1999 as a lay missionary and worked there for two years as a teacher in a Capuchin-run high school on the coast. While there, he lived with another volunteer with the Caps, praying and sharing meals with them. It was in Papua New Guinea that Father felt even strongly that indeed the Lord was calling him to be a Capuchin.

After returning to the States in 2001, Fr. Steve had his marriage annulled, paving the way to join the Capuchins (coincidentally on 9/11/2001!). The rest, as they say, is history!

Fr. Steve was ordained on May 28, 2011 with his first assignment in Cumberland, Maryland. In the interim, his daughter, Boni, married to Adam and gave birth to their daughter, Evalyn. His son Ryan married Angela and welcomed their daughter, Morgan. His children and granddaughters live in Medina, Ohio. Currently living in Goa are his mother, 79, living along with his sister Perpetua and brother Johnny and their families. Another brother, Effy, lives in the UK with his wife.

Due to the strange twists and turns in Fr Steve's life, he feels graced to be one of a handful of cradle Catholics who have received all the 7 sacraments offered by the Church!!!