Rod Stephens
Rod Stephens was born in Los Angeles, California in 1948. He was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest for Los Angeles in 1974, with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and a Masters of Divinity in Theology. After thirty years, and in protest of the Roman Catholic Church’s dogmatic teachings against the ordination of women, as well as the Church’s position on LBGQT issues, he resigned his canonical faculties as a priest representing the Church. He subsequently became a member of the Immaculate Heart Community and was the first male to be accepted into the organization, Roman Catholic Women Priests. He is currently also a supporter of the Orange County Catholic Worker and a member of the United Nations Association of Orange County. Living in Irvine he is married to Howard Seller, Professor Emeritus of California State University at Fullerton. While ministering as a priest in both the Canonical Church and now the Roman Catholic Women Priests organization, he also was founder of SACRA FORMA, a graphic and architectural design firm. Upon entering the Immaculate Heart Community, he became an early supporter of Housing Works. He is currently a member of Housing Works Board of Directors.