Father Clifford J. Stevens, '44, passed away on August 29, 2020 in Omaha, Nebraska. Lifetime Member. Father Clifford Stevens, a teacher, author, military chaplain, advocate for youth and founder of Tintern Monastery (which later became Tintern Retreat and Resource Center) near Oakdale, died Aug. 29. He was 94.
A funeral Mass was held Sept. 3 at St. Robert Bellarmine Church, with interment at Calvary Cemetery, both in Omaha.
A native of Brattleboro, Vermont, he graduated from Omaha’s Boys Town, where he was influenced by its founder and leader, Father Edward Flanagan (now recognized by the Church as Servant of God), leading to Father Stevens’ vocation and commitment to serving youth.
He attended Creighton University in Omaha and Conception Seminary in Conception, Missouri. He also studied with the Trappist monks at New Melleray Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa, which laid the foundation for his eventual attraction to monastic life.
Father Stevens was ordained a priest in 1956 by Archbishop Gerald T. Bergan.
He served as assistant pastor at St. Rose and St. Bernard parishes in Omaha before becoming a U.S. Air Force chaplain in 1961.
In 1968, Father Stevens became editor of The Priest Magazine, published by Our Sunday Visitor. He also founded his own magazine, Schema 13: The