"On YouTube I heard atheists claiming that Christianity has no logical basis and I realized I didn't know the fundamentals to defend my faith."
Stephen Sharpe is a young religious from Maryland, United States. He was born on January 5, 1994. After studying at Loyola University Maryland and working in a military technology company, he discovered that his true vocation was not in the secular world, but in the service of God. During a study program in Spain, he became acquainted with the community of the Servants of God. Mother's Home and, during a retreat, he strongly felt the call to the priesthood.
Today, he has been a member of this community for seven years, giving himself completely to God and preparing to become a priest at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (PUSC), in Rome, where he is studying the first cycle of the biennial propaedeutic of Philosophy, before entering the first cycle of Theology.
His name is Brother Stephen Sharpe, he is 31 years old (born in 1994) and is from Maryland, USA. He belongs to a religious community called the Servants of the Home of the Mother. He has been with the Home for 7 years and, during this time, has been able to work with young people in Ireland, the United States and Spain.
He is deeply grateful to the CARF Foundation for giving him the opportunity to begin his studies at PUSC, where he is preparing intellectually to become a priest. He loves his vocation as a servant and looks forward to one day serving the Church as a priest.
He has a twin brother who is also his best friend. He recently got married and they are still very close, despite the distance. He also has an older brother who is expecting his first daughter. Their mother, who raised them in the faith, taught them by her example the importance of putting God at the center of life.
During his adolescence, he began to feel a deep thirst for a deeper understanding of his existence. Existential questions began to trouble him and he longed for answers. Around the age of 15 or 16, he began to ask himself: "What is the meaning of life?What is the meaning of my life, why am I here, how do I know that God really exists?" One day, while on YouTube, he heard atheists mocking Christianity and claiming it had no logical basis.
It was then that he realized that he did not know the fundamentals to defend his faith and understood that, if he did not begin to educate himself intellectually, he would run the risk of losing it.
"That realization spurred me into action: I started reading the Bible, apologetics books, watching YouTube discussions and praying more deeply, asking God to help me understand and guide me through my confusion," Stephen recounts.
During this period, he became increasingly convinced that belief in the existence of God was indeed a logical position. He was never an atheist, but his conviction in the existence of God became firmer. "When this change happened, I remember feeling the desire to become a priest. That longing took hold of my heart and never left. My reasoning was simple: if God exists, then the most meaningful thing I can do is to live completely for Him, as a priest. However, I kept that desire secret and did not act on it immediately."
After graduating from high school, he attended Loyola University Maryland, where he studied international business. He worked as an intern at Textron, a U.S. military technology company specializing in unmanned aircraft for military use.
Despite these accomplishments, there was a voice inside him that told him he did not belong in that world. "My heart longed for something else: I wanted to give myself completely to God, not to anything of this world. The desire to be a priest kept growing and, after four years, it became impossible to ignore."
A study opportunity in Spain became providential for the meeting with the Servants of the Home of the Mother, a community of seminarians and priests, who receive help from the CARF Foundation, through partial study grants.
The Servants of the Home of the Mother are a religious community born under the inspiration of the Gospel and the charism of its founder, Mr. Rafael Alonso. They feel chosen by God through the Virgin Mary and live their spirituality with a strong identification with Jesus Christ, making their souls an exclusive sanctuary for God. Their vocation is based on fidelity to the Pope, Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church.
Their life revolves around the Eucharist, celebrating Holy Mass daily and dedicating time to adoration. They practice prayer, penance, and the recitation of the rosaryThey also follow a community life based on fraternity and obedience, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the protection of the Virgin Mary. They also follow a community life based on fraternity and obedience, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the protection of the Virgin Mary.
Its mission is to serving the Church with joy and selfless love and are very active in the social networks, particularly on YouTube, where they have several channels and audiovisual productions in several languages, among them Catholic Stuffwhere they try to present the Gospel in a way that appeals to young people while remaining faithful to the doctrine of the Catholic Church.
"Meeting the Servants was a grace. I had the opportunity to study in Spain, thanks to a program at my university. I lived in Alcalá de Henares, where I became involved in the local youth group and attended daily Mass. One day, during Mass, I met a group of sisters, brothers and priests who belonged to a community called Hogar de la Madre.
Their authenticity, integrity and zeal impressed me deeply. One of the brothers invited me to a weekend retreat following the method of St. Ignatius of Loyola, directed by the Superior General, Don Felix Lopez".
That retreat became the most profound spiritual experience of his life. "I was overwhelmed. As I meditated on the life of our Lord; my heart absorbed the truths of the faith as if hearing them for the first time."
After retirement, he returned to the United States to finish his university studies, but he was no longer the same. He had discovered what he had been searching for all his life: the fullness of truth. After much discernment, he decided to leave everything, his university career, his professional career, his country and join the Home of the Mother, dedicating his life entirely to God.
Being a priest is not an easy calling, but it is the result of a deep inner struggle and faith in God: "loving Jesus is the secret of true happiness.".
At first, it was not easy. Although he felt the call to be a priest, Stephen had to face many internal struggles. In fact, it took a huge psychological and spiritual leap to even consider joining this community. But the more he prayed, the clearer he saw that God was indeed calling him.
"Seven years later, I can honestly say that these have been the happiest years of my life, not because I have not suffered, but because, in giving my life to God, I have begun to discover (and continue to discover) that loving Jesus is the secret of true happiness."
Throughout these years, he has participated in various apostolates and is deeply grateful to be able to study at the Santa Croce (Santa Cruz), thanks to the help of the CARF Foundation, which has done so much for hundreds of young seminarians like him, in the hope of helping others to discover the truth of Jesus Christ.
Gerardo Ferrara, Degree in History and Political Science, specialized in the Middle East. Head of the student body at the University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
